Denver may soon to allow Marijuana use in Bars, Yoga Studios

Posted by Sagar Satapathy on September 03, 2016.

In a major development, the Denver Elections Division on Thursday approved a proposed initiative that would allow social use of marijuana in some businesses such as bars, cafes, restaurants so on and so forth.

The announcement came after the supporters of the “social marijuana use” initiative have collected 4,726 signatures from registered Denver voters that required to make the ballot in November, according to the Elections Division.

Meanwhile the proposal requires marijuana establishments to be 21-and-older and bans smoked marijuana indoors. Patrons could use edible or vaporized marijuana indoors.

City voters will decide whether regular businesses, such as bars or cafes or even yoga studios, should be able to create indoor or outdoor consumption areas for bring-your-own marijuana products, under certain conditions.

According to the proposal, the measure would provide individual neighborhoods a significant say in where and when these “designated consumption areas” would operate. Anyone seeking a permit would first have to obtain approval from the local neighborhood association, business improvement district or merchant association.

The Denver licensing officials consider a permit application for “social marijuana use” only after getting “no objection” from neighborhood.

Kayvan Khalatbari, one of the architects of the proposal and a co-owner of the pro-marijuana advocacy group Denver Relief Consulting, said that community leaders would be free to impose certain stipulations or even reject social marijuana use outright in areas frequented by kids.

“The supporters of “social marijuana use” will soon receive results from a poll they commissioned as they begin to campaign in favor of the initiative”, Khalatbari said. They have already signed up over 50 businesses in support and will begin reaching out to neighborhood groups to discuss the measure and answer questions

If Denver voters approved the initiative, it would create a four-year pilot program.  However, the measure would expire in 2020 unless city officials extend it.

comments powered by Disqus