Would-be marijuana magnates are rushing to the state of Colorado in the United States to cash in on the green stuff.
The Daily Beast reports on “ganjapreneurs” - including tour guides, chefs, glass blowers and club owners – hoping to hit the jackpot after the state legalised recreational cannabis use on January 1.
Mike Maciag, data editor for the state and local government-focused magazine Governing, told the website an estimated 36,284 people moved to Colorado in 2013, almost 8000 more than the year before. The number places Colorado in third place as the state with the most domestic in-migration.
One of those spoken to is Max Patton, a 26-year-old Denver newcomer .
“Once legalisation happened, I knew Colorado was the place to be,” he told the Daily Beast.
Weeks after moving from Oklahoma in November 2013, he launched maxqualityglass.com—a company specializing in high quality glass pipes. Just two months in, the former land management worker says he’s raking in more than US$12,000 a month.
“It’s a great job,” he says. “I get to put a smile on people’s faces.”
Meanwhile, Radio New Zealand's Nine To Noon programme spoke to Morgan Fox from the Marijuana Policy Project, who explained how the regualtions are working in Colorado.