Jacob Sullum on Colorado's Lingering Marijuana Black Market

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Marcos Fernandez Diaz Vj Catmac / photo on flickr

On New Year's Day, when Toni Fox became the first state-licensed marijuana merchant in Colorado to serve recreational customers, nearly 200 reporters crowded into the 3D Cannabis Center while hundreds of customers waited patiently outside the store. Business since then has been brisk. Fox has had no trouble attracting customers, even though she charges substantially more than black-market dealers do. Jacob Sullum notes that the legalization of marijuana has not eliminated the state's black market, thanks to taxes and regulation, but its future is in question.