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Members Only: Why Most Marijuana Lounges Stay Private

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By on Cannabusiness, Culture
tetra_lounge_glitter_bong_collins20181025_008Jacqueline Collins

While Denver has only one licensed cannabis lounge,there are several places outside of your home where you can smoke a joint with friends — and we’re not talking about a park or alleyway. Private cannabis clubs that allow members to smoke weed have been operating in Denver since before the recreational dispensaries showed up, with varying degrees of success with city agencies and varying degrees of harassment by law enforcement.

Although a Denver program was adopted in 2017 to license businesses for social pot consumption, that program bans smoking indoors, so the vast majority of social consumption businesses have chosen to stay private. Prove you’re at least 21 with a valid ID, sign up for a membership, and you can go inside and blaze up as much as you want. While a new state law may finally let some private clubs get licensed and continue to allow indoor smoking, Denver is still in the early stages of considering these more expansive opportunities.

Colorado Marijuana Sales Start Strong in 2020

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By on Cannabusiness, Dispensaries, Follow that story
9553075.0 (1)Ken Hamblin III

Colorado marijuana dispensaries broke an annual sales record for the sixth straight year in 2019, and they’re already on track for a new high in 2020.

According to data from the state Department of Revenue, Colorado dispensaries racked up just under $140 million in sales during the first month of the new year. Although that figure reflects a slight dip from December 2019’s $143.75 million, January 2020’s sales are easily the highest total for any January since recreational dispensaries opened in 2014, and more than 12 percent higher than January 2019’s $124.9 million.

Denver-Based Dixie Brands to Merge With Cannabis Investment Firm

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By on Cannabusiness, Say what?
dixieCNW Group/Dixie Brands, Inc.

Dixie Brands, one of Denver’s early marijuana-infused product brands, has agreed to an acquisition deal with a private equity firm that specializes in cannabis mergers.

According to a joint announcement from Dixie and BR Brands, a branch of Connecticut-based marijuana investment firm Rose Capital, the transaction is valued at over $43.2 million and is expected to be finished by the third quarter of 2020.

Coronavirus Scares Postpone NoCo Hemp Expo

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By on Cannabusiness, Follow that story, Hemp
noco_hemp_expo_collins20190329_051Jacqueline Collins

Organizers of the NoCo Hemp Expo — definitely Colorado’s, and possibly the country’s, largest annual hemp-industry conference — have just announced that it will be postponed because of worries over COVID-19.

The expo, originally slated for March 26 through 28 at Denver’s National Western Complex and Renaissance Denver Stapleton Hotel, will now be held August 6 through 8 at the same locations, according to NoCo Hemp expo producer Morris Beegle.

Marijuana Farmers Want More Protection From Weather Damage

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By on Cannabusiness, Growing
snow-outdoor-marijuana-mitchell-10.17.17_1_Thomas Mitchell | Toke of the Town

Have you had ice wine? The sweet dessert wine is made from grapes frozen on the vine, requiring a large labor force to harvest the entire crop within hours after the first morning of adequately cold temperature.

Outdoor marijuana farmers in Colorado had to use the ice-wine harvesting method after an unexpected snowstorm hit much of the state last October. “We ended up having three days of freezing rain and snow last October. In that time period, we had all of our facilities filled with plants,” recalls Bob DeGabrielle, CEO of Los Sueños Farms, a 36-acre cannabis farm in Pueblo County. “From a bud product prospective, we felt like we lost about $7 million last year.”

How Three Friends in Durango Created a THC Seltzer

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By on Cannabusiness, Products
ohhi-1-2_1_Courtesy of Oh Hi

It was only a matter of time until cannabis became part of the seltzer craze, and the pot industry didn’t wait long. But instead of diving into fizzy waters alone, Oh Hi, a Durango-based cannabis seltzery, joined forces with the bubbling water’s nemesis: craft beer.

Last year, Jonny Radding and Aaron Miles, co-owners of southwestern Colorado dispensary chain Durango Organics, partnered with Ska Brewing co-owner Matt Vincent to launch the line of fruity THC seltzers.

Marijuana Speakeasy Coming to West Denver?

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By on Cannabusiness, Follow that story, Say what?
img-1626Thomas Mitchell | Toke of the Town

A marijuana speakeasy is on the verge of opening in Denver.

At first, the Bodega sign offering color TVs, VCRs, blunts and joint papers looks like old-school homage to an East Coast corner market, with shelves of snacks, Latin food, piñatas and a random assortment of goods and electronics for sale inside. But while we couldn’t take pictures inside, trust that there’s more than just soft drinks behind the old Squirt soda machine on the wall: It’s actually a secret door leading to a glossy, marijuana-friendly lounge boasting booths, flatscreen TVs and a coffee bar.

Colorado Dispensaries Sold More Pot in 2019 Than We’d Predicted

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By on Cannabusiness, Dispensaries, Media
den_20151124_thegreen_boulder_slentz_05Scott Lentz

Colorado marijuana dispensaries sold even more weed in 2019 than we’d predicted they would in 2019, according to recently released sales figures from the state Department of Revenue.

When last year’s overall tax revenue figure from marijuana sales was released in January (it totalled over $302 million), we took previous sales reports and DOR tax data to conservatively predict that Colorado pot shops sold approximately $1.72 billion worth of pot products in 2019. Looks like we undershot that figure, though, because current DOR numbers show that dispensaries hauled in over $1.74 billion last year — around $30 million more than we anticipated.

Social Marijuana Consumption Slowly Making Headway in Colorado

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By on Cannabusiness, Legislation
bongathon_collins20190805_019Jacqueline Collins

Cannabis users waiting for places to socially consume in Colorado are in for a slow burn, despite recreational marijuana being legal here since late 2012 and dispensary tasting rooms and pot lounges receiving state approval in 2020.

While recreational pot sales began in January 2014, social consumption businesses weren’t legalized at the same level until House Bill 1230 — a measure allowing dispensaries, restaurants, hotels, mobile lounges and other businesses to apply for social pot-use permits, allowing customers to buy up to one gram of flower, one-quarter gram of concentrate or edibles with no more than 10 milligrams of THC — took effect at the start of this year. But the vast majority of local governments have been slow to act on the opportunity.

Eight Strains for a Sexy Valentine’s Day

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By on Cannabusiness, Culture
pootie_tang (1)Herbert Fuego

Cannabis doesn’t share the same connection to Valentine’s Day as alcohol, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with the plant on romantic occasions. Although we’ve never pushed the concept of “aphrodisiac strains,” smoking pot can very much heighten an already existing mood between lovers.

To get that special someone warmed up for Valentine’s Day (or any other special night), here’s a mix of sweet and relaxing strains for getting intimate. Just smoke slowly, you ol’ dawg.

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