CANNABIS COLORADO - LEGAL Retail MARIJUANA Sales Commence.

CANNABIS COLORADO - LEGAL Retail MARIJUANA Sales Commence. A gleaming white Apple store of weed is how Andy Williams sees his new Denver marijuana dispensary. Two floors of pot-growing rooms will have windows showing the shopping public how the mind-altering plant is grown. Shoppers will be able to peruse drying marijuana buds and see pot trimmers at work separating the valuable flowers from the less-prized stems and leaves. "It's going to be all white and beautiful," the 45-year-old ex-industrial engineer explains, excitedly gesturing around what just a few weeks ago was an empty warehouse space that will eventually house 40,000 square feet of cannabis strains. As Colorado prepares to be the first U.S. state to allow recreational marijuana sales, starting Jan. 1, hopeful retailers like Williams are investing their fortunes into the legal recreational pot world — all for a chance to build even bigger ones in a fledgling industry that faces an uncertain future. Officials in Colorado and Washington, the other state where recreational pot goes on sale in mid-2014, as well as activists, policymakers and governments from around the U.S. and across the world will not be the only ones watching the experiment unfold. Will it be a showcase for a safe, regulated pot industry that generates hundreds of millions of dollars each year and saves money by not locking up drug criminals, or one that will prove, once and for all, that the federal government has been right to ban pot since 1937? Cannabis was grown legally in the U.S. for centuries, even by George Washington. After Prohibition's end in the 1930s, ending a ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages, authorities turned their sights on pot. The 1936 propaganda film "Reefer Madness" warned the public about a plant capable of turning people into mindless criminals. Over the years, pot activists and state governments managed to chip away at the ban, their first big victory coming in 1996 when California allowed medical marijuana. Today, 19 other states, including Colorado and Washington, and the District of Columbia have similar laws. The city at one point had more marijuana dispensaries than Starbucks coffee shops, with some neighborhoods crowded with dispensary sign-wavers and banners offering free joints for new customers. Local officials have since ratcheted back such in-your-face ads. tax dollars Legal pot's potential has spawned businesses beyond retail shops. Marijuana-testing companies have popped up, checking regulated weed for potency and screening for harmful molds. Gardening courses charge hundreds of dollars to show people how to grow weed at home. tourism pot industry Dixie Elixirs & Edibles, maker of pot-infused foods and drinks, is making new labels for the recreational market and expanding production on everything from crispy rice treats to fruit lozenges. For now, all the focus is on 2014. This being Colorado, there will be more than a few joints lit up on New Year's Eve. Pot fans plan to don 1920s-era attire for a "Prohibition Is Over!" party. colorado "denver colorado" legal "legal high" herb herbal supply demand "black market" business investment marijuana pot drugs medicine world states u.s. usa america washington 2013 2014 "new year" sales "online shopping" shopping "medicine man" exciting future chemical lab supplies tests growing grow operation tourists tourism tourist travel "united states" "made in usa" elite power control law federal feds new latest trend advertisement factory opening open customer trade commodity media news canada "agenda nwo" alex jones infowars gerald celente trends in the news david icke lindsey williams glenn beck the blaze we are change illuminati new world order bankers tax "Are we ready to go? Yes," he says. "What's going to happen? I don't know." Retail weed will have a 25% state tax -- plus the usual state sales tax of 2.9% -- making recreational pot one of the most heavily taxed consumer products in Colorado. Some communities are adding even more taxes to the product. So why bother with separate medical marijuana? How much recreational weed can I buy? Only a handful of stores, however, are expected to open on January 1, and Denver will be home to many of them, according to the Denver Post and the weekly Denver Westword. In fact, there are concerns that supplies will be sold out on the first day, with so few stores having passed the lengthy licensing process so far. About 160 retailers are still seeking licenses statewide. Where can I light up? Can I grow my own pot? Can the underage get busted for pot? What about DUI? And what about the feds