Initiative Would Allow MJ Consumption in Colorado Bars, Clubs

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Advocates and cannabis business leaders in Colorado are hoping to convince lawmakers to allow marijuana consumption in places where only adults are allowed, which could create opportunities for bar and club owners to tap the burgeoning MJ market.

Backers of the idea – including Mason Tvert of the Marijuana Policy Project and prominent cannabis lawyer Brian Vicente – are hoping to collect enough signatures to put the issue before voters in November.

Supporters told the Denver Post that bar and club owners should be able to decide if they want to allow consumers to smoke or vape at their places of business. If passed, the rules could drastically change how and where marijuana users – especially tourists – can consume.

The initiative would allow bar and club owners to designate indoor areas where consumers can vape and outdoor areas hidden from public view where they can smoke. The proposal is different than others put forth to allow so-called cannabis clubs, where consumers would gather for the specific purpose of using marijuana.

Assistant City Attorney David Broadwell questioned why the proposal is so broad-based rather than narrowly allowing for cannabis clubs, the Post reported. That was intentional, Tvert said, because current laws forbidding consumption in private businesses are “irrational.”