Will Colorado Become a Destination for ‘Pot Tourists’?

The Netherlands has long been a country with very permissive drug laws. Well, the laws are complicated, but the sale and consumption of marijuana in some businesses like coffee shops has been going on there for years, and the people who are buying and using don't get in trouble. As a result, many people who enjoyed marijuana illegally in the U.S. and other countries went there to see what it was like to be able to use the drug legally. They also wanted to sample the quality of the drug that came from it being grown and sold in a  competitive market. 'Pot tourism' is a thing, and people will travel for the experience.

Since Colorado now has a constitutional amendment that essentially legalizes the drug, will we become a destination for those who just want to enjoy some weed legally?

The answer to that question, and hundreds of others, lies in the way the regulation takes shape. We could see the more permissive counties and cities adopting models that allow for coffee shops that are similar to the ones that thrive in Amsterdam. Although the Netherlands recently passed a law that requires citizenship to enjoy the coffee shops that sell pot, they have since abolished the ID card idea.

If regulations in Colorado allow establishments to sell pot and also allow their customers to use it on the premises, then we will probably see some sections of permissive cities turn into areas where you can expect to come across legal marijuana establishments. It will probably be similar to the way some bars cluster together in certain sections, but instead of people who like to drink alcohol, it will be people who like to eat or smoke marijuana.