Rocky Mountain Marijuana by Colorado Mountain News Media

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Rocky Mountain Marijuana

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RESTAURANTS / EVENTS CALENDAR / ENTERTAINMENT / RECREATION / BEST OF SUMMIT

GUTS

4/20 2016 PUBLISHER Matt Sandberg msandberg@summitdaily.com MANAGING EDITOR Jessica Smith jsmith@summitdaily.com ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Meg Boyer mboyer@summitdaily.com ADVERTISING SALES STAFF Cindy Boisvert, Ian Donovan, Steve Fisher, Eric Groves, Emma Simmins, Blair Tice

FEATURE

ART DIRECTION & DESIGN Ashley Detmering DESIGN TEAM Carly Arnold, Darin Bliss, Madelyn LyBarger, Malisa Samsel

U N C R E D I T E D P H OTO S F R O M T H I N K S TO C K

by Phil Lindeman Dispensaries across the state are turning to the chain model as they expand.

DEPARTMENTS

DESIGN TEAM SUPERVISOR Afton Pospíšilová CONTRIBUTORS Jason Auslander, Rick Carroll, Kirsten Dobroth, Kelsey Fowler, Heather Jarvis, Noah Klug, Phil Lindeman, Elise Reuter, Ben Trollinger, Johnny Welsh, Randy Wyrick

MARIJUANA IN THE MAINSTREAM

JOINT DISCUSSION

07 A LITERARY EYE by Johnny Welsh

CA N N A B I S C O D E POT’S PROGRESS

THE ABC OF 08 CANNABIS s

by Kelsey Fowler and Elise Reuter

BUDS AND 12 BOUQUETS 331 W. Main St., Frisco, CO 80443 p: 970.668.3998 | f: 970.668.3859 www.summitdaily.com

PRINTING & PRE-PRESS Colorado Mountain News Media Gypsum, Colorado ON THE COVER: Design by Darin Bliss and Ashley Detmering

IN COLORADO

by Elise Reuter

ASPEN, WITH REST 32 OF STATE GRAPPLES WITH POT-CLUB POSSIBILITIES

BUDDING BUSINESS

by Heather Jarvis

HOW TO OPEN A 30 MARIJUANA DISPENSARY

by Rick Carroll

16 RETHINKING RETAIL

33 MOUNTAIN LAW

CAN THE POT 17 INDUSTRY ONE DAY RIVAL SKIING?

THE ART OF 34 CHANGING PERCEPTION

by Kirsten Dobroth

by Randy Wyrick

ASPEN POT SALES 18 TOP $8.3 MILLION IN 2015

by Jason Auslander

by Noah Klug

by Heather Jarvis

BY THE NUMBERS

36 INFOGRAPHIC

compiled by Elise Reuter 420 // 2016

BRECKENRIDGE’S ORIGINAL DISPENSARY BRECKENRIDGE

1795 AIRPORT RD. A-2 , BRECKENRIDGE (970) 453-1340 www.myorganix.com Retail 8am-10pm Daily Medical 8am-7pm Daily

SITUATED ON AIRPORT ROAD, Organix provides easy access and convenient parking for everyone. Our large parking lot and proximity to the ‘Free Satellite Parking Lot’ make us the perfect stop on your way to the slopes. Free parking and quick access to Highway 9 make it a simple decision to visit Organix Breckenridge, whether you’re coming or going!

COLORADO’S MOST WELCOMING MOUNTAIN DISPENSARY

Organix Breckenridge first opened their Medical doors in January 2010, as the city’s oldest Medical Marijuana Dispensary, and happily began welcoming recreational customers in January 2014. They cater to both medial and recreational customers 21+ in the same convenient location. Organix is locally owned and operated; their team of knowledgeable and friendly budtenders have been providing premium quality customer service for over 5 years. The store has been renovated! They now have more registers to allow more customers to be seen. The shop is cash only and has an ATM on site. Your visit will be nothing short of memorable and enjoyable at Organix. Additional parking at the Satellite Lot as well as free town of Breckenridge across from bust stop out front.

ENJOY MEDICAL BENEFITS WITHOUT YOUR RED CARD

Organix carries a large and varied line of topicals, tinctures, cremes, lotions, edibles and trans-dermal patches that are high in CBD on the medical and recreational side. Treating medical conditions and ailments has never been more accessible as an adult 21+. The well educated and helpful staff can always point you in the right direction for your specific needs. Every customer is paired with their own budtender to ensure the highest quality service is being provided and that each individual’s needs are met.

