Just because marijuana is now legal in Colorado doesn’t mean you’ll be able to buy it everywhere.

Communities are taking action against commerical marijuana operations a year before it will likely be available to adults.

Douglas County is the first county in the state to place an all-out ban on commercial pot operations. That ban takes effect Thursday. Weld County is also on pace to have a ban against them next month. Other communities, such as Englewood, have issued moratoriums on the opening of recreational-marijuana businesses.

However, Rachel Allen, staff attorney for the Colorado Municipal League, doesn’t anticipate many municipalities following in Douglas County’s footsteps, at least not until after July 1. That’s when the Colorado Department of Revenue is supposed to have rules in place on how the industry will be regulated. No shops are expected to open at least until January 2014.

“We’re not seeing a whole lot of action yet,” Allen said. “We’re sort of waiting for July 1 to see where we are.”

Amendment 64, passed by Colorado voters in November, makes it legal for anyone in the state age 21 or older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana. However, the measure also permits local government agencies to ban marijuana stores.

In Douglas County, people will still be allowed to grow up to six marijuana plants, as the measure allows, but pot stores and commercial growing operations will not be permitted. The ban has nothing to do with personal use or enforcement, officials said.

Douglas County commissioners passed the ban after the majority of voters there four times voted against marijuana measures in the past 12 years, including Amendment 64, which lost in the county 54 percent to 46 percent.

“These four votes made it easier for the county commissioners to act in the public interest,” said Douglas County spokeswoman Wendy Holmes.

Holmes said the board took into consideration the financial benefits of allowing commercial pot shops but decided in favor of the ban anyway.

“That’s a revenue source that we’re not interested in having here,” Holmes said.

Englewood enacted its moratorium because it wasn’t well-prepared when medical marijuana was approved. Parker’s ban on pot shops, approved this month, took effect Sunday.

Carlos Illescas: 303-954-1175, cillescas@denverpost.com or twitter.com/cillescasdp