January 1, 2014 was a historic day in the state of Colorado whether you voted for or against recreational marijuana. That date marked an end of an era and started a new, booming green rush in our state. In the year of 2014, there were only 147 retail stores statewide.

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Fast forward to January of 2018... We are halfway through the first month of 2018 and the growth of recreational dispensaries have skyrocketed across the state. So far this year, there are a total of 509 recreational dispensaries and over 700 recreational cultivation sites in the state of Colorado. Sales of legal marijuana surpassed over 41 billion dollars in only eight months in 2017. To put that into perspective, we will use Walmart retail stores as an example. Walmart currently has 107 retail locations across the state. Currently, for every single Walmart retail location, there are five recreational dispensaries. Colorado has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the Unites States. Could it be in part to the legalization of marijuana that helps keep our state's economy so well in tact? Not to mention the tourism that legalized cannabis has helped bring to our state.

Source: Westword

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