What’s new in the world of weed? City ordinances are finally opening the doors to legalizing public pot consumption spaces and the delivery of cannabis in some major cities of Colorado. Picture this: marijuana party buses, weed and cheese pairings, pot and paint classes for date night. Entrepreneurs, get ready for a whole range of “dope” new business models in the near future.
While recreational marijuana was legalized in Colorado in 2012 and the first state-licensed sales were made in 2014, many pot companies have been operating in a legal grey area ever since regarding where exactly customers can consume their products. Cannabis tourism has proved a booming industry; however, with a lack of legal spaces in which weed can be used and with most hotels having regulations against substances on the premises, tourists are left with a plateful of “special” brownies and nowhere to eat them.
New legislation is aimed at changing that. In 2019, HB 1230 was signed into law, allowing dispensaries to apply for tasting room licenses and permitting other businesses, such as hotels, music venues, etc. to apply for private consumption licenses. Now, local governments are finally deciding to opt in to the new licensing process.
In April, the Denver City Council passed a bill to allow for new weed hospitality regulations, permitting the delivery of marijuana and the creation of certain public smoking lounges. The Strawberry Fields Dispensary was the first in the city to kick-off their new pot delivery service in late August. In order to combat some of the inequalities of the legal weed industry, the city ordinance has outlined a social equity program for the first six years of business license approvals, determined by factors such as prior marijuana arrest records and income level, in order to give a boost to those who have previously been affected by prohibition.
In addition to legalizing the delivery of weed, the bill will also allow for weed tour buses, clubs that sell small amounts of pot, and BYOW (Bring Your Own Weed) smoking lounges. Aurora, on the other hand, is having a harder time implementing HB 1230 into new ordinances. Even though Aurora was the first city to legalize marijuana delivery late last year, they are still trying to follow in Denver’s footsteps by passing the same kinds of hospitality regulations.
When the Aurora City Council first voted to advance the possibility of weed on wheels and pot lounges on Aug. 23, it passed 6-3. Then on Sept. 13, the council’s final vote ended when the mayor cast a tie, 5-5, causing the ordinance to fail. To resolve the tie, the council is set to vote again on Sept. 27 to settle once and for all whether Aurora will be the next in line to allow weed lounges and other public consumption areas.
