The is a lot like a vineyard: you can tour the grounds, take in the views, enjoy a farm-to-table meal, and maybe even hear some live music. But, unlike a winery, you can also step into the on-site dispensary to buy a little of the green stuff.
Colorado鈥檚 first 鈥渨eedery鈥 is set to open in Denver next fall, cashing in on the growing industry of 鈥渨eed tourism.” The $35 million project is headed by Christian Hageseth, the founder of the Green Man Cannabis (a High-Times award winning聽grower),聽and author of Big Weed: An Entrepreneur鈥檚 High Stakes 国产吃瓜黑料s in the Budding Legal Marijuana Business.聽In addition to an amphitheater, restaurant, and dispensary, it will offer a grow tour designed to demystify some of the unknowns about the recreational pot industry.
鈥淲hy open a 鈥榳eedery鈥? The first part of that answer is: because we can,鈥 said Hageseth. 鈥淚t鈥檚 legal, it鈥檚 unique, and we feel compelled to act on it.鈥
But the second part of the answer, focused more on education and awareness, speaks to the prejudices surrounding recreational marijuana, which was legalized in the state in 2012. 鈥淲e are doing it to set a new standard for the nascent and evolving marijuana industry,鈥 Hageseth said. 鈥淭here is a better way to do this business and we believe ours is the better way.鈥
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Hageseth said the ranch hasn鈥檛 received much backlash from pot dissenters but still required 鈥渓ots of special permissions from the state鈥 to open. Even with those permissions, visitors won鈥檛 be able聽to consume cannabis on the grounds鈥攁lthough there鈥檚 a 聽aiming聽to change that. If it passes, visitors would be legally allowed to smoke at the rooftop bar and amphitheater. But if it doesn鈥檛, Hageseth said visitors can still expect to tour and purchase a high-quality herb. (Hageseth鈥檚 Green Man Cannabis has won two 鈥淐annabis Cups鈥濃攖he highest award in the industry.)
As for how this would work outside of Colorado: Hageseth鈥檚 already looking at聽opening weederies in Nevada, Massachusetts, and California once the time鈥攁nd legal climate鈥攊s right.