article_snippet: A year after retail marijuana stores opened in Colorado, sales hit nearly $700million as 17 tons of the recreational buds were bought by consumers in the state's first year of full legalization.
article_snippet: A year after retail marijuana stores opened in Colorado, 17 tons of the recreational buds were bought by consumer (above Tyler Williams of Blanchester, Ohio
article_snippet: selects marijuana strains from the 3-D Denver Discrete Dispensary in December 2014)
article_snippet: Marijuana Enforcement Division Revenue's Marijuana Enforcement Division .
article_snippet: In total, 4.81million units of edible marijuana were sold - which would equal giving one edible to almost every resident in Colorado, according to 9News.
article_snippet: Findings also showed that 322 retail stores were licensed at the end of the year, up from about 200 six months earlier, while 833 licenses were issued to retail businesses in general, and 1,416 medical marijuana businesses were approved by the state.
article_snippet: Findings said medical businesses were cultivating around 300,000 marijuana plants on average each month during 2014, while the number of retail plants rose steadily from fewer than 25,000 in January to nearly 217,000 during December.
article_snippet: its first annual report noted that more than twice as many Colorado jurisdictions had 'completely opted out' of allowing either retail or medicinal pot businesses to operate than had permitted more than twice as many Colorado jurisdictions.
article_snippet: Sixty-seven jurisdictions allow medical and retail licensees, 21 permit only medical, and five only retail, while 228 jurisdictions prohibit them both.
highlights_snippet: First retail stores opened in Colorado on January 1, 2014 .