With an abundance of agricultural land, commercial buildings left empty after a recession, and relatively cheap real estate, Pueblo has become a destination for those seeking to cultivate and sell marijuana. In fact, 306 households moved to Pueblo because of marijuana in the first four months of 2015 alone.

Not everyone welcomes pot, and dispensaries are not allowed within the city limits. But marijuana businesses, including cultivation, have a “use by right” in industrial and business districts in Pueblo County.

The county has made growing marijuana attractive by making rules to prohibit male hemp plants from being grown within five miles of existing grows, which helps prevent cross-pollination. And although the federal government forbids using federal water for pot plants, the Pueblo Board of Water Works found a way to lease 800-acre feet of water to marijuana cultivators without breaching the federal rule.

Southern Colorado Growers Association, the local marijuana trade organization, claims the industry has provided 1,300 new jobs and contributed more than $120 million to the local economy. Industrial real estate prices have risen to $50 per square foot and large outdoor grows are beginning to crop up.

People continue to move to Colorado, and Pueblo, to find these jobs and get a stake in the industry. After all, “Pueblo could be the Silicon Valley of marijuana,” says Chris Markuson, Pueblo County Director of Economic Development.

-Read the full story by Joel Warner online at hcn.org.

BROOKE WARREN