RECREATIONAL & MEDICAL MARIJUANA SALES

Retail 8am-10pm Daily & Medical 8am-7pm Daily | Must be 21+ with Valid ID | Locally Owned and Operated /organix.breckenridge 4

Rocky Mountain Marijuana

@organix_breck

ORGANIC IS THE WAY AT ORGANIX

Organix prides themselves on growing the highest quality organic flower in Summit County. Their vast rotating selection of over 30 strains means they have something for everyone. Whether you’re looking for Indicas, Sativas, or Hybrids, Organix has the flower for you. Daily specials make it affordable and smart to shop here and the taste and potency leave you coming back for more. Don’t forget to check your recreational 1/8ths for a GOLDEN TICKET!

CONCENTRATES AND EDIBLES

As the industry grows and changes, so does the consumption method of our clients. More and more individuals are seeking out edibles and concentrates, and for those that are, Organix is the clear destination. Medical and Recreational customers can enjoy the world of infused chocolates, gummies, cookies, drinks, candies and snacks, not to mention waxes, shatters, live resin, vaporizer pens and more!

ACCESSORIES AND SOUVENIRS

Looking for a way to remember one of the most pleasant shopping experiences of your life? Or perhaps a way to show friend you were thinking of them, even if they couldn’t enjoy the fun? Organix has you covered. Make sure to check out impressive line of hoodies, hats, t-shirts, lighters, smoking accessories, pipes, souvenirs, and more. ‘Birthday present’ or ‘just because’ are perfect reasons to head home with something that can let you relive that experience time and time again.

BRECKENRIDGE

Specializing in superior customer service & providing Summit County’s best premium organic cannabis, concentrates, edibles, topicals, tinctures, transdermal patches & CBD products. BRECKENRIDGE

1795 Airport Rd. Unit A-2, Breckenridge (970) 453-1340 www.myorganix.com Mention RMMJ for

$5 OFF YOUR PURCHASE Not to be combined with any other offer 420 // 2016

WELCOME

TO THE THIRD EDITION OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN MARIJUANA

an you believe we’re already approaching the third year of legalized marijuana in Colorado? We hardly can, but we’re excited to keep watching as the industry, and the culture surrounding it, evolves.

Our very first issue of Rocky Mountain Marijuana strove to educate and inform, presenting a very news-like view of what was, essentially, a large-scale social experiment. Everything was new and we ventured out into the landscape together. Last year’s issue turned the spotlight on the business side of things and the entrepreneurs behind it. We followed the paths of those ‘pot pioneers’ as they blazed their way across a new landscape. This year, we’re getting analytical. Recreational marijuana is no longer new, no longer a novelty to the people who live here. We don’t think twice about seeing another pot shop on the corner or discussing marijuana among peers. The industry itself is evolving, and some businesses are expanding from single-store operations to multi-location chain enterprises. This issue delves into the idea of marijuana in the mainstream, and what it’s like when weed becomes just another product on the shelves.

— RMMJ MANAGING EDITOR

If you choose to use,

DON’T DRIVE HIGH. Let the Summit Stage be your FREE DESIGNATED DRIVER Driving under the influence of any drug is illegal in Colorado. So if you choose to use marijuana, hop on the Summit Stage, Summit County’s free public transportation system. We provide free bus service to towns and resorts throughout Summit County, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Buses on most routes run every 30 minutes during the day and every 60 minutes at night until 1 a.m. or later.

Visit www.summitstage.com for schedules, maps and route information. Or give us a call at 970-668-0999, and we’ll let you know how to take the Summit Stage to your destination. Download the Summit Stage app to view your bus location in real time.

-668-0

Leave your car behind and let Summit Stage do the driving.

Rocky Mountain Marijuana

JOINT DISCUSSION

A LITERARY EYE

Author and bartender Johnny Welsh talks marijuana and the art of storytelling by JOHNNY WELSH

her describing her bartending career where she carried two notebooks with her. One was for the customers’ orders; the other for customers’ stories. She says that, as a bartender, people tend to be a little more forthcoming when they have a couple of drinks. Everyone has a story that can melt and warm the heart. I cannot even begin to say how much this resonates with me. I, too, carry two notebooks with me and I have felt the stories of many travelers and tourists. It is warm, entertaining, fascinating and moving all at the same time.

