Colorado has no shortage of recreational marijuana dispensaries, with nearly 510 licenses issued for such businesses as of January 2018, according to the Marijuana Enforcement Division. That number has risen by over 350 in the four years since recreational sales began on January 1, 2014 — but the state hasn’t shared the wealth equally.
Amendment 64, the initiative that legalized retail marijuana, allows cities to decide whether to ban or allow marijuana businesses and, if the latter, which type of businesses. As of January 29, 70 towns and cities in Colorado had approved retail marijuana sales within their jurisdictions as compared to 25 in January 2014, according to a combination of MED and Westword listings data.
Just because a municipality in Colorado has allowed sales doesn’t mean a dispensary is up and running there, however. Towns such as Ophir and Rocky Ford have opened the door for retail dispensaries to apply for licensing, but consumers can’t purchase commercial marijuana there yet.
Want to see if your town was/is allowing weed sales? Check these lists comparing legal municipalities in January 2014 and January 2018. (Note: This list does not include counties, which are also allowed to ban/approve marijuana businesses.)
Legal in 2014
Alma
Aspen
Bailey
Black Hawk
Breckenridge
Carbondale
Central City
Crested Butte
Denver
Dumont
Empire
Edgewater
Fort Collins
Frisco
Garden City
Georgetown
Idaho Springs
Leadville
Nederland
Northglenn
Ridgway
Silverthorne
Steamboat Springs
Telluride
Wheat Ridge
Legal in 2018
Alma
Antonito
Aspen
Aurora
Basalt
Boulder
Carbondale
Commerce City
Cortez
Crested Butte
Crestone
Debeque
Denver
Dillon
Dinosaur
Durango
Eagle
Edgewater
Empire
Englewood
Federal Heights
Fort Collins
Fraser
Frisco
Garden City
Georgetown
Glendale
Glenwood Springs
Gunnison
Hayden
Idaho Springs
La Veta
Leadville
Log Lane Village
Longmont
Louisville
Lyons
Mancos
Manitou Springs
Milliken
Montezuma
Mountain View
Nederland
Northglenn
Nunn
Oak Creek
Ophir
Pagosa Springs
Palisade
Palmer Lake
Parachute
Pueblo
Red Cliff
Ridgway
Rifle
Rocky Ford
Salida
San Luis
Sedgwick
Sheridan
Silt
Silver Plume
Silverthorne
Silverton
Steamboat Springs
Telluride
Thornton
Trinidad
Walsenburg
Wheat Ridge
credit:420intel.com
