The Fort Collins City Council passed the first reading of ordinance 32 Tuesday night, which could open the door for wholesale marijuana sales between businesses within the state of Colorado.

It is clear that Colorado’s experiment of retail marijuana legalization has been a tremendous success. In 2014, legal marijuana gathered $63 million in tax revenue, and about $17 million is available for special school taxes designed to fund youth education and school construction.

This is a progressive move for Fort Collins. Our community is working toward more efficient regulation for this emerging industry, which could lead to the discussion of other issues, such as efficiently bridging the gap between marijuana dispensaries and bank use.

According to the agenda item summary, wholesale between local marijuana businesses will offer more flexibility, maintain straightforward plant tracking and make it easier for authorities to ensure legal sales. On a state level, Fort Collins dispensaries will be put on a more even business playing field with the rest of the state.

With city council elections coming up, bear in mind that some council members are still against retail marijuana sales in Colorado. While Fort Collins is doing its part to ensure that this retail marijuana experiment builds successfully, know that this is still a new political issue, and stay educated moving forward.

Collegian Editorial Board can be reached at letters@collegian.com or on Twitter @CollegianC.