THE SPARK OF AN IDEA

t’s a typical night behind the bar. I ask the usual questions. “What would you like to drink today? Martini? Would you like that up or on the rocks?” As I shake martinis, there’s time to chat, and the focus now turns to the guest. Where are you from? What would you like to see while you are here? How can I help? What brings you here? Herein lies the beginning of the age-old tradition of storytelling. I like to think of bartenders as storytellers. Meeting and interacting with travelers from around the world at a bar in a tourist town is the perfect platform for sharing and gathering stories. That’s where a lot of magic happens. As I write this, I am listening to an audio book, “Big Magic,” by Elizabeth Gilbert. I just heard the part of

Never before has there been as hot a topic as the legalization of marijuana in Colorado discussed at any bar I have worked. All I have to do is ignite the conversation with the word “weed” while bartending and customers enter the rotation; even those who don’t consume are just as fascinated. These tourists, visitors and outof-state guests inspired me to write a book. I set out to tell the world what life is like in the first post-legalized state. I wanted to chronicle the events that unfolded the first couple of years and still keep the stories timeless. Jobs and businesses popped up left and right in the new industry and they were so unique and fascinating. The emotions were all over the board those first two years, from excitement to apprehension to euphoria; it was a sight that might not ever be repeated. I imagined painting the picture of this new world for all to

understand without having to enter that world if they didn’t want to. I Googled relentlessly to see if there was somebody out there already writing about Colorado and its crazy cannabis experiment. There was no one. Everyone was too busy entering the industry that I guess books were overlooked. Not by me — not with my degree in Italian literature, language and culture. I had a nice base knowledge and had been writing for over 20 years. Add 23 years of bartending to that and I believed in my heart that the ingredients were in place for a book recipe called “Weedgalized in Colorado: True Tales From the High Country.” See, Mom? I told you I would put that degree to use someday!

THE IRRESISTIBLE URGE OF STORYTELLING

Cannabis is showing up more in news, media and entertainment, spilling over into the written word. My passion is telling stories, especially to travelers and I’m fortunate that I get to practice this art. And as a bartender, I get to tell my stories with a twist, no pun intended. I am blessed with the opportunity to jump into this industry from a behind-thescenes vantage point. There’s a common trust extended to bartenders that I have personally experienced, especially in bigger cities. We can assist travelers with escorts, party supplies, free event tickets, hook ups, etc. We’re not afraid to bend the rules and cut corners so our guests have the best experiences.

The same is true for providing the inside scoop to current event stories that we see a different side to. This is the case with marijuana, even in a post-legalized world. One thing I have found — people love to talk about weed. When one has a memory or past story with cannabis, it usually tends to stick in the mind. You remember who you were with, what happened and how it felt — since you were probably breaking the law when it happened. Telling the story is like sharing a secret. And people love to tell secrets to bartenders. In the words of John Bender from “The Breakfast Club” — “Being bad feels kind of good, eh?”

A GRAND TRADITION

I hope that the oral storytelling tradition doesn’t fade in the face of smartphones and the growing technology revolution. Ever talk to someone while they are texting? I think Socrates would be beside himself with his stern support of the oral traditions and the art of listening. Remember, the next time you happen upon a storyteller, make sure you listen just in case we become an endangered species.

Johnny Welsh is the author of “Weedgalized in Colorado: True Tales From the High Country.” Welsh has been a bartender for 23 years and lived in Colorado for 19. Read more of his musings on weed and storytelling online at www.weedgalized.com.

PEOPLE LOVE TO TALK ABOUT WEED.

“ALL I HAVE TO DO IS IGNITE THE CONVERSATION WITH THE WORD “WEED” WHILE BARTENDING AND CUSTOMERS ENTER THE ROTATION; EVEN THOSE WHO DON’T CONSUME ARE JUST AS FASCINATED.” 420 // 2016

POT’S PROGRESS

THE ABC s OF CANNABIS by KELSEY FOWLER and ELISE REUTER

How much can I buy?

Can I purchase recreational marijuana?

