Denver to vote on making pot legal to smoke in certain businesses

In November, residents of Denver, Colorado will be voting on a temporary measure to allow businesses to provide and indoor and/or outdoor space to smoke pot.  Currently, tourists can purchase weed but have nowhere to smoke it, as it is only legal to consume in private residences.

The new measure would serve as a four year pilot program to see if it's actually a good idea.  Some people have concerns that allowing people to smoke pot outside might not be a great thing.

If the law passes, businesses like bars, cafes and even yoga studios would have the right to create a smoke spot.

Backers of the initiative have been going strong.  Kayvan Khalatbari of Denver Relief Consulting is one such backer, currently rallying local businesses to the cause.  As of early September, they have acquired the support of 50 businesses, with the goal of signing up 500 in total.

They've also received 10,800 signatures from residents, bypassing the 4,726 number they need

“It’s going to be an effort of these businesses and a lot of the cannabis industry,” Khalatbari said. “We already have some of the bigger names of the cannabis industry” giving customers leaflets about the initiative. “We’re really looking forward to engaging every single stakeholder — pro, con or neutral on this.”

Here is the wording of the ballot measure, which will appear under the title “City of Denver Cannabis Consumption Pilot Program”:

“Shall the voters of the City and County of Denver adopt an ordinance that creates a cannabis consumption pilot program where: the City and County of Denver (the “City”) may permit a business or a person with evidence of support of an eligible neighborhood association or business improvement district to allow the consumption of marijuana (“cannabis”) in a designated consumption area; such associations or districts may set forth conditions on the operation of a designated consumption area, including permitting or restricting concurrent uses, consumptions, or services offered, if any; the designated consumption area is limited to those over the age of twenty-one, must comply with the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act, may overlap with any other type of business or licensed premise, and cannot be located within 1000 feet of a school; a designated consumption area that is located outside cannot be visible from a public right-of-way or a place where children congregate; the City shall create a task force to study the impacts of cannabis consumption permits on the city; the City may enact additional regulations and ordinances to further regulate designated consumption areas that are not in conflict with this ordinance; and the cannabis consumption pilot program expires on December 31, 2020 or earlier if the City passes comprehensive regulations governing cannabis consumption?”