When Cannabis Comes First, And Society Adapts Later

Colorado and Washington are a great example when it comes to cannabis laws. Both states, in fact, have been pioneers in opening their door to both medical and recreational marijuana. People in Seattle and Denver are now very happy, not only because the Seahawks and the Broncos are two of the best teams of the NFL, but also because they can enjoy some of the best cannabis in the world, which they can even buy online if they want to (http://greenhouseseeds.nl/). Countries all over the planet are looking at these two beautiful states hoping one day to be able to enjoy the tax revenue that comes from cannabis-related sells and licenses.

There is, however, something else that Colorado and Washington are teaching us, which is how difficult it is to really push cannabis out of the shadows of illegality. On one hand, both states had to work hard in order to organize a system that allows them to open legal and regulated cannabis shops. And finding a cannabis shop is still not the easiest thing to do for the many citizens who live in Denver or Seattle. Sure, the fact that marijuana remains illegal at a federal level doesn’t help. However, there is also still a lot of skepticism on the ground, which makes opening a shop and sell pot a very delicate social operation.

On the other hand, both states are the living demonstration that legalization is only the first step and that there is still a lot of work to be done to convince both citizens and businesses that cannabis is good for them. Very good, actually. For instance, think about the fact that in Colorado, which is now righteously considered the American Amsterdam, the best part of its beautiful hostels, hotels and B&Bs are still “cannabis-free”, meaning that you can’t smoke pot in their rooms. This is quite a problem, considering that you can’t smoke marijuana in public places, and that cannabis-tourism is growing…really growing. And what about Seattle, where – as we said already – it’s almost impossible to find a cannabis shop?

The fact is that, while cannabis is legal there, people’s mentality hasn’t changed that much. This is normal, and it will take a lot of time, and a lot of good media coverage, to turn things upside down. At the end of the day, we are all learning how to live with the idea that cannabis is actually finally legal somewhere in the United States, and that’s almost shocking. We will get used to it…hopefully!