<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[The Dish]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[http://dish.andrewsullivan.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[Andrew Sullivan]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://dish.andrewsullivan.com/author/sullydish/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[A Budding Tourism&nbsp;Industry]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p>In <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/altered_state/2014/01/weed_tourism_watch_out_wine_country_colorado_and_its_marijuana_is_coming.html">Colorado</a> of course:</p>
<blockquote><p>When it comes to marijuana tourism, there could be a lot of profit to go around. Colorado is already a major tourism destination: In 2012, the state <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/ci_23709836/colorado-saw-record-tourism-visitation-and-vacationer-spending#ixzz2oJgiUv5n" target="_blank">made nearly $17 billion from a record 60 million visitors</a>. In the coming year, let’s assume that a modest 5 percent of those visitors come here to check out the legal marijuana market. That would be 3 million new marijuana consumers, which could translate into a lot of money. The <a href="http://www.trueamsterdam.com/2012/american-tourist-most-generous/" target="_blank">average American tourist spends more than 180 euros</a>, or nearly $250, per person per day in the world’s other major marijuana destination, Amsterdam. And over the last fiscal year, <a href="http://mmjbusinessdaily.com/329m-medical-marijuana-market-in-colorado/" target="_blank">Colorado made $329 million in sales-tax revenue from medical marijuana</a>, while serving just the state’s 113,000 registered marijuana patients. “These are really exciting statistics,” says Tripp Keber, owner of the marijuana-infused soda company <a href="https://dixieelixirs.com/" target="_blank">Dixie Elixirs</a>. “There is going to be a huge economic boom.”</p></blockquote>
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