Colorado pot raids show industry still risky

There’s money to be made in legal weed. But you better have a strong stomach for risk.

That’s the message Colorado’s nascent pot industry is taking from federal marijuana raids in Colorado this week. Thursday’s raids underscore that state legalization doesn’t remove risk from an industry that violates federal drug law.

Agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency and Internal Revenue Service raided at least 10 marijuana locations in Colorado Thursday. The raids included growing warehouses, a Denver dispensary and two private homes. No one was arrested, but federal authorities say an investigation is ongoing.

People in Colorado’s marijuana industry were withholding judgment on the raided businesses. But with retail recreational marijuana sales set to start in the state in less than six weeks, uncertainty remains a constant presence.