5 things to know about the nation’s first recreational marijuana shops in Colorado

5 things to know about the nations first recreational marijuana shops in ColoradoHere are the top 5 things to know about the nation’s first recreational marijuana shops in Colorado, man:

Where can I legally buy marijuana?
Thanks to Colorado’s Amendment 64, which passed in November 2012, starting tomorrow stoners in Colorado age 21 or over can buy up to a full ounce of weed from state-licensed marijuana retailers. Mainly Denver, man. Around a dozen are expected to begin selling on New Years Day. About 20 other stores will be opening elsewhere in the state. People from outside Colorado can buy up to a quarter ounce. Colorado has more than 500 medical dispensaries; only 136 have sought retail licenses so far, Reuters reported. Some haters such as Colorado Springs and Greeley have decided not to allow recreational marijuana stores in their local jurisdictions.

Where can I burn?
Well fuck, here’s the thing, this dude who owns my 420 tours wanted to throw a party at a rented hall (the Norad Dance Bar in Denver) to celebrate this milestone victory on New Years Day. According to USA Today he got denied. The city of Denver was all, sorry dude, even though your party is like all private and shit…it’s still in a public place. WTF? Right?! So because of the state’s Clean Indoor Air Act you can’t smoke pot out in public, in any public venue or any pot store. That leaves the smoking to private properties.

Pot stores are cash only.
No shirts, no shoes? Cool. No Cash? Not cool. Recreational weed stores are cash only, bud. That’s because credit cards, debit cards and checks are tied to federal rules and regulations, and the feds still consider marijuana illegal.

Rec WEED ain’t cheap.
Stoners will have to pay 25 percent state tax plus 2.9 percent state sales tax on top of their weed purchases. And some communities are adding even more taxes on top of that. According to CNN the additional revenue will amount to $67 million a year. If you’re a medical marijuana patient, don’t fret dude, you can still get yer weed at a dispensary without all those extra taxes. Stoners can also share an ounce as long as no money is exchanged.

Can I grow?
Yes, you can. Starting tomorrow Colorado stoners will be able to grow up to six plants in an enclosed and locked space. Six plants ain’t a lot, so up your chances of success and your yields by reading our cultivation sectioned penned by Drew West of the West Coast Masters. He’ll teach you how to grow a pound of weed per plant, dude! Also, send your grow questions for him to answer to stuffstonerslike@yahoo.com.

What about the feds?
Well, in August they said they won’t fuck with stoners or stoner stores as long as they follow 8 simple rules. But, they also maintain that “Federal law says the “drug’s possession, manufacture, and sale is illegal, punishable by up to life in prison, and its mass cultivation is a sensitive subject among growers,” according to some experts CNN sourced. Get this attorney Alan Dershowitz told CNN, “The federal government still takes the position technically that you’re violating federal law if you’re complying with the state law. But the Obama administration, I believe, has recently has taken a turn on its approach to drug enforcement.”



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