Adults ages 21 and older with a valid government ID (driver’s license or passport) may purchase, smoke and possess marijuana in Colorado. At most dispensaries, you must present your ID prior to entering. On a busy day, there might be a short wait time to enter. (Colorado Department of Revenue: Permanent Rules Related to the Colorado Retail Marijuana Code, p.36, section C)

Colorado residents may purchase up to one ounce of cannabis in a single transaction, approximately the equivalent of 60 joints, depending on the potency of the joint. Out-of-state visitors may purchase ¼ of an ounce per transaction. (Colorado Department of Revenue: Permanent Rules Related to The Colorado Retail Marijuana Code, p. 48, section D)

How much can I carry?

Who can purchase medical marijuana?

Colorado residents ages 18 and up may obtain a Medical Marijuana Registry Identification Card (known as a “red card”) with a recommendation from a doctor that a patient suffers from a debilitating condition and may benefit from medical marijuana. For minors under the age of 18, parents must consent to such medical use, obtain a registration ID card for the minor and act as their primary caregiver. (Article XVIII, section 14, Medical Use of Marijuana for Persons Suffering from Debilitating Medical Conditions)

Adults ages 21 and older may possess up to one ounce of cannabis. Colorado residents with a Medical Marijuana Registry Identification Card may possess a maximum of two ounces of usable marijuana. Marijuana may be carried in cars, but it must be in a closed container. If the seal has been broken, the contents have been partially removed or there is evidence of consumption within a vehicle, it is a violation of Colorado’s Open Container Law. Passengers should not consume cannabis. (Article XVIII, Section 16, Personal Use and Regulation of Marijuana, Colorado Constitution, Colorado Pot Guide)

Can I drive after smoking or consuming cannabis?

Driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal, just as drunk driving is. A driver is considered legally impaired, facing consequences similar to a DUI, if five nanograms or more of THC is found in their system. The only time marijuana may be carried in a vehicle is in a closed container. (Colorado House Bill 13-1325; www.colorado.gov)

Rocky Mountain Marijuana

CO DO NOT CROSS

Can I take marijuana out of Colorado?

No. Even if the cannabis was purchased legally in Colorado, it is still illegal to transport cannabis across state lines. Denver International Airport announced it is against the law to take marijuana into the airport as well. Clearly, the U.S. Postal Service does not allow marijuana, and has stepped up efforts to find it in the mail. Even within Colorado, each city and county has its own marijuana regulations. (www.colorado.gov; the Denver Post)

Does anyone know who is purchasing marijuana?

Amendment 64 prohibits a list of marijuana purchasers, but customers will be on camera. State rules require shops have security cameras pointed at the cash register, entrances and exits. (Amendment 64, p. 8, section C; Colorado Department of Revenue: Permanent Rules related to the Colorado Retail Marijuana Code, p. 37)

Do dispensaries accept credit cards?

Most are still limited to crash transactions, but have ATMs available. The Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, more commonly known as the Bank Secrecy Act, regulates how banks must report and respond to transactions believed to be linked to illegal activity. While marijuana sales are sanctioned in Colorado by the state government, they remain illegal federally, leaving banks and businesses in a legal limbo. (The New York Times)

Where can I legally consume cannabis?

Can I get fired for consuming marijuana?

Colorado statute says you may not consume marijuana, in any form, “openly and publicly or in a manner that endangers others.” In essence, the only place you should consume cannabis is in a private residence, with the owner’s permission. On residential private property, retail marijuana consumption in any outdoor location is illegal unless the person is the property owner or lessee or has been granted permission by the property owner or lessee. Under Colorado’s Clean Indoor Air Act, smoking marijuana is not permitted anywhere that cigarette smoking is also banned. As for ski resorts, most are located on federal land, where marijuana use and possession is illegal — the same rules apply to national forests, national parks and monuments. Consumption is specifically banned at state-licensed marijuana facilities. (Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act; Colorado Department of Revenue: Permanent Rules Related to the Colorado Retail Marijuana Code, p. 49)

According to a 2015 Colorado Supreme Court decision, employees can be fired for consuming retail or medical marijuana, on or off duty. Employers may set their own policies for drug use under Colorado law, but under federal law, marijuana is still a Schedule I controlled substance. (The Denver Post)

Can I give cannabis to a friend?

