By Jeff Ostrowski, The Palm Beach Post, Fla. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
This cannabis strain, Bio-Diesel, contains hints of whole-bean coffee and skunk, Botkin says. Then he offers another variety, branded as Dopium, and describes its floral aroma.
Talking up the product at Denver Relief, a pot dispensary in the state with the nation's most lenient marijuana laws, Botkin sounds like a sommelier dissecting the nuances of nearly identical cabernets, or a master roaster discussing the ideal water temperature to create the perfect espresso.
Easygoing and nondescript except for a sleeve of tattoos, Botkin declares
"It's not a shady environment," Botkin says. "It's very comfortable."
Depending on your point of view,
While opponents of Amendment 2 say pot proponents' ultimate goal is Colorado-style legalization,
"As jurisdictions are looking at
Outer Space, Bio-Jesus
But the Cheech-and-Chong vibes vie with strict state rules about how growers and dealers can operate.
"It's very regulated," said
Ramirez is a clean-cut entrepreneur in a blue dress shirt and black wingtips. He works from an office suite in a
Call it the banality of legalization. So long as the feds continue to ignore
Visit Denver Relief, Walking Raven or other weed stores in
Helpful 'budtender'
If you're over 21, you'll be escorted into a separate, locked room. At Denver Relief, the interior walls are reinforced with Kevlar. At Walking Raven, the stash is stored in safes bolted to the floor. Security cameras aim in all directions.
Prices start at
The budtender rings up a receipt that includes state and local taxes totaling more than 20 percent, then puts the product in a vinyl pouch with a childproof clasp. At Denver Relief, the safety envelope costs
No smoking onsite
Unlike in
Every dispensary doles out reminders about state laws: Customers aren't allowed to smoke in public. Driving under the influence of cannabis is illegal. So is taking weed out of the state.
Because credit card issuers won't do business with dispensaries, you pay in cash or with a debit-card device that's rigged up not to come directly from your bank account.
The experience can be scary for out-of-state visitors. Botkin said some tourists are terrified about being filmed buying a drug that has been illegal for decades.
"Their hands are shaking," Botkin said. "They know that if they get caught doing this back home, it could ruin their life."
Like many who are building careers in
"There's no ailment that cannabis isn't good for, even inflammation," Botkin said.
That sort of talk worries doctors, who say cannabis hasn't been subjected to rigorous research that would prove whether it works. Pot proponents engage in "a minimizing of risks, and a hyping of benefits," said Dr.
"The science is very thin," Wollschlaeger said.
Dr.
"Does anyone know how to dose marijuana? No," Strauss said.
Of course, the science is so scant because cannabis has been illegal for decades. In one exception, the
If the medical value of marijuana is an open question, so are the societal effects of looser pot laws. Doctors cite recent studies showing that young weed users are less likely to finish school and more apt to try harder drugs, and that potheads lose IQ points as they age. But other studies suggest marijuana legalization might lead to less heavy drinking.
"Is this going to be good or bad for public health?" Kilmer asked. "Ultimately, we don't know."
In
As Botkin described the offerings at Denver Relief, a steady stream of customers, ranging from perhaps their late 20s to early 50s, bought weed -- but from the medical side of the store, where prices are a bit cheaper and taxes are lower than in the recreational section. None of the patients were obviously infirm.
From the men with shaggy hair and fashionably scruffy beards to the woman with a flower tattoo reaching down her arm, all looked like they would know where to find an illegal dealer of weed. But the legal shops tout the certainty of a clearly labeled product made and sold in the formal economy.
"We're moving from the black market to the white market," Ramirez said. "It's a safer alternative for distributing marijuana than what's currently happening in
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