Results from the fall 2016 elections show spread of recreational marijuana. That means there will be a lot more states to keep an eye on to see how severely the regulations affect in a new industry.
Currently I’m trying to keep an eye on developments in Colorado and Oregon, since they are further along in the experiment of regulating the industry. At this point I’ll also keep an eye on California, which is one of the states which just voted to allow recreational use. Since I live in California, it will be easier to keep an eye on the regulatory environment.
11/8 – Washington Post – Marijuana wins big on election night – Looks like I’ll need to spend a lot more time watching the crushing effect of overregulation on newly legal industries.
Laws allowing recreational use of marijuana passed in California, Massachusetts, and Nevada on 11/8. So-called medical marijuana laws passed in Florida, North Dakota, and Arkansas.
11/15 – Yahoo News – Denver first city in US to allow pot in bars, restaurants – Article says proposition passed in Denver will now allow people to openly use marijuana in bars and restaurants. Smoking inside a facility isn’t allowed, but outside would be.
Interesting tidbit for me is that the state law does not specifically ban public consumption. I thought it did. Apparently each city would have to specifically allow public use.
11/15 – AP at The Cannabist – Why things are getting complicated for some Oregon marijuana businesses – Election results cutting the other direction from more states allowing recreational marijuana and Denver allowing open use in public are the results in Oregon. As allowed under state law about three dozen cities or counties in Oregon prohibited either production or retail sales of recreational marijuana. Several cities and counties voted to specifically allow recreational marijuana.