World's First Legal Recreational Marijuana

[RainDog]

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_24828236/worlds-first-legal-recreational-marijuana-sales-begin-colorado

(video also at link, plus a whole lot more of the article...)

World's first legal recreational marijuana sales begin in Colorado

Police reported no problems with the crowds, and government officials marveled at its calm. Overall, the day went as marijuana activists had hoped it would: In the most extraordinary way possible, it was ordinary.

"What I love about it," Denver Councilman Albus Brooks said, "is the peacefulness of the crowd ... and the diversity."

At 8 a.m., the lines of customers outside most stores were fairly short, but they built as the day went on. By mid-afternoon, customers at BotanaCare in Northglenn said they waited as long as five hours to make their purchases. At LoDo Wellness, in Denver, the line stretched down the block, with a wait of around three hours.

Stores were charging $30 to $50 — and sometimes more — for an eighth of an ounce of marijuana, which is slightly to significantly higher than prices for medical marijuana. At least one store had upped its prices for the day. Several stores, including 3D Cannabis, imposed limits on how much customers could buy.

Video and article on NBC: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/01/22132546-colorados-legal-recreational-pot-industry-off-to-smoking-start?lite

[arcane1]

1. They should change their headline to "World's first RE-legal recreational marijuana"

[silverweb]

2. "...officials marveled at its calm."

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]Yes, be amazed! Because stoners and medicinal cannabis users are such rowdies... like alcohol party drunks and sports fiends, right?

[dipsydoodle]

3. Holland has had it for years.

Law to stop pot-smoking tourists buying cannabis scrapped by Dutch government

Tourists heading to Holland to use cannabis in the country's notorious 'coffee shops' will be relieved after a law banning it was ditched.

The government had planned to issue 'weed passes' meaning that from January 1 2013 only Dutch residents could buy cannabis.

This was labelled 'tourism suicide' by critics because an estimated one million holidaymakers a year, including Britons, go to Amsterdam to legally buy and smoke drugs.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2226385/Dutch-scrap-law-banning-cannabis-Holland.html#ixzz2pCO6FE2B

And Uruguay has already passed the law but it yet to come into effect.

11 December 2013 Uruguay becomes first nation to legalise marijuana trade.

Uruguay has become the first country in the world to make it legal to grow, sell and consume marijuana.

After nearly 12 hours of debate, senators gave the government-sponsored bill their historic final approval.

The law allowing registered Uruguayans over 18 to buy up to 40g (1,4oz) of the drug a month is not expected to come into force before April.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-25328656

As such the headline is crook.

[RainDog]

4. No. The Netherlands has a "look the other way" policy

http://www.holland.com/us/tourism/article/dutch-drug-policy.htm

The Netherlands takes a "harm reduction" approach.

[MADem]

5. Good that they woke up and smelled the weed, as it were.

I mean, really...who, of a certain age, would make a detour to Holland for...what? The tulips, the wooden shoes, the story of the little boy with his finger in the dike, and Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates? Get real!

There are always the few idiots who think the red light district isn't sad and tawdry, but exotic....that said, I think a fair share of tourists--like the million mentioned in your link-- want to get their smoke on.

[RainDog]

6. But the title is accurate. CO is the first to have legal sales

Cannabis is still illegal in The Netherlands and drug laws still stand. They just choose "benign neglect" in enforcement of the law - and the reason they did this is because no nation chose to override the UN single convention - until Uruguay this year - and this is partially because CO and WA legalized.

This is an issue at the UN now as they create drug policy agreements for the next 10 years.

Actually, The Netherlands is a great place, and not just about tourist trap sorts of things, but they definitely draw tourists, most of them from other parts of Europe, because cannabis is illegal in their countries.

[MADem]

7. Well...yeah. I never suggested otherwise.

My point was that Holland was stupid for trying to prevent tourists from partaking of the product. The law was all set to take effect, and it would have cost them a bundle in lost revenues.

[RainDog]

9. No doubt. The conservative reaction to Theo Van Gogh had a lot to do with it

The right wing there (nothing near as right wing on economics as the right wing here) got voted into office and some cities were complaining about the tourism - especially British football fans who cross the chunnel and get both drunk and stoned and make a nuisance of themselves - but they did and do that without cannabis.

One time I was at a football match that was against a British team and the fans were scary to me - the ones in the end zone - they're called hooligans, even by their own count.

And Maastricht was complaining because that city is at the border for Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg.... traffic jams, that sort of thing.

But I would imagine the tourist dollars outweigh the few who make trouble.

[TeamPooka]

10. Booze, not cannabis, is the driving force behind soccer hooliganism in the EU.

[RainDog]

11. oh yeah, no doubt

but some people mix and still get into fights, etc.

[MADem]

12. I HATE Brit footie fans. Hate 'em. May seem strong, but I agree--they are scary fuckers.

They raised some Cain when I was living in Italy--they just don't behave well in a group. They make some of our more awful fans look like wimps by comparison.

I think a lot of the Amsterdam visitors are just herb enthusiasts, though. Those footie fans are more drunkards--violent drunkards--and stimulant-takers.

[dipsydoodle]

15. Some music for the occasion

&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DuyjW8FTGxbI&app=desktop

[Jesus Malverde]

8. rec...nt

[Warren Stupidity]

13. I saw video of the awful rioters looting and pillaging at the pot shops.

Oh wait, no I saw peaceful people out shopping, people who looked like you and me. Is it possible that the awful 40 year nightmare is coming to an end?

[RainDog]

14. late breaking footage!

[tridim]

16. The legal, thriving and peaceful Cannabis shops/shoppers are the final nail in prohibition's coffin

It represents a complete refutation of the decades of lies that we've been told about Cannabis, in a single day.

There are no barriers blocking legalization now, every metric is positive.

2014 is the year!