DENVER – It doesn't matter what they're smoking — tobacco or marijuana. Smokers are smokers. And in the view of Boulder, Colo.-based smoking purveyor Smoker Friendly, they're all potential customers.

The 23-year-old chain plans to open as many as 10 new stores this year under the name Glass Werx, a chain that will sell a variety of pipes, bongs, grinders and vaporizers, to meet the growing demand since Colorado legalized marijuana earlier this year.

The first Glass Werx store launched in March and a second store opened last week. "Now that cannabis is more mainstream, it's a concept we'd like to expand on fairly rapidly," Smoker Friendly's COO Dan Gallagher said. 

Analysts say the legalization this year of recreational marijuana in Colorado and Washington, as well as medical cannabis in 21 states and the District of Columbia, is likely to bring a surge of mainstream business investment into smoking accessories.

Smoker Friendly operates 90 corporate-owned stores in Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, Utah and Wyoming. Another 850 stores in 38 states are operated by licensed retailers. Smoker Friendly's parent company also operates the Gasamat chain of gas stations and convenience stores.

"It would be a logical move for us to consider," Gallagher said. "When you look at our retail footprint, we sell gas and tobacco products, which are highly-regulated sectors. We're comfortable operating in a regulated environment."