Why Denver won’t tout marijuana tourism to become the next Amsterdam
Photo Credit: A photo of the Denver skyline taken from the Capital dome. Flickr.com / Colorado Senate
Skift Take
State government was strongly opposed to Amendment 64 partly due to worries that a rise of marijuana tourism would negatively impact the state’s family-friendly branding.
Despite the passage of Amendment 64 —which made Colorado the first state to legalize small amounts of marijuana for recreational use— marijuana tourism is not on the agenda for state boosters.
The new law...was opposed by most Colorado lawmakers. Richard Scharf, president of Visit Denver and chairman of the Colorado Tourism Office, warned that passage of the amendment could hobble the state's travel industry.
"If Colorado receives international media attention as the first state in the U.S. to legalize marijuana in their Constitution, Colorado's brand will be damaged, and we may attract fewer conventions and see a decline in leisure travel," Scharf said in a press release two weeks ago.
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