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Social Pot Smoking in Denver

November 23, 2016

This November, voters in Denver had the chance to change the future by casting a vote for the next President of the United States and, if you’re a Denver resident, there was another issue you saw on your ballot that you might be familiar with.

Although both medicinal and recreational marijuana is currently legal here as long as it sold through Denver marijuana dispensaries, it is for private use only. This means even if you legally buy marijuana, you can’t consume it in public. But, Denver voters decided to pass Initiative 300 to permit marijuana use in bars and restaurants across the cityr.
 
Supporters of Initiative 300, Neighborhood Supported Cannabis Consumption Pilot Program, which is the official name of the social pot smoking legislation, received enough signatures to have the issue added to ballots this year. Learn more about the Neighborhood Supported Cannabis Consumption Pilot Program here.
 
A similar legal initiative backed by Denver NORML was also on the table, but did not receive the signatures needed in order to make it on the ballot. Election officials recently announced despite the number of signatures, the majority of them were from ineligible residents who currently live in areas outside of Denver.
 
Now that voters have decided to support this initiative, the Denver business community has the power to decide whether they want to create indoor and outdoor marijuana consumption areas in their establishments. These areas will  allow customers to freely use marijuana outside of their home as long as it was purchased legally and users are of legal age. But, this does not mean businesses can begin to sell or distribute marijuana to patrons—this is still a right solely reserved for Denver marijuana dispensaries.
 
Each bar or restaurant will be able to choose whether they want this change implemented or not. This means businesses catered towards kids or families would be under no pressure to implement the changes and allow customers to smoke marijuana.
 
Many cannabis industry experts see social pot smoking as a natural next step for Colorado. After all, the substance is already legal, so why shouldn’t residents be able to enjoy it at their leisure?
 
Even though voters supported this issue, it is on a temporary basis only. The plan calls for a four year pilot program to test out social pot smoking in Denver. After the four years are up, the city will take a closer look at what worked and what did not to reevaluate the issue and decide whether to continue. However, the end goal of supporters of the Neighborhood Supported Cannabis Consumption Pilot Program is to develop a permanent solution to social marijuana smoking in Denver.
 
Depending on the outcome of this four year pilot initiative for social marijuana usage, we might see more social pot smoking in Denver for years to come. Visit Altitude Dispensary, one of the best Denver marijuana dispensaries, where our knowledgeable budtenders can help you find the right medical or recreational product to suit your needs. Contact Altitude Dispensary for more information today!