Denver marijuana licensees on Monday received permission from the city to keep their stores open until 10 p.m. — a move the industry says will help it compete with businesses in some neighboring cities.

Stores that offer recreational or medical marijuana sales (or both) will get the option to adjust their hours beginning May 1. Denver has 218 storefronts, making up the lion’s share of stores in the metro area.

The City Council approved a change to the city’s allowed sales hours — currently 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. — after wrestling with the issue for months, including Monday night. Three floor amendments that would have further restricted the extended hours in some way all failed, including Chris Herndon’s suggestion of tying the later sales cut-off to an hour delay in the earliest-allowed morning opening time, to 9 a.m.

Denver marijuana shops get green light to stay open until 10 p.m.