Mark AndresenApril 4, 2016, was a big day for Matt Hobson — and it was very nearly a big day for Colorado’s cannabis industry.
Mark AndresenBrowsing: Cannabusiness
Mark Andresen
Thomas Mitchell | Toke of the TownA lot of hybrids, especially the earlier ones, were bred to build upon a parent strain’s good qualities while minimizing its undesirable traits. I remember how exciting it was to see “Jamaican Sativa” or “Purple Thai” on coffeeshop menus in Amsterdam, and how disappointing it was to find that these old-timers hadn’t evolved like the potent strains they’ve birthed. San Fernando Valley OG isn’t as old or crusty as Jamaican and Thai landraces, but it’s produced its fair share of wunderkinds while getting unfairly pushed back in the shadows.
Westword archiveColorado’s legal weed boom has created an influx of business for more than just dispensaries. The state leads the country in the number of top ancillary businesses connected to the cannabis industry, but another industry with long-standing ties to the plant has also been enjoying the benefits: fast food.
Thomas Mitchell | Toke of the TownCourtesy of the St. Francis Center
Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper and his staff visited the future St. Francis Center refuge in Capitol Hill earlier this week, highlighting the state’s effort to help fight homelessness with cannabis tax revenue. The state donated $250,000 to close funding gaps to complete the construction of the center at 1400 Washington Street, but that’s just a parcel of the pot tax dollars that the Colorado Department of Local Affairs is using to help the state’s homeless.
Scott LentzColorado’s decision to legalize recreational cannabis has taken the blame for several changes to the state’s rapidly changing landscape, specifically in Denver. Pot has been accused for the rise in population, the rise in homelessness and the rise in housing costs…and now one study believes it has found a solid connection to the increased cost of homes.
Herbert FuegoMy memory was an unstoppable force before I started smoking cannabis. Sports statistics, promises from my parents, painful childhood memories — nothing escaped me. And while all of those recollections from my past remain, retaining random facts and events from the recent past is no longer my strong suit.
Barely hanging on to my short-term memory, I practically ran for the hills when a budtender suggested Amnesia Haze. The most popular form of the headstrong sativa has a combination of purer genetics than most hybrids, but it’s still a hot mess, counting Haze, Jamaican, Afghani, Hawaiian and Laos strains as its parents.
Scott LentzEntrepreneurs and consumers have been holding their collective breath as California readies itself for retail cannabis sales, which that state’s voters approved in November 2016. California expects to have regulations and license programs in place for retail cannabis businesses by early next year, although the exact date that stores will open is still unknown.
Despite the lack of retail presence, California’s medical marijuana industry is spurring one of the largest legal pot markets in the country, medical or recreational. Several cannabis industry studies have shown that California’s market is already larger than in Colorado or Washington, which both opened retail pot businesses in 2014. And even though they’re in a medical-only market, California’s cannabis consumers already display strong similarities to their Colorado counterparts, according to data from BDS Analytics – but on the recreational side.
ShutterstockLegalizing cannabis doesn’t just create jobs involving cultivation of the plant; it also creates businesses that aid those cultivations, infused-product manufacturers and dispensaries. Ancillary businesses to the cannabis industry can be in anything from extraction technology to industry consulting, with many, many things in between.
Ancillary businesses represent the largest and broadest sector of the cannabis industry, according to multiple industry reports, and many of the top companies are based in Colorado. Of the top 150 ancillary cannabis businesses on a recent list from Cannabis Business Executive, 41 are headquartered in Colorado. By comparison, California hsd 35 on the list, while Washington and Oregon combine for just 22.
Herbert FuegoThe phrase “drink the Kool-Aid” is commonly used when talking about letting hype or peer pressure affect a decision, but it has pretty morbid origins. The saying stems from the 1978 Jonestown tragedy, in which over 900 followers of cult leader Jim Jones died from drinking a cyanide-laced version of the juice mix. Don’t let that stop you from enjoying a glass at your next cult meeting, though: Just add a little more sugar, and that cyanide tang will go right away.
Jacqueline CollinsThe City of Denver announced it was ready to accept applications for social cannabis consumption areas in late August, but no businesses have yet applied for license. That may change soon, however, now that three local entrepreneurs plan to open a cannabis vaping lounge – once they find a location, that is.