Colorado became the first state in history to issue licenses for recreational marijuana retailers yesterday.
The Denver Post reports that the state’s Marijuana Enforcement Division issued 348 approved licenses for stores, manufacturers and cultivation facilities to grow and sell marijuana to anyone of at least 21 years of age.
136 of these licenses were for stores, 102 of which are located in Denver. As long as these stores receive approval from their local governments, they will officially open for business on January 1.
The Marijuana Enforcement Division also issued and mailed licenses for 31 manufacturers of marijuana-infused products and 178 farming facilities.
Other towns where licenses were issued for stores include Alma, Edgewater and Garden City.
As the first state to legalize recreational marijuana use, Colorado’s marijuana regulators have received hundreds of applications for recreational marijuana businesses. Amendment 64, the legislation that legalized marijuana use and limited possession for people over 21, gives the state as much as 90 days to respond to each application.
“It has taken an enormous team effort to be able to issue state licenses in the timelines identified in Amendment 64,” Barbara Brohl, the head of Colorado’s Department of Revenue, which oversees the Marijuana Enforcement Division, said in a statement.
Via: The Denver Post,