One ounce or less of marijuana may be gifted to an adult age 21 or older for “no remuneration.” Essentially, you can’t sell it or receive payment, a gift or exchange in return. Under state law, only licensed retail marijuana stores may sell. (Colorado State Constitution, Article XVIII, Section 16: Personal Use and Regulation of Marijuana)

What safety restrictions are there? Can I grow my own?

In Colorado, it is currently legal for adults to grow up to six plants in their own home, with three or fewer being mature, flowering plants. Some cities, such as Denver, cap the total number of plants allowed per residence, regardless of how many adults live there. It is legal to keep the resulting harvest, but it cannot be sold. Plants must be grown in an enclosed, locked space, not openly or publicly. (Article XVIII, Section 16: Personal Use and Regulation of Marijuana, Colorado Constitution)

Colorado law requires shops to be located at least 1,000 feet away from schools. Local governments may have additional restrictions, such as the minimum distance from neighborhoods, parks or places of worship. The state has also mandated marijuana products must be sold in childproof packaging. Sharing or giving marijuana to minors is a crime, with similar penalties as providing alcohol to minors. (The Denver Post; Colorado Department of Revenue: Permanent Rules Related to the Colorado Retail Marijuana Code, pp. 2, 114)

420 // 2016

SPONSORED CONTENT

INDICA VS. SATIVA: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? by AARON H. BIBLE

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR AN INDICA OR A SATIVA?

It’s usually the first question someone is asked when they finally make it up to the counter at a recreational dispensary here in Summit County, and it’s an important one to know how to answer. It’s not a high-pressure situation, just a simple starting place for a “bud tender” to be able to help find the exact right strain, or strains, for a particular customer. Indica and sativa are the two major types of cannabis plants that are used for their THC and other cannabinoids, although scientifically they are the same plant. So, what’s the difference between an indica strain and a sativa strain? The question the bud tender really wants to know is — how do you want to feel? And, says Aaron Bluse, co-owner of Altitude Organic Cannabis in Dillon, they might also ask what flavors you like, and other questions about any medical conditions you are attempting to treat. Simply put, sativa strains are generally considered to produce more energetic highs, while indica strains produce relaxation and more of a body buzz. Hybrid strains are equally as common however, with mixes typically being 80/20, 70/30 or 50/50 in all combinations possible. Sativa plants grow tall and large and are typically suited for outdoor growing, whereas indica plants tend to be short and stocky. Popular indica strain names you’ll hear include White Widow and

brought to you by ALTITUDE ORGANIC CANNABIS

Northern Lights, many of which are used to treat insomnia and for pain relief. Sativa strains such as Purple Haze and Sour Diesel are more commonly smoked or vaporized during the day for a more cerebral high. The hybrid strains that dispensaries and growers are constantly experimenting with in interesting and creative ways produce a variety of effects of flavor, taste and profiles of cannabinoids and terpenes to achieve a desired “high” or treat a specific physical condition. “Not every strain is going to affect every consumer in the same way,” Bluse said. “Everyone’s biochemistry will vary. The individual’s tolerance, the amount consumed, how it is consumed, and the items the individual consumes prior to taking cannabis (food, water, alcohol, etc.) will all alter the effect of any given strain.” Notably, botanists consider all cannabis plants members of the same species: cannabis sativa L. Hemp used for industrial purposes is a member of cannabis ruderalis J. And cannabis plants are lauded for their adaptability and ability to interbreed. This, again, gives growers the ability to produce a wide variety of strains that take on the characteristics of the growing substrate, water and of each other as they propagate, clones and seeds of which are used to continue a desired strain. “Sativa strains originate from the equatorial and tropical regions of the globe and are usually higher in THC,” explained Bluse. “They’re best used before outdoor activities, painting, writing and before eating.” He said sativas are used to modify appetite, for enhanced creativity, to relieve stress and for their vibrant flavors. “Indicas originate from the mountainous and elevated regions of the globe,” Bluse said. “These strains are usually higher in CBD, one of the other 420 cannabaoids found in the plant in addition to the better known, THC.” Bluse said indicas are used for exactly the opposite: to relieve anxiety, improve sleep and relieve pain, known for their more “earthy” flavors.

SIMPLY PUT, SATIVA STRAINS ARE GENERALLY CONSIDERED TO PRODUCE MORE ENERGETIC HIGHS, WHILE INDICA STRAINS PRODUCE RELAXATION AND MORE OF A BODY BUZZ.

