Denver homeless shelters and related facilities are reporting an increase in people needing their help this summer — and many of these agencies are blaming Colorado’s relaxed marijuana laws for the surge, according to a new report from The Denver Post.
Urban Peak’s drop in center saw the number of new visitors jump by 5 percent in May-July 2014, compared to the same period from 2013. Father Woody’s Haven of Hope has seen a 500 percent increase from their typical summertime influx in 2014.
“Of the new kids we’re seeing, the majority are saying they’re here because of the weed. They’re travelling through. It is very unfortunate,” said Kendall Rames, deputy director of Urban Peak, a non-profit which provides food, shelter and other services to young people in Denver and Colorado Springs.
Are you surprised that legal cannabis has brought more homeless to Colorado in this first summer of legal marijuana sales? Answer our poll:
[poll id=”7″]Six Months In:
A special report from The Cannabist
$202 million in pot sales?! 10 Colorado facts from six months into 2014
Is that really a thing? 10 strange but true stories as ganjapreneurs leap into cannabis market
Listen to the NPR audio: What has Colo. learned from its legal pot sales?