Five other states will vote on legalizing recreational marijuana on Nov. 8 and the impact on Colorado is yet to be seen.

The Colorado green rush is credited with bringing an influx of investment and people to the state. Supporters cite a $2.4 billion economic impact in 2015 but opponents point to concerns about crime and homelessness.

After several incidents downtown this summer, city leaders blamed what they called "urban travelers" -- people drawn to Colorado for legal weed. They even told dispensaries on the 16th Street Mall to avoid selling individual joints.

A homeless man who calls himself "L.A." told Denver 7 he moved here from Louisiana because of marijuana, as he said, "For the best weed ever."

In the next part of 13 Action News series of reports on marijuana, what sorts of people does recreational marijuana attract to Colorado or potentially Nevada?

More police are patrolling in Denver and private security guards were hired with the influx of tourists visiting Colorado after the state legalized recreational marijuana.

Attorney Rachel O'Bryan cites a report from Denver's Downtown Convention and Visitors Bureau indicating marijuana consumption, panhandling and safety concerns are the top complaints from meeting planners across the country.

But on the plus side, pot tourists are helping the marijuana business surge.

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper has finalized a 2018 state budget that calls for millions of dollars in taxes generated from the legal cannabis industry to be allocated for a new program to help the homeless.

Reports show that Hickenlooper’s latest budget proposal would pull $18 million from the state’s cannabis tax coffers and put it toward building affordable housing for people who are either homeless or suffering with mental health issues that prevent them securing a place to live.

It is a program that he has been eager to launch for years, says Hickenlooper’s budget director Henry Sobanet.

As football season heats up, Wana Brands has announced the addition of its new Game Day Gummies Flavor Pack. The limited edition Flavor Pack provides Denver football fans the freedom to choose their edible experience while rooting for their hometown team.

The Game Day Gummies are available in a delicious combo Flavor Pack of Orange and Blueberry, a tribute to the colors of the Mile-High City. Made from an original recipe, handcrafted and infused with tincture in the cooking process, Game Day Gummies are an extension of Wana Brands Sour Gummies, a consistent Colorado favorite. The 100mg hybrid Game Day Gummies are now available in Colorado adult-use dispensaries, The limited edition Flavor Packs are available for purchase throughout the entire football season.

With Arizona voters deciding on whether to legalize recreational marijuana this election, 12 News turned to Colorado as an example of what passing Proposition 205 could mean for the state.

Colorado and Washington were the first states to legalize recreational marijuana in 2012. And Colorado was the first state to begin selling to the public – commercial sales started on January 2014.

In Colorado, and under Arizona’s proposed law, adults 21 years and older can purchase, possess and grow small quantities of marijuana.

Colorado’s Pot Czar Andrew Freedman says it’s too soon to tell if the long-term benefits of legalized marijuana will outweigh the drawbacks. But we can share what they have learned so far.

Marijuana and the economy

As Arizona voters prepare to vote on legalization, an anti-drug group paints a bleak picture of life in a neighboring state.

Lawmakers in Colorado on Monday asked an anti-marijuana campaign in Arizona to stop airing ads that they say contain false information about their state and could mislead voters who will be deciding on recreational legalization of the drug next week. 

State Sen. Pat Steadman (D) and Democratic state Reps. Millie Hamner and Johnathan Singer wrote an email to Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy leaders to call out ads the group has run. They say the TV spots contain “inaccurate and misleading statements” about the use of legal marijuana tax revenue in Colorado as well as rates of teen drug use.

By most accounts, the marijuana industry is growing like a weed.Since California became the first state to legalize medical cannabis in 1996, two dozen additional states have also legalized medical pot, and four states -- Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska -- along with Washington, D.C., have legalized the sale of recreational marijuana.

This is pretty exceptional considering that public support for the nationwide legalization of marijuana stood at just 36% in 2005. Today, according to Gallup's most recent poll, 60% of Americans approve of the idea of fully legalizing marijuana.

Halloween is nearly upon us, and law enforcement officials are warning parents to keep their eyes peeled for marijuana candies in trick-or-treat bags. But there's no evidence that such a threat exists, and one of the law enforcement people issuing the warnings is an opponent of marijuana legalization efforts in his state.

Tokken is a mobile banking app designed to legitimize the way Coloradans pay for weed. Using a custom-built internal banking system based on “tokens,” instead of cash, the company hopes to grow the technology and, eventually, disrupt the global banking system.

For users, Tokken acts as a digital wallet, enabling easy purchasing with on-file cards. But this wallet is different from other popular payment systems, like Venmo or Paypal.

Tokken’s technology converts hard currency to digital tokens, which are used as an accounting tool, linked to U.S. currency.

Dispensaries can choose to leave the money in token form, convert tokens to cash or use them to make other payments.

Colorado’s marijuana industry generated a whopping $2.39 billion last year, according to a new report from the research collaborative The Marijuana Policy Group.

If the numbers are right, Colorado’s still budding cannabis industry is already worth more than the much-celebrated craft beer industry, the report officially released Wednesday shows.

Last year, Colorado’s small and independent beer makers generated $1.7 billion, according to a report released earlier this year by the Colorado Brewers Guild.