Colorado passed a law in November last year which allowed people aged over 21 to grow and own a small amount of cannabis each year, and to gift small amounts to friends too.
The law also allowed for cannabis to be sold, within these volume limits, through licensed retailers to member of the public, but crucially a decision on whether to license retailers to sell the drugs 'for recreational purposes' is being left up to individual Colorado towns to decide.
The decision making process has taken some time since the original announcement of the new law, and in some cases is on going. However Telluride became the latest ski town this week to say that it would allow the licensed sale of marijuana, joining Crested Butte, Silverton and Aspen where four shops currently licensed to retail the drug for those allowed to buy it under a former law allowing need for medical purposes, are expected to become retail sellers to all over 21 on 1st January 2014.
Although the ski resorts themselves have not been mentioned, Summit County, home to Arapahoe Basin, Copper Mountain and Keystone, three of the world's 10 highest ski areas, has said it will also allow licensed retailing of the drug.
However Vail has decided not to license any retailers and Breckenridge, which currently has one licensed medical supplier, has also says that it will not, and that the medical supplier will be closed when its building's lease expires. Steamboat has also said it will not license any retailers but may review their position in three years time after it has seen how legalisation has worked out across the rest of the state.
Colorado will impose similar safety laws on drug use for drivers as they do for alcohol, there have been no announcements on any plans for a drug use safety law for skiers.