Leaders of the cannabis industry have long dreamed of making New Jersey the East Coast version of Colorado. Already a tourist attraction for hiking and skiing in the Rocky Mountains, legal weed has turned Colorado into a go-to destination for marijuana users, like those at iBake Denver, a two-room private lounge where members can get high so long as they pay the $12 monthly fee and $3 for each visit.
A tourist from New Jersey can walk in, pay $15, sign paperwork and legally smoke weed.
Out-of-state visitors are a key component of the marijuana industry. In 2014, they were responsible for 44 percent of retail marijuana sales — and 90 percent of sales in heavily trafficked mountain communities, according to the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division, whose 104 employees track and regulate marijuana sales in the state.