By The Nation
United States: An early inkling of the commercial potential of
marijuana tourism came on a day with a mythical significance for many
marijuana users: April 20, 2014, when one travel booking site saw
searches for Denver jump nearly 75% year-over-year months after
recreational marijuana use was legalized in Colorado.
It happened again this year, according to online hotel booking
service Hotels.com, with April 20 searches — “420,” a slang term for
marijuana, is linked to 1970s youth and drug culture in northern
California — increasing in Colorado but also Washington, where
recreational marijuana was legalized in July 2014, and Oregon, where it
became legal this July.
Recreational marijuana use is now legal in Colorado, Washington,
Oregon, Alaska and the District of Columbia. It has been legalized for
medicinal use in 23 states and the District of Columbia, where it is
used to treat pain, nausea and other conditions; health experts,
however, warn that overconsumption can lead to increased heart rate,
delayed response rate and feelings of paranoia or anxiety.
Tourist interest in states and cities where it is legal to buy and
consume cannabis without a medical license has increased, according to
Hotels.com search data, and new industries are seeking to serve those
travelers.
But while entrepreneurs increasingly see an opportunity to grow a new
offshoot of the travel industry, complications still exist, likely
restraining the industry’s early growth. (Federal law prohibits
marijuana, though the Obama administration has generally left
enforcement to the states.)
“It’s hard to know where people are able to use” marijuana, said
David Blandford, a spokesman for Visit Seattle. “There are legal and
enforcement questions. It’s a tricky proposition.”
Even in states where recreational marijuana is legal, it is
prohibited to smoke in public, and most hotels don’t allow smoking in
rooms. Seattle’s proximity to the Puget Sound and Lake Washington,
meanwhile, has created confusion for local law enforcement regarding the
legality of its use on boats near the Canadian border, according to
Blandford.
Advertising and interstate commerce raise other concerns. In
Washington state, it is illegal to advertise marijuana products within
1,000 feet of schools and other areas that cater to children, or to
place product advertisements on a publicly owned or operated property.
It is also illegal to transport cannabis across state borders.
Visit Seattle is worried that tourists or marijuana businesses might
run afoul of those laws. “It’s a concern,” said Blandford. “It’s a big
question mark on our end.”
Other states are proceeding cautiously in their efforts to market themselves to would-be marijuana tourists.
“As of July 1, it became legal to smoke pot recreationally, but there
were no distribution channels,” said Linea Gagliano, a spokeswoman for
Travel Oregon. “Unless you’re growing it on your own, there’s no way to
consume it.”
New state regulations are expected to make legal distribution easier,
Gagliano said, but the questions about public consumption and
advertising remain. Consequently, Oregon has not begun heavily marketing
itself as a destination for marijuana enthusiasts, focusing instead on
its culinary and natural attractions.
“For now, we’re going to stick with those things that we know are compelling reasons to visit Oregon,” Gagliano said.
Despite the challenges in these states, companies are finding ways to
capitalize on the newfound interest in marijuana-related tourism.
My 420 Tours, founded in 2013, gave its first tour during World
Cannabis Week, a festival in Denver during the week of April 20 — “The
New Year’s of Cannabis,” according to Chief Operating Officer Danny
Schaefer. (The term “420” originated in the early 1970s in San Rafael,
Calif., when a group of teenagers decided to meet regularly at 4:20 pm
to search for an abandoned plot of marijuana plants.)
The company provides tours including transportation, hotels and
activities including dispensary tours and cannabis cooking classes.
Schaefer says My 420 Tours has partnerships with hotels that allow
marijuana use so tourists can try recreational marijuana without
worrying about public-use laws. All-inclusive tours start at $1,295 per
person, not including airfare.
“On our tours, visitors can safely and legally consume cannabis, as
well as get an education and experience what has happened here in
Colorado,” Schaefer said.
He estimates that My 420 Tours hosts about 300 to 600 guests per
month, depending on the season. About 70% of tour visitors are traveling
to Colorado for the first time, and include frequent consumers,
first-timers, people celebrating retirement and potential marijuana
entrepreneurs and investors. “We have a mix of guests from all over the
world,” Schaefer said.
To avoid any issues of interstate commerce, Schaefer says My 420
Tours collects leftover cannabis from guests before they arrive at the
airport. The extra marijuana is then donated to nonprofit organizations
for demonstration or education purposes.
American Cannabis Partners, a marijuana entrepreneurship consulting
firm, is opening Colorado’s first “weedery,” entering the popular winery
and brewery tourism market. The $35 million Colorado Cannabis Ranch
& Amphitheater, slated to include open-air greenhouses, a
dispensary, a gift shop, an amphitheater for musical performances and
community classes, and a rooftop bar and restaurant, is scheduled to
break ground in Denver in the fourth quarter of 2015.
ACP founder Christian Hageseth came up with the idea after realizing
how much money growers were spending on the electricity to power indoor
growing warehouses.
“In Colorado we’re blessed with 300 days of sunshine a year,”
Hageseth said. “Warehouses are just recreating the sun. It’s really
expensive.”
Additionally, Hageseth said that as a longtime grower, he saw an
opportunity to take advantage of the curiosity surrounding the young
industry.
“People [unfamiliar with marijuana] have always asked a lot of
questions about the industry,” Hageseth says. “A lot of aspects of what
it means to grow marijuana in a hydroponic environment blew people away.
People’s minds were changing. They were really opening up to the fact
that marijuana is just a plant.”
The company is optimistic: It expects to generate just over $90
million in revenue from the weedery during the first few months of
operation.
Because of current Colorado public use laws, weedery visitors will
not be allowed to smoke on the property, but they can buy cannabis
products on site.
Hageseth hopes the weedery will attract a variety of customers, as
well as become a hub for community events like yoga classes and musical
performances.
“We want to be open and accepting of everybody from all walks of
life,” he said. “We hope that a group of people can form their own
opinion on marijuana from an enlightened perspective. Prohibition has
cast a shadow on the opinion of what marijuana really is.”
He adds that he has been exploring sites for similar projects in
Nevada, Hawaii and Massachusetts, which have all legalized medical
marijuana.
“We may be the first, but we certainly won’t be the last,” Hageseth
says. “The hope is that weederies become as popular as wineries and
breweries.”
No comments:
Post a Comment