More than 100 pot shops expected Jan. 1

Colorado could have more than 100 recreational-marijuana stores open Jan. 1. That’s according to newly released numbers from the state’s Marijuana Enforcement Division.

The Denver Post reports that the Division accepted 136 applications in October from people seeking to open recreational pot shops.

The businesses that applied in October will have a decision made on their applications by the end of the year. That means they are in line to open Jan. 1, the earliest date for recreational marijuana sales in Colorado.

By law, all of the applications came from people currently operating medical-marijuana businesses in Colorado.

Colorado currently has 517 medical-marijuana dispensaries, 138 medical-marijuana-infused products businesses and 736 medical-marijuana-cultivation facilities.

Only two of the businesses that have applied plan to make a full conversion to recreational sales.