Blazing cannabis trail, US states eye tourism surge

[RainDog]

11. A former police officer said the coming legalization saved Denver from the recession

http://www.alternet.org/drugs/colorado-tax-enforcer-tells-60-minutes-weed-beat-recession-denver

A former cop narcotics officer said the medical marijuana economy saved the city from recession.

October 22, 2012

That runs contrary to President Barack Obama’s logic: he said in 2010 that legalizing marijuana is not “a good strategy to grow our economy.”

But the economic impact on Denver? According to Matt Cook, a former narcotics officer who oversees enforcement at the Colorado Department of Revenue, “it’s huge.”

“Look at all the electrical contractors, HVAC contractors,” he said. “The number of ancillary businesses — it’s huge. Tax revenues exceeded, I believe the last number I heard was an excess of $20 million.”

Cook helped write the state’s medical marijuana law, and works as a consultant for medical marijuana businesses in the state. Speaking to “60 Minutes,” he said that the industry accounts for “over a million square feet of lease space in the Denver area.”