Legalized it

Crowds alight on Telluride for historic Amendment 64 roll out

by Page Buono

Green Room employee Rebecca Parker-Noyes, left, assists a customer on Jan. 1 in Telluride. At the time, the Green Room was the only dispensary open for business  in town. The other two were temporarily closed by state agents because of noncompliant packaging. All eventually opened, reporting a banner first day in business./Photo by Steve Eginoire

In what is currently the highest place to legally get high, at least in Colorado, crowds lined up outside Telluride’s four dispensaries for a chance to be part of history.

Last Wed., Jan. 1, marked the first day of legal recreational pot sales in the United States. As the only licensed dispensaries on the Western Slope, those in Telluride boasted lines of tourists and residents alike.

A trio visiting from Miami debated whether or not to stand in line, but ultimately chose the chilly, and quite possibly long, wait.

Zeri Zapata and his wife, Beatrice, made a trip to Telluride for the holidays, and the weed was just a bonus. Sort of.

“He definitely chose Telluride with weed sales in mind,” Beatrice joked.

Unlike Denver, where crowds started lining up outside dispensaries at midnight and the press flocked, Telluride was a bit off the back, with most dispensaries cracking their doors between 9-10 a.m.

However, Denver and Telluride alike were met with throngs of cannabis consumers who’ve been waiting since Amendment 64 passed in November of 2012 – or longer. For perspective, pioneering medical marijuana patient Robert Randall won a landmark case in 1976, arguing that marijuana helped keep his glaucoma at bay.

Recreational Marijuana 101: Navigating the haze of the new law 1. How old do I have to be? You’ve got to be at least 21 to be able to buy and possess the stuff. New to the rule book is Denver’s decriminalization of possession for those between 18-21. If caught with less than an ounce, a crime that formerly would’ve landed you in jail is now punishable by a fine of $150 – on par with a traffic ticket. 2. How much can I buy? If your ID is from the Centennial State, you can purchase up to 1 ounce per day. However, out-of-staters are limited to a quarter of an ounce. 3. Can I smoke and drive? Not so much, though the regulations on this are still a bit murky. It’s definitely illegal, and if you’re busted with more than 5 nanograms of active THC in our bloodstream, you can be ticketed for impaired driving. 4. Can I share? Yes! But only up to an ounce, and only if your friend is at least 21 and not headed across state lines. And, they can’t pay you for it. 5. Can I take it across state lines? Nope. Not once, not ever. 6. Can I smoke in public? Nope, this is about private use in your own home. Renters must have permission from the landlord. 7. How much can I grow? An individual over the age of 21 can legally grow up to six plants, though no more than three can be mature at one time. Additionally, those little plants have to be in an enclosed and locked space. 8. And what about vapor pens? For fans of the vapor pen, please note that possessing between 1 to 3 ounces can land you in jail for six to 18 months, with a fine of up to $5,000. The repercussions go up from there. But, keep the little pen cartridge at less than an ounce and it’s in the legal realm. Source: National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, www.norml.org

In the line outside Telluride’s Green Room, on the corner of San Juan and South Fir Street, individuals chatted about the legalization, why they did or did not want their name in the paper, or worse, photograph, how far they travelled to be part of this historic day, and how they feel about the taxation.

An employee of the Green Room welcomed new members to the line, apologizing that because of regulations, edibles would not be available that day. “Just straight up marijuana,” he informed the line.

Others, like Durangoans Joe Erickson or Ashleigh Tarkington, owner of the Billygoat Saloon, made the trip after a concert in Norwood. Erickson said his wife made the final push for a visit to the dispensaries.

 “Miss Woodstock aint missin’ this,” he said.

Each individual exited the shop with a little white paper bag and a big grin. The label on every such bag warned consumers about purchasing and carrying limits, implored them to keep marijuana away from children, and reminded them about the illegality of mailing marijuana or transporting it across state lines.

 “Everybody looks super happy coming out,” Beatrice noted of the clients leaving.

The closer consumers were to the door, the stronger the scent of marijuana. Not overwhelming, but unmistakable.

Inside, Greg Viditz-Ward, the owner of the Green Room, welcomed clients to the end of prohibition.

“It’s the first day of freedom,” he said.

The Green Room opened as a medical marijuana dispensary three years ago on April 20 – a date the owner swears is coincidental – and has been preparing for this day ever since.

Viditz-Ward’s phone rang off the hook and he paused for a moment to order pizzas. His staff was starving, and they had been up late the night

before with final preparations.

“I had no idea the turnout would be this big,” he said.

Viditz-Ward said for now, the state is heavily over-regulating. But, it’s a tactic he said he understands and imagines will settle over time.

“I’m impressed with Colorado for being a front-runner on this,” Viditz-Ward said.

As the guinea pig, Colorado enforcement agencies seemed aware the world was watching, and regulation was rolled up tight. Viditz-Ward said the visiting enforcement officer had been congenial, fair and thorough on his first visit, and the owner expected him at least twice more throughout the day.

Enforcement agents made the rounds throughout the day, at various points closing down all shops except for the Green Room. The two most prevalent errors were lack of opaque containers and a lack of childproof containers for edibles. This requirement managed to shut down some of the dispensaries, as most prescription bottles have clear bottoms. Staff spent a good part of the day applying colored tape to the bottom of the bottles to come into compliance.

Customers in the Green Room averaged around 15 minutes talking with staff, examining the goods, and waiting for buds to be weighed out and packaged. But none of the customers seemed too upset over the wait. The few complaints Viditz-Ward received were related to price. The state tax rate of 25 percent plus the 2.9 percent state sales tax makes pot one of the most heavily taxed consumer products in the state. Some municipalities, Telluride included, have opted to include an additional tax. The tax rate in Telluride of 33.4 percent meant an eighth of an ounce cost 4   more than $60. It’s street value in Colorado can range from $20 to $40.

According to state tax officials, additional revenue could amount to as much as $67 million a year, with the first $27.5 allocated to building new schools.

A long line of patrons forms outside Telluride’s Green Room for the chance to legally buy marijuana for the first time./Photo by Steve Eginoire

 Even the high price wasn’t enough to dissuade those who waited to swipe their card for cannabis.

“I didn’t expect to see pot legal in my lifetime,” Viditz-Ward said and others standing around echoed his sentiment.

On her way out of the story, Tarkington was asked by Viditz-Ward what she thought. The prices were fair, she said, and overall, she’s stoked about the whole thing. 

She carried a new pipe and a gram of African Queen, an indica strain, in her little white paper sack.

“It’s a go to sleepy time type,” she said. “Nature’s Ambien.”

Back out on the street, passersby asked how long the wait was, and what the prices were. One particularly enthusiastic individual claimed she had plenty of  black market marijuana at her house and prodded those standing in line.

“She should probably just go home and smoke some then,” Zeri suggested.

Rumors drift about the other dispensaries and whether they’re closed or open.

Early afternoon, the Alpine Wellness Center was closed with a sign on the door informing customers they would re-open shortly. The people inside hustled about, meeting with the enforcement officer to find out what they could do to reopen as quickly as possible.

The Telluride Bud Company, around the same time, said though they had been closed in the morning, they were open for service and selling edibles. The line for the downstairs dispensary extended up the stairs and out in the cold. 

Out on the streets, there was still much confusion about what the rules around this new recreation were. Is smoking in public allowed? What about smoking and driving? How much can you carry and how much can you buy?

Much like the implementation of Amendment 64 itself, the answers were a bit hazy. As with any new precedent, those at the forefront are likely to hit a few stumbling blocks. But for now, at least one thing’s for certain, there’s no rolling it back.