ABOVE: Twisted Purple OG, an indica strain. LEFT: Leaves from a sativa plant. Sativas tend to have longer, skinnier leaves than that of an indica plant.

Altitude Organic Cannabis, 817 Little Beaver Trail, Dillon, www.AltitudeOrganic.com 10

Rocky Mountain Marijuana

420 // 2016

POT’S PROGRESS

A couple enjoys a cannabis wedding near Silverthorne.

BUDS AND BOUQUETS As cannabis becomes more mainstream, couples start incorporating it into their big day by HEATHER JARVIS

ver the last few years, Rachael Carlevale has had a secret fantasy for her wedding day. With a degree in plant medicine and a relationship with cannabis, she dreamt of adding a little extra green to her bouquet, along with cannabis plant centerpieces that guests could pick off and smoke. It used to be what she thought of as a joke, but in August, her non-traditional wedding fantasies will come true. Budtenders will be on hand to give advice about strains, her bouquet will be sprinkled with the sticky flower and a teepee will give guests an area to indulge. As marijuana slowly starts to become more accepted socially, cannabis weddings in Colorado are on the rise. Rather than having

Rocky Mountain Marijuana

photos by JOE KUSOMOTO PHOTOGRAPHY

small groups of guests break away from the wedding to smoke in secret, couples that imbibe can now bring it to the forefront, giving guests the opportunity to partake with their friends and relatives while sharing in their big day. For Carlevale and her future husband, Mathieu Davenport, however, it’s a whole lot more than just an enjoyment for the recreational use of the plant.

A HEALING TOOL

Five years ago, the Evergreen resident was fighting for her life after a uterine tumor landed her in the hospital. At only 23, she balked at the doctors’ recommendation to give her an emergency hysterectomy, instead turning to alternative thera-

pies to combat the illness. The now 28-year-old credits cannabis plant medicine as having a prominent role in her healing process, and continues to incorporate CBD oil into her regimen to keep the tumor from again becoming inflamed, along with using edibles to help ease the pain she feels during her menstrual cycle. “I was very, very sick at the time,” Carlevale said. “I had to be fed by IVs, I was in the hospital, I was on bed rest. I was barely alive. So now I’m completely thriving and living life to the fullest.” When the couple first started using cannabis as part of Carlevale’s treatment, they found that marijuana growers were using pesticides and fungicides that actually caused cancer, as well as using cancer-causing

agents to extract CBD oil. Carlevale’s illness sparked Davenport to begin cultivating regenerative cannabis grown using the no-till method. “He was able to create medicine that was very clean and safe,” Carlevale said. “And we were able to shrink my tumor over 20 millimeters.” Davenport, 31, is now a certified permaculturist, and runs his own consulting business to help others grow using these principles. Their story is why the couple was chosen as winners of a cannabis wedding contest offered by loveandmarij.com, a website that assists those looking for cannabis-friendly services and providers for their wedding. The website offers suggestions on outlets for lodging, venues,

“ HE WA S ABLE TO CRE ATE MEDICINE THAT WA S V ERY CLE AN AND SAFE, AND WE WERE ABLE TO SHRINK M Y TU MOR OV ER 20 MILLIME TER S.” — RACHAEL CARLEVALE florists, catering, photographers, DJs, limos and more in Colorado, Washington and Oregon, with hints of Alaska coming soon. After seven years together, Carlevale and Davenport will have their cannabis wedding on Aug. 27, 2016, at a private estate in Steamboat Springs, with the assistance of loveandmarij.com and other cannabis-friendly service providers part of the contest. “We are really honored to be selected for this wedding contest, and we really want to help to shift the way people are viewing and utilizing cannabis,” Carlevale said.

HELP WITH THE PLANNING

When couples plan for their special day, careful thought is put into every detail — food, drinks, décor — and the same planning needs to be done with a cannabis wedding. Navigating the legalities and hiring 420-friendly companies can be just as daunting when added to all of the other wedding tasks, especially for couples from out of state who may not be as familiar with Colorado laws. That’s where Philip Wolf and Elizabeth “Ebs” Waldmann come in. Wolf is the founder of Cultivating Spirits, a Summit County company that jumped into luxury cannabis tours soon after legalization. A former grow consultant, Wolf took his knowledge of the marijuana industry and combined it with his experience in event planning for TV and radio to create Cultivating Spirits, and wading into the world of cannabis weddings was just another opportunity for growth. “At Cultivating Spirits, we offer sophisticated tours and events, and weddings kind of fit into that sophisticated event,” Wolf said. “We have the experience in the cannabis industry to guide people through the legalities, but also show them how to do it in a fun way — how to bring it up to their parents and their grandparents, how to incorporate as little or as much of cannabis as they want to into their event.” At the end of last summer, Wolf approached wedding planners Waldmann and Johnna Patton, owners of Breckenridge-based Distinctive

Mountain Events, with the idea of combining their services for cannabis weddings. Wolf provides the expertise in how to incorporate marijuana, with the wedding planners there to provide the more traditional planning services. Both companies will be assisting in Carlevale and Davenport’s Aug. 27 wedding. “I don’t necessarily know weddings,” Wolf said. “I don’t want to sit in front of a bride and tell them how to plan wedding — even though I know how to plan events and I think I have good ideas. But weddings are a very special day, and Ebs and Johnna are the best at what they do up here in the mountains. So I wanted to approach them first to see if they wanted to work with us and take on that aspect, so we can come at it with what I think is the best cannabis expert and the best

wedding experts. We come as a package and we can create a magical day for somebody.” Two summers ago, Waldmann and Patton were hired as wedding planners for a cannabis-friendly wedding at a private ranch north of Silverthorne. The San Francisco couple had two budtenders manning the cannabis bar, and offered a separate tent for guests to smoke. “It was done so well,” Waldmann said. “I think every wedding you run into unexpected problems — we wouldn’t have a job if there weren’t unexpected problems — but as far as the cannabis side, it went really well.” Waldmann said the guests were all very accepting of the openness of cannabis consumption, and they

didn’t run into any problems with it being a part of the day. After the California couple hired Distinctive Mountain Events, Waldmann and Patton realized the potential opportunity of getting into this type of industry, but they weren’t quite sure how to proceed. “I think the cannabis industry is so cutting edge, we wanted to be a part of it,” Waldmann said. But the owners were also worried about how other people would

Couples can now hire weed consultants for their wedding.

420 // 2016

POT’S PROGRESS

To be legal, the wedding has to be a private event on private property.

perceive the business if they decided to advertise. “That’s kind of where the partnering came into play,” she said. “Johnna and I had discussed doing something like this, but we debated on how to advertise it, and reach out to those brides, because in our business, the mom and dad still pay for the wedding. We didn’t know if that would deter them from hiring us, even if they didn’t want to have cannabis. So when Philip approached us it was just a natural fit.”

IT’S THE SMALL THINGS Offering cannabis at a wedding

does take some logistical planning. Wolf said the first thing he discusses with the couple is how much they want to incorporate cannabis into the wedding. There are many things that go into a cannabis wedding that couples don’t necessarily think of: logistics like how to consume the cannabis, being the liaison between the dispensaries and walking them through the legalities. After that, he said, is finding out more information about the families — how relatives are going to feel about it and how to make sure everyone is comfortable with the way it is incorporated.

Then it comes down to choosing services. Cultivating Spirits will assist couples in picking the right cannabis strains and other cannabis products. Like deciding on the right cake, couples can do pre-wedding cannabis sampling, and Wolf can help suggest proper strain usage. The company can also assist with a bud bar, bringing in knowledgeable budtenders to assist guests, or provide cannabis and food pairings or infused foods to any events. As for the wedding planners, Waldmann said she makes sure that the vendors they are working with are cannabis friendly, even if it is just

Food pairings and strain suggestions are among cannabis wedding services.

something as simple as making sure the hairdresser is fine with the bride smoking in the same room. Then they assist with the normal wedding logistics, aligning the packages they offer with Cultivating Spirits to the ones they offer for traditional weddings. “As far as planning goes, it really doesn’t change,” she said. “It’s still a wedding at the end of the day.” To be legal, the wedding has to be a private event on private property, and there can’t be a charge for any of the cannabis served. As with alcohol, transportation and age verification also come into play, making sure everyone who partakes is 21 and has a way to get back to wherever they are staying without driving if they have been consuming, Wolf said. Cultivating Spirits does not provide the marijuana, but can be the liaison with the purchase. This is particularly helpful for out-of-staters who may not be familiar with dispensaries in the High Country. “A lot of times it might not be a complicated situation, but it’s the little things that people don’t think about,” Wolf said. “There are so many small things, especially when you are planning a wedding, and the more you can alleviate those, the better.”

