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Inside a Colorado dispensary: How regulated are marijuana businesses?

Posted at 4:36 PM, Oct 30, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-30 17:36:05-04

Amy Andrle and her husband grow and sell recreational marijuana at their Denver dispensary L'Eagle.

"We're a true mom-and-pop shop,” Andrle says. “We have everything riding on this."

This year, Colorado marijuana sales already passed $1 billion. But it’s a valuable industry that comes with a lot of rules. 

"On any given day, you could be subject to people stopping in to see how you're conducting your business," the owner says.

State and local governments keep a close eye on the industry. As it evolves, the regulations constantly change. 

With marijuana on ballots again in the upcoming election, Andrle hopes the "green rush" that hit Colorado continues to spread. 

“I think there's going to be an anti-federal prohibition at some point,” Andrle says. “I think consumers deserve that. They all should have a right to the same medicine if you look at it from a strict medicinal standpoint there are so many benefits that come to it. Why shouldn't every state have that?"

Michigan and North Dakota are voting whether or not to legalize it in the upcoming election. 

Recreational use is already legal in nine states, as well as in Washington D.C.