The Denver 4/20 Rally, scheduled to take place on April 20, is offering something new this year. Each attendee age 21 or over will receive a black bag containing tons of swag from marijuana businesses that were unable to legally give away such items at big public events in the past because of restrictive advertising rules related to cannabis.

Civic Center Park Productions’ Santino Walter, who spoke to us for our recent post “Inside the 2017 Denver 4/20 Rally Starring 2 Chainz,” says the black-bag plan was formulated after consultation with representatives from the City Attorney’s Office and Denver’s Marijuana Policy Division. The result, he maintains, is “the most compliant way for licensed cannabis companies in Colorado to promote themselves at an event.”

Colorado’s rules for marijuana advertising are exceedingly tight in comparison to a number of other states that have legalized recreational cannabis, as I saw firsthand during a recent trip to Seattle and Portland. For instance, outdoor advertising is generally prohibited here, as outlined in the following excerpt from the “Permanent Rules Related to the Colorado Retail Marijuana Code:”

Except as otherwise provided in this rule, it shall be unlawful for any Retail Marijuana Establishment to engage in Advertising that is visible to members of the public from any street, sidewalk, park or other public place, including Advertising utilizing any of the following media: any billboard or other outdoor general Advertising device; any sign mounted on a vehicle, any hand-held or other portable sign; or any handbill, leaflet or flier directly handed to any person in a public place, left upon a motor vehicle, or posted upon any public or private property without the consent of the property owner.

Dezy Saint-Nolde, better known by her activism name, Queen Phoenix, has emerged as a prominent organizer of protests and demonstrations in recent months. These included the thousands-strong November 10 protest against Donald Trump’s election, the February 18 Defend our Constitution march, a health-care rally on February 25, and a Demand Russia-Trump Ties Investigation march on March 18.

But Phoenix also believes that her activism made her the target of an undercover Denver Police Department investigation in which she was arrested and charged for offenses related to marijuana.

In a January cover story in Westword concerning DPD’s social-media surveillance and how it related to the department’s old “Spy Files” program, Phoenix shared her experience of having her house raided by cops in December on charges that she was distributing marijuana without a license.

Veterans in Colorado’s cannabis industry are the new kids on the block for 4/20.

Since there’s no High Times event on April 20 in Colorado this year, local companies are coming together to create their own 4/20 commemoration that will be representative of the state’s marijuana industry. The Green Solution, The Hemp Connoisseur (THC) magazine, incredibles and New Earth Muziq are partnering to host 420 on the Block in the 1000 to 1200 blocks of Broadway on Thursday, April 20.

“We want to take 4/20 back,” says Nick Callaio, marketing and events director for the Green Solution. “High Times didn’t have to jump through all those hoops…we had to jump through all those hoops.”

After Bec Koop, a Denver-based florist, saw a need for green at some Colorado weddings, she wound up hosting Colorado Cannabis Wedding Expo events. Being able to bring together cannabis-friendly businesses to help couples plan their weddings was a dream come true, she says, standing in the mock-bridal suite of a showcase in Littleton on February 19. Still, she adds, there were some barriers to the business.

Back in 2011, Koop traded in her more traditional wedding-floral business for one that incorporates her budtendress skills: Buds and Blossoms, which allows brides to add some tastefully placed nugs to any floral arrangement, among other things.

Two annual events affect dispensary sales every February: Valentine’s Day and the Super Bowl.

Comparing this year’s dispensary sales during Super Bowl weekend with last year’s, when the Denver Broncos were playing, gives some idea of the general mood of this state’s residents.

Last year, dispensaries saw an increase in sativa sales. But this year, people preferred to mellow out on the couch, judging from an increase in indica purchases. The data was compiled by Baker, an app used by customers throughout Colorado, and a resource that dispensaries an use to track their inventory and message customers about deals.

Soon we’ll all be able to smoke strains cured by the gonzo legend himself.

After Hunter S. Thompson died in 2005, his widow was approached by countless dispensaries and marijuana growers asking to use her late husband’s brand on their grows. “It’s the same story every time: Somebody wants to slap Hunter’s name on their strain,” Anita Thompson said in an interview with the Aspen Times. “If I put Hunter’s name on somebody else’s strain, I can never go back and say, ‘No, this is the authentic one.’”

As the weather cools down, the marijuana scene in Denver is heating up. The first two weeks of December see two big events: an awards ceremony for the industry and a high-end glass art show. On Wednesday, December 7, the Cannabis Business Awards will honor enterprises across the state; two days later, Heaterz is hosting an exhibit at the Space Gallery with multiple glass artists showcasing their hand-crafted bongs. Read on for the details.

Cannabis and comic-book culture collided at the third annual Chromic Con. On Saturday, November 19, the Speakeasy Vape Lounge and Cannabis Club in Colorado Springs hosted the original marijuana-friendly comic-book convention. People came dressed as their favorite fantasy characters, studied comic books and graphic novels, and socialized while smoking their favorite herb. Here are five of our favorite things about Chromic Con: