New Report Shows Colorado Cannabis Industry Contributes More To Economy Than All Other Industries

The grass is greener now in Colorado since Amendment 64 passed in 2012 and coming into force in 2014. The state reported that the legalized weed operation managed to generate almost $2.4 billion in the last 12 months; $1 billion of this comes in sales of cold, hard cannabis! The industry has muscled into 6th place concerning the state’s economic output, even surpassing gold mining, performing arts, sports, and non-grain crops. First-year sales of 112 metric tons of bud meant the cannabis industry outperformed all private industries in Colorado, even alcohol. Additionally, production is contained entirely within Colorado – due to legal restrictions on weed outside the state – equals a first-class commercial harvest.

Every dollar spent on cannabis earns the state $2.40 in output, manufacturing the plant earns $2.34, cultivation equals $2.13, more than Federal Government spending, creating 18,000 jobs (according to the Marijuana Policy Group - MPG). Opponents of cannabis legalization cite fears (aside from the traditional “gateway drug” argument) that marijuana causes general listlessness and laziness. If the galvanized economy is anything to go by, though, laziness seems to have gone up in smoke in the face of this apparent financial success.

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