Halfway through the six-hour slog from Phoenix to Los Angeles, weary travelers find themselves crossing the California border in the small agricultural town of Blythe, a city that’s known by many for cruising past on Interstate 10.
But this town, spotted with blighted buildings and sprawling cotton farms, is suddenly more than a gateway to the Golden State. Now that adult-use, recreational marijuana is legal in California — and still illegal in Arizona — Blythe could be the gateway to green.
On Tuesday, as Arizonans rejected recreational marijuana, Californians decided to light up, legally.
For the time being, you'll have to drive another two hours into the state to get your fix. Two years ago, Blythe banned medical marijuana businesses, putting the closest dispensaries 120 miles west in Palm Springs, where medicinal and now recreational pot has been embraced by city leaders and community activists.
Business experts and locals largely think Blythe is too remote and saturated with underground drugs from Mexican cartels for legal dispensaries to take hold.
But this town, spotted with blighted buildings and sprawling cotton farms, is suddenly more than a gateway to the Golden State. Now that adult-use, recreational marijuana is legal in California — and still illegal in Arizona — Blythe could be the gateway to green.
On Tuesday, as Arizonans rejected recreational marijuana, Californians decided to light up, legally.
For the time being, you'll have to drive another two hours into the state to get your fix. Two years ago, Blythe banned medical marijuana businesses, putting the closest dispensaries 120 miles west in Palm Springs, where medicinal and now recreational pot has been embraced by city leaders and community activists.
Business experts and locals largely think Blythe is too remote and saturated with underground drugs from Mexican cartels for legal dispensaries to take hold.
Comments