Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 30 deceMber 2019
Legal marijuana sales may spark Midwest interstate tension

By KATHLEEN FOODY boring states allow limited from neighboring Ohio and
DAVID EGGERT marijuana use for medical Indiana and nearby Illinois.
Associated Press purposes. But none other “There’s been people from
CHICAGO (AP) — Retailers has moved to permit recre- all over,” said Bart Kupczyk,
legally selling marijuana for ational use. co-owner and director of
the past month in Michigan States often differ in the retail at Ann Arbor-based
say they have drawn cus- regulation of contentious is- Greenstone Provisions,
tomers from surrounding sues, including guns, speed one of 23 Michigan retail-
Midwestern states where limits and the drinking age. ers licensed for adult-use
the drug remains illegal But Sam Kamin, a profes- recreational sales. “Ann
and, as Illinois prepares to sor of marijuana law and Arbor is close to Ohio. It’s
joins the recreational mar- policy at the University of a destination city in its own
ket on Wednesday, officials Denver, said interstate ac- right as a fairly well-known
are renewing warnings to cusations about the effect college town.” Some 45
consumers against carrying of marijuana sales on legal miles (70 kilometers) to the
such products over state In this Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019 photo, marijuana products are states’ neighbors are likely south in Morenci, a town
lines. The dynamic is famil- displayed at the Rise cannabis store in Mundelein, Ill. to linger unless federal law of 2,100 people along the
iar for states on the West Associated Press changes. Ohio border, a dispensary
and East coasts where the “Supply and demand tells has reported that a major-
sale and use of marijuana on employee safety. Other by states’ regulators, while us it’s going to be a con- ity of its customers hail from
has been broadly allowed thorny issues confronted other states have struggled stant thing,” Kamin said. Ohio, where only medical
since Colorado’s market state regulators, who were to keep “diverted” legal “Regulations can only marijuana is legal. Another
opened in 2014, despite a forced to determine suit- marijuana from bleeding do so much and once retailer in Morenci secured
federal ban that created able pesticides for growing into the illegal market at product leaves a state, it its state license last week.
a patchwork of legal and cannabis plants, and which home or in far-flung states. ceases to be a regulatory “It is important for residents
cultural snares. Nebraska ingredients were safe to in- Data also suggests that problem and becomes a of Ohio and non-residents
and Oklahoma went so far clude in products meant to some customers will cross criminal one.” Illinois is the traveling through the state
as to file an unsuccessful be eaten or burned. That state lines in search of 11th state to broadly allow to understand possession
lawsuit against Colorado, terrain is usually reserved state-licensed marijuana marijuana’s use and sale, of marijuana remains a
arguing that its marijuana for federal agencies. retailers, despite warnings shrinking early states’ mar- criminal violation in Ohio,
law would have ill effects The tensest point, though, that it’s illegal to bring the ket advantage and abil- even if it is purchased le-
for surrounding states. remains the illegal market product back home. ity to draw tourists. Industry gally in another state which
In the years since, the in- that has survived in states The start of legal sales in analysts expect “canna- permits recreational use,”
dustry has wrestled with with legal cannabis mar- Michigan on Dec. 1 and in tourism” will remain popu- said Staff Lt. Craig Cvetan,
questions over companies’ kets. Some of that product Illinois on Jan. 1 brings that lar in some places, such as public affairs commander
obligation to pay federal comes from outside the le- same climate to the Mid- Las Vegas, but that most for the Ohio State Highway
income taxes or follow laws gal systems tracked closely west, where some neigh- companies trying to survive Patrol.
in an expensive, challeng- Illinois marijuana compa-
ing industry must build a lo- nies said they have trained
cal customer base. employees to remind non-
“Nonresident demand is residents that their prod-
not going to be the prima- ucts cannot legally be
ry driver of revenue in these transported across state
Midwestern states,” said lines and can only be con-
John Kagia, chief knowl- sumed in private residenc-
edge officer at the industry es or hotels that permit it.
analytics firm New Frontier Cities can decide to allow
Data. “Local consumers marijuana consumption at
will be that primary driver.” tobacco shops or dispen-
Kagia said available data saries, but none will have
on nonresident buyers rules in place by January,
suggests the percentage said Pamela Althoff, exec-
of traveling shoppers var- utive director of the Can-
ies dramatically between nabis Business Association
states. One Colorado study of Illinois.
found that about 9% of to- “If you want to enter into
tal cannabis product de- Illinois and participate in
mand came from visitors to consuming cannabis, you
the state, while New Fron- need to be responsible
tier Data estimates that and you need to know
the share of purchases by the law,” she said. Non-
visitors in Nevada is about residents can purchase
25%. less marijuana than Illinois
In Michigan, where $4.7 residents under the state’s
million of recreational mari- new law, and law enforce-
juana was sold in the first ment in surrounding states
three weeks of December, have announced plans to
regulators do not know strictly enforce their stand-
how much was bought ing restriction on marijuana.
by out-of-state custom- Michigan’s single-transac-
ers. But shops say business tion limit is the same for resi-
has been brisk, particularly dents and nonresidents.q