We all know that greed is THE driving force in politics. Start sending your politicians articles like this to incite the lust for all those tax dollars! [SIZE=12pt][Infographic] Marijuana's Effect on Denver Tourism; Hotel Searches Up 25% in 3 Months & 73% During 4/20 Weekend [/SIZE] http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/154000320/4064893.html \nDenver and the state of Colorado have seen a spike in travel interest since the sale of recreational marijuana was legalized to anyone 21 or older at the start of the year, according to search data from Hotels.com®. Denver has seen a 25 percent increase in hotel searches in the first three months of the year compared to 2013. Ranked as the 17th most popular domestic destination for Americans in 2013 according to the Hotels.com Hotel Price Index™, Denver is also expected to see an increase in visitors on and around April 20th. Hotel searches for the weekend of April 18-20 – when the city will be host to a number of organized events and music festivals – have increased by 73 percent compared to the same timeframe last year. (snipped) Colorado legalized marijuana tax revs ahead of expectations: Moody's http://news.yahoo.com/colorado-legalized-marijuana-tax-revs-ahead-expectations-moodys-215800872.html;_ylt=AwrTWf0_nE1TcR4A.PnQtDMD (Reuters) - Colorado, the first state to tax legalized recreational marijuana sales, expects to bring in an estimated $98 million in revenue this year, exceeding the state's original expectations by 40 percent. The state began levying sales and excise taxes on recreational marijuana on January 1, 2014. Moody's Investors Service, in a report released Friday, said legal sales in Colorado will reduce the size of the black market and revenue from legal sales will mean more tax payments flowing into state coffers. The funds are slated for treatment, school construction and deterring young people from using the drug. School districts will likely get $40 million, or nearly 30 percent, of the projected $134 million in total marijuana tax revenues. (Snipped) Marijuana Jobs Higher Than Estimated http://www.thestreet.com/story/12659355/1/marijuana-jobs-higher-than-estimated.html?cm_ven=RSSFeed Roughly 168,000 jobs can be associated directly with the marijuana business and another 7,000 for these publicly traded companies, which brings the industry up to 175,000 jobs for a nascent industry. Only twenty-one states have legalized medicinal marijuana with more coming on board. Marijuana has spawned the creation of small businesses and created "ganjapreneurs." The jobs can be high paying like $250,000 for a grow master and $75,000 for a bud trimmer. It has also created a career path for many Americans that may have felt there weren't alternative job opportunities for them. Hopefully, states will begin keeping statistics as they realize how much this job force is growing. They will find it's higher than they thought. (Snip from conclusion of article) <span>Poll: Nationwide marijuana legalization inevitable</span> http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_25475515/poll-nationwide-marijuana-legalization-inevitable?source=rss <span>Nationwide marijuana legalization seems inevitable to three-fourths of Americans, whether they support it or not, according to a new poll out Wednesday. (snipped)</span> http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml We all need to start asking our politicians when do we get OUR big economic boost from legalization? Granny