Scott LentzColorado 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.
Scott LentzBrowsing: Media
Scott Lentz
Jacqueline CollinsColorado has somehow managed to survive six years of recreational cannabis sales without burning down. But even so, there were plenty of hot, skunky issues to cover in 2019.
This year, the Colorado Legislature further established this state as an epicenter of cannabis, passing laws that expanded medical marijuana access and legalized social use businesses, such as pot cafes and smoking lounges. The state also continued in its role as a guinea pig of regulation and cannabis culture, dealing with challenges ranging from moldy pot to equitable industry participation.
After trimming our way through the year’s stories, we landed on these as the ten biggest in 2019:
WestwordAs America’s knowledge about the plant grows, the range of subjects our Stoner handles have expanded. While most of the questions we received in previous years asked such things as how to roll a joint or if it’s possible to boof marijuana (it is, but be careful), 2019 queries ventured into slightly more intellectual subjects, such as the recent vaping health crisis, or what the point of useless “indica” and “sativa” designations really is.
Courtesy of Alyssa SerpentiniWhen Alyssa Serpentini moved to Colorado twenty years ago, she didn’t just find a new home. She also found a new passion, establishing herself as an artist and sculptor by breaking cannabis stereotypes through an artistic medium.
There are abundant examples of celebrities trying to profit off legal cannabis while the less famous sit behind bars, but some of the OGs of cannabis culture are putting their money where their mouths are. Eric Rachmany, guitarist and singer for Rebelution, is using his national solo tour as a way to raise awareness and money for those imprisoned for cannabis charges.
Courtesy of CBDistilleryThe hoopla surrounding CBD has become so loud that even CBD companies are starting to get annoyed. One Colorado CBD brand recently went so far as to buy ads in New York’s Time Square to attack gimmicky products and marketing campaigns that push CBD into everything from candles to firewood.
Jacqueline CollinsThe only thing better than South Park making fun of the weed industry would be South Park entering the weed industry — with some integrity. We’re still trying to find out if that’s the case, but some online nuggets have us wondering…
Jacqueline CollinsA coalition of hemp businesses are calling out two of the country’s most popular social media platforms for what they believe are unfair advertising policies. According to the Hemp Industries Association, algorithms lumping the plant into the same category as marijuana have prevented industrial hemp companies from advertising on Facebook and Instagram.
Courtesy of John Wiley & SonsNothing is that legitimate unless there’s a book about it for dummies. My dad learned how to coach Little League basketball and install Windows 97 thanks to the triangle-headed nerd who’s been on the cover of nearly 2,500 different self-help guides, aiding millions of readers. Now, the Dummies franchise has decided that cannabis is too big to avoid, bringing in former Native Roots executive Kim Casey to author a book about the plant.
Kayte DemontIt’s not every day that hip-hop royalty comes to town for a sit-down about cannabis with Denver’s mayor, but that’s exactly what U.G.K.’s Bun B did on April 15, when he interviewed Mayor Michael Hancock about Denver’s highs and lows with legal pot. An occasional correspondent with VICE, Bun B came armed with research, asking Hancock about the city’s struggles regulating social pot use and how to right old convictions left from the War on Drugs.