Colorado pot churches to remain

Lawmakers rejected a proposal to ban churches where people gather to smoke marijuana.

In this Dec. 31, 2012 file photo, Rachel Schaefer, of Denver, smokes marijuana on the official opening night of Club 64, a marijuana-specific social club, where a New Year’s Eve party was held in Denver. Colorado lawmakers have backed off plans to regulate marijuana clubs, saying the state would invite a federal crackdown by approving Amsterdam-style pot clubs. Colorado already has about 30 private pot clubs, according to legislative analysts, but they operate under a patchwork of local regulations and are sometimes raided by law enforcement. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)

Colorado lawmakers have rejected a last-minute proposal to ban marijuana churches where users can congregate inside and smoke pot.

The House vote came Thursday on the 4/20 holiday after it debated whether to try stamping out attempts to use religious freedoms to open places where marijuana users can gather.

Opponents from both parties said telling churches how to worship is a “slippery slope.”

The International Church of Cannabis was set to open Thursday in a century-old building in a tony Denver neighborhood.

The former Mount Calvary Apostolic Church has traditional church features outside and psychedelic paintings inside.

It’s illegal in Colorado to consume marijuana indoors in places considered public.

— The Associated Press