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SALT LAKE CITY — The first shop of possibly four retail recreational marijuana shops opened in Dinosaur, Colorado — about 3 miles from the Utah-Colorado state line.
Rocky Mountain Cannabis, a retail shop for anyone 21 years or older, is the first of what could be four shops in the town of about 350 people, said Dinosaur Mayor Richard Blakley.
The number one reason people visit Dinosaur, according to Blakley, is the Dinosaur National Monument.
“The office of tourism records it, we get about 300,000 at the National Monument each year,” Blakley said.
If you ask some locals, like Sam Stevens, he said people visit Dinosaur for other reasons.
“We see an influx of Utah people for the liquor store, the lottery… and of course the pot shop,” Stevens said.
It’s been about two weeks since Rocky Mountain Cannabis moved into the log cabin located at 420 Brontosaurus Blvd.
When KSL TV reporter Nicole Vowell was there covering the story, she saw two people with Utah license plates leaving the RMC parking lot.
"It’s free will, they can come here if they choose,” Blakley said.
However, law enforcement agencies like Utah Highway Patrol and the Uintah Basin Narcotics Strike Force have “concerns” about the store being so close to the Utah border.
“Once it crosses that border, it’s illegal. Not only is this a concern with possession of marijuana, but if they’re consuming marijuana and then crossing over into our Utah roadways that’s DUI, that’s another issue we are dealing with,” said Mike Gledhill, with the UBNSF.
Over the last four years, Gledhill said he’s seen double the numbers of marijuana traffic busts coming from Colorado. He said with a dispensary so close to the border now — patrols and interdiction will increase.
“It’s a law enforcement problem… they will figure it out,” Stevens said.
Rocky Mountain Cannabis declined to comment for this story.
