Real estate brokers say that Colorado's medical marijuana law has sparked a land rush, as entrepreneurs lured by a growing number of licensed users search for properties to grow or sell pot.

In a down real estate market, landlords who might otherwise wait for more conventional tenants are snapping at the opportunity presented by medical marijuana dispensaries, said Darrin Revious, a broker with Shames Makovsky Realty.

"I am working a couple of these deals right now," he said. "It is absolutely crazy how many of these deals are in the market. I can't believe it."

Since voters approved Amendment 20 in 2000, allowing the use of medical marijuana to treat eight specific conditions, the number of people legally allowed to buy the herb has steadily climbed. In 2007, 1,955 people held medical marijuana cards; the following year, there were 4,720 people were on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's Medical Marijuana Registry. The number has grown to about 13,000, health department spokesman Mark Salley said.

On an average day, the department receives 400 requests for medical marijuana cards, and some days applications are as high as 600, Salley said.

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