Denver MJ social-use initiative makes ballot

A campaign to allow businesses such as bars to permit public cannabis use on their property has officially made the November ballot in Colorado’s capital city.

The initiative, dubbed the Neighborhood-Supported Cannabis Consumption Pilot Program, has the support so far of at least 50 businesses in the city, the Denver Post reported.

If approved by voters, it would allow businesses to establish marijuana consumption areas on their premises, as long as the companies meet certain criteria, such as obtaining support from a “neighborhood group.”

Consumption areas could be either indoor or outdoor, and consumers would have to bring their own marijuana. But allowing for public use in private businesses would solve an obvious problem for the city: Currently, tourists who purchase cannabis don’t really have any legal places where they can consume whatever products they purchase.

Some municipalities in Colorado have permitted local cannabis clubs where consumption is allowed on-site, but not Denver.

A separate initiative, to legalize cannabis consumption lounges in Denver, failed to make the ballot, the city announced earlier in the week.