Non-profit gives homeless citizens marijuana to raise homeless awareness

DENVER, CO - There seems to be a high sense of holiday spirit in Colorado this week.

A local nonprofit organization named Cannabis Can is celebrating the Christmas week by handing out thousands of free, pre-rolled marijuana joints to homeless citizens in Denver.

The group says, besides spreading the Christmas cheer, the chief goal of the group's mission is to raise awareness about homelessness and to encourage people to donate to their cause.

Nick Dicenzo, the founder of Cannabis Can is the one playing Santa Claus, dolling out the free marijuana.

And while not everyone accepted the complimentary cannabis, Dicenzo says the message is about so much more.

Dicenzo said, "A lot of the people we spoke with really were just like, 'If I had regular access to a shower, and a haircut my life would be so much better - I'd have so much more opportunity.'"

In the state of Colorado, it is illegal to smoke marijuana in public, but marijuana can be given as a gift.

The only rules are that the person has to be 21 or over, no money can be exchanged and each person can only carry up to ounce of marijuana.