Rocky Mountain High: 30% of Homeless in Denver Shelter Came to State for Marijuana

An informal survey of 500 people at a Denver homeless shelter reveals that 30 percent of new inhabitants came to Colorado because of the state’s legally available marijuana.

>>> 7 Harmful Side Effects Pot Legalization Has Caused in Colorado

“The older ones are coming for medical (marijuana), the younger ones are coming just because it’s legal,” Brett Van Sickle, director of Denver’s Salvation Army Crossroads Shelter, told the Associated Press.

That particular shelter has more than doubled its staff to care for the new out-of-towners.

“It’s having an impact on all of our social services across the state and at the municipal level when you have 30 percent increase in homelessness because of legalizing marijuana,” said Republican state Rep. Ted Harvey. “So it’s an interesting unintended consequence that I certainly never thought about.”