Trinidad, Colorado was first known as a coal mining "boomtown" in the late 1800s, but towards the late-1900s, it was known around the US as the "Sex Change Capital of the World" due to the mass amounts of gender reassignment surgeries performed at the time. Nowadays, it's known as "Weed Town USA."
Like many small rural towns in the United States, Trinidad relied heavily on industrial jobs within the area. Over the past decade, there has been a shift in the middle-class workforce from the industrial economy to the "knowledge economy." Industrial jobs are dwindling due to the advancement of technology and machines being able to do the work of a few individuals combined.
Due to this, Trinidad experienced a sharp economic decline - but was saved by an unlikely source: marijuana.
Weed Town USA
Colorado's Amendment 46 was passed back on November 6th, 2012. The first commercial sale of recreational marijuana didn't begin until January 1st, 2014. This was a historic first for the United States and even the world. The state of Washington simultaneously signed a bill legalizing recreational pot distribution and use.
By the end of 2014, there were more than 300 recreational stores open, and these stores were racking in close to $35 million a month. In 2015, the state of Colorado made a total of $1 billion in legal marijuana sales.
Trinidad, Colorado is just 13 miles north of the New Mexico border and has around 8,100 individuals living within the borders of its town. The town currently has 23 fully-licensed marijuana dispensaries and say most of their profits come from out-of-state residents. One store owner told the publication High Times, that he makes hundreds of dollars in sales a day from customers from New Mexico, Texas, and even Oklahoma. The cannabis seekers stock up on legal marijuana in Colorado and illegally take it across state borders to their hometowns.
Cannabis sales have boosted this once dying town. A local restaurant owner, Nick Cordova, told High Times:
"Before marijuana came here, the town was dead. Half the population was gone. Half the town was abandoned. Half the downtown buildings were abandoned and run down. Without weed, half this town wouldn't be here. Literally."
While it may not be a part of the "knowledge economy," Cordova strongly believes that it is the only sustainable industry in the town currently. He believes that it is the lifeline of the town and if it were taken away, there would be no Trinidad, Colorado.
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Featured Image: Coloradopolitics