CANNABIS WEDDING EXPO

Wolf and Cannabis Concierge Events owner Bec Koop teamed up to throw a marijuana-centered wedding expo in Denver’s Santa Fe Arts District mid-January 2016. The Cannabis Wedding Expo showcased 420-friendly vendors, along with

Rocky Mountain Marijuana

Like deciding on the right cake, couples can do pre-wedding cannabis sampling.

special cannabis-themed offerings, like Koop’s cannabis-infused wedding bouquets, floral arrangements and boutonnieres from her company Buds & Blossoms. Koop had been rejected from traditional wedding expos, which is one of the reasons why she wanted to create her own. The expo, which sold out all of its vendor spots, was a testament to the rising popularity of the industry. “It’s something that’s growing,” Wolf said. “People don’t know necessarily that they can incorporate

cannabis into their wedding. It’s still too taboo for them. We have one wedding that we are doing this summer, but I think every year it’s going to grow and grow and grow. From doing the Cannabis Wedding Expo as well, you can tell that with companies. They are doing a handful of them, but they’ve grown from doing one last year to doing three or four this year.” Wolf said the expo was a great way to bring companies, the press and the community of Denver

together in one spot to focus on a budding industry. “That was exposure … that put it on the map like hey, this is really legit.” Wolf said the sky is the limit when it comes to ideas for a marijuana wedding, from cannabis massages, to live art, to cannabis educational handouts for guests. “To me it’s all about choices, and by the services that we are doing, we are providing people with that choice,” Wolf said. “If they want to

utilize that choice they can, but they don’t have to, and that’s what’s great about America is that we do have these choices. … It’s another option, and it’s great to have options in life.” Carlevale believes that her wedding will be an educational experience for her guests as well. “I’m hoping they will all have a positive experience and a fun time,” she said. “I’m definitely expecting people to get a big educational experience out of this as well as have a great time.”

420 // 2016

BUDDING BUSINESS

RETHINKING

RETAIL

Businesses surrounding the recreational marijuana industry are also thriving by KIRSTEN DOBROTH

olorado’s marijuana industry is a kind of petri dish of economic and societal change; since the passing of Amendment 64 in 2012 and the first recreational marijuana shops opening in 2014, other states have proposed similar legislation, and other states have sued Colorado over what they see as federal violation. Although that uncertainty might scare away potential entrepreneurs and investors, the fact remains that the state’s economy and tax revenues are growing, thanks in large part to pot. According to a Business Insider analysis in 2014, Colorado had the fastest growing economy in the country, with $40.9 million being generated in the first 10 months of marijuana’s legalization, not including medical sales, licenses and fees, according to the Department of Revenue. And although dispensaries have a heavy hand in this economic growth, auxiliary businesses around the marijuana industry have also played a large

Smok N’Bra owner Ste-V Day said that Colorado glass has been a large draw for many of her customers, and she’s seen more glass collectors than ever before since weed was legalized. P H OTO CO URTE S Y S MO K N ’BRA.

Rocky Mountain Marijuana

part in the selling and hiring as well. While many retailers, like headshops, have seen increased competition, many have found ways to differentiate themselves in the market, and have evolved to keep atop the rest.

PUTTING A FACE TO THE PRODUCT

In particular, shops selling smoking paraphernalia have tried to carve out a cornerstone in the market by offering high quality customer service, with knowledgeable employees putting both a face and personality behind a customer’s experience in the store. “Retail is changing, and personality is what brings in customers,” said Dan Glickman, co-owner of Get Hi Gallery. “People like the reliability in the product and the service that we offer, and, a lot of times, failing in customer service at other establishments brings people to Get Hi.” Glickman and his business partner, Jey Henk, opened the first Get Hi Gallery location in Eagle-Vail

in 2002, followed by locations in Breckenridge and Edwards in 2009 and 2015. Glickman said that the laws surrounding the sale of marijuana at licensed dispensaries for those over 21 have allowed shops like his to be able to have more direct conversations with prospective customers, and ensure that people leave with merchandise they will enjