On November 6, 2012, Colorado voters officially passed Amendment 64. Enacted as Article 18, section 16 of the state constitution, the new law addressed the use and regulation of marijuana for consumers 21 and over, as well as commercial cultivation, manufacturing, and retail. The recreational sale of cannabis began just over a year later on January 1, 2014.
The new legislation made Colorado the first state with completely legal recreational cannabis, marking a shift in public opinion. While there were some uncertainties and concerns at the time, over five years later, legalization in Colorado has brought with it economic prosperity, increased education and research, and some incredible innovations. In 2014, Colorado’s first year of legal cannabis, the state gained $76 million in revenue, $35 million of which went directly toward…
