Source: The Observer
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/dec/27/cannabis-legal-america-ski-resort>

December 27 2009

by Joanna Walters

It's already being dubbed "the Amsterdam of the Rockies" and an
après-ski spliff is likely to become almost as common as a beer when
cannabis possession is legalised in the hip mountain town of
Breckenridge, Colorado, on 1 January.

Well known as a laid-back party resort characterised by
baggy-trousered snowboarders and a vigorous happy hour, Breckenridge
voted last month to relax marijuana laws.

>From New Year's Day there will be no criminal or civil penalties
imposed on anyone carrying up to an ounce of marijuana ­ or the
paraphernalia usually associated with it, such as long rolling papers,
a small pipe or a bong. That also goes for tourists, in a resort
popular with British visitors who flock there for the exciting ski
slopes and the exuberant nightlife.

"I'm already getting calls from people outside the state asking
questions, such as 'Can I do it while I'm skiing?', 'Can I bring it to
my hotel room?', that kind of thing," said Kim Green, spokeswoman for
the Breckenridge police department.

The answer to the first question is no. The operators of the ski
resort have made it clear that, while cannabis use may be
decriminalised in the town, they are still able to ban it on the
slopes under separate laws, and will come down heavily on anyone
skiing while stoned.

The answer to the hotel question, though, is potentially a yes,
provided guests can get hold of the drug in the first place. And that
could be tricky. It will remain illegal to buy, sell or grow cannabis
and also to display or use it in public. That means no Amsterdam-style
"coffee shops", but the remaining restrictions in Breckenridge have
not stopped campaigners making comparisons between the town and the
Dutch capital.

"We're the second town in America after Denver to remove all
penalties for marijuana possession and the first in history to remove
all penalties for paraphernalia, and that's cutting-edge on a global
basis," said Brian Vicente. He heads the pressure group Sensible
Colorado, which is campaigning to make cannabis legal across the whole
state.

Pot is illegal in Colorado under state and federal law. In theory,
the police could stop someone under state law. But they have given no
indication that they will do so. They will, however, be adopting "zero
tolerance" for those driving while high, smoking dope in public or
causing disturbances under the influence of drugs, Green said.