Inside Colorado's Marijuana Industry

Grow Room
In 2000, Colorado voters approved an amendment to legalize the possession of marijuana for patients suffering from "debilitating medical conditions." Originally, a patient whose doctor recommended marijuana could delegate a friend or neighbor (called a "caregiver") to grow up to six plants for their use, and each of these caregivers could provide for no more than five patients. But in 2007, a pro-pot group called Sensible Colorado sued the state health department, and a state court ruled the five-patient limit unconstitutional. Over the next two years, more than 1,000 dispensaries sprung up to serve the more than 100,000 Coloradans who had suddenly discovered their need for medicinal marijuana and applied for a patient card.

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