COLORADO:  The transformation to Colorado’s Recreational Marijuana (RM) industry started Tuesday, 1 July, an opening that could add hundreds of new Marijuana  businesses to the state and remake the RM market’s structure.

Up until Tuesday, only owners of existing Medical Marijuana shops could apply to open RM stores, and all businesses had to be generalists, growing the Marijuana that they sold, the same  model required of Medical Marijuana dispensariesin the state

Starting Tuesday, newcomers can apply for RM business licenses. And, when these new businesses begin opening in October, RM companies will be allowed to specialize, as wholesale growers without a store, or as stand-alone stores that do not grow their supply. The only requirement is that owners be Colorado residents.

How the new rules will ultimately impact the Marijuana industry is unclear.