HOELLER CLAIRE SOPHIE. “I went to a marijuana dispensary in Colorado and it felt just like visiting a wine store”. Businessinsider.com. 14 July 2015. Web. 15 July 2015.
Sophie Claire Hoeller is a traveler and a journalist who received her master’s degree in journalism from New York University and a bachelors from Boston University. Hoeller writes “I went to a marijuana dispensary in Colorado and it felt just like visiting a wine store “published in businessinder.com. Hoeller describes her personal experience in one of Colorado’s marijuana dispensaries, in which she states she found pleasant and ordinary. In her writing Hoeller includes the increase of tourism and economy in Colorado, suggesting that the reason behind this profit is due to the legalization of marijuana shops.
As we all know Colorado allowed the growth of the cannabis plant for adults aged 21 and older in November 2012, following the Colorado Amendment 64 which set standards for this legalization. The first marijuana stores were officially opened on January 1, 2014. According to Hoeller dispensaries are estimated to have brought in $295 million in sales as well as $51 million in tax revenue in 2014. Hoeller also adds the fact that Colorado is ranked one of the fastest growing economies in the world and that its employment rate has been the biggest drop in the U.S., suggesting that the United States should increase their economy as Colorado did. Hoeller argues that the sale of marijuana has brought profit to Colorado, and that it is just like purchasing alcohol in which you have to be 21 years old or older to purchase marijuana, arguing that there is not a difference between both of the products as much people believe. “A line formed behind us as we pepped the budtender with questions”, as the author points out the sell for marijuana is high, there is no loss of money in the market for investing in these shops.
Hoeller includes her point of view on the selling of the product, “While definitely in the hippie side, the experience of visiting a marijuana dispensary was straight forward and pleasant-not at all sketchy as I has anticipated”. In other words, the author is expressing her emotions before and after visiting the shop, at the beginning she was doubtful and insecure but after the experience she felt more comfortable. Hoeller juxtaposes her pleasant experience to the visiting of a fancy shop, Hoeller suggest that there is no reason to feel indifferent about marijuana when it is just as normal as alcohol. “Really it reminded me of a fancy wine shop, where customers refer to a connoisseur who knows the products well and can recommend something to each person’s liking”. Once again Hoeller indicates the similarity between any alcohol and marijuana, there is nothing out of the imaginary like we all believe.
Hoeller believes that marijuana can help a country become financially stable by bringing in people to explore as herself. That tourism and marijuana shops can help a countries economy rise and unemployment drop. The author also suggests that marijuana is not as different from other substances such as alcohol, and that our insecurity of marijuana might be a false emotion.
Although Hoeller is focusing on the financial and business side of the issue behind the legalization of marijuana, centered around the state of Colorado. I believe that she is missing the bigger picture outside of the business and greedy mindset of the commercial sale of marijuana. Sure, it can be agreed upon that the grow and sale of marijuana could boost economies as such explained, however the real issue of the standard outlook is not taken into consideration. If marijuana can contribute drastically to the economy, what about other drugs on the black market? Wouldn’t one think that this would open up a new controversy about why wouldn’t other drugs become legalized in some aspect and could create a larger profit than marijuana? This just happens to be an idea that lingered in my head while reading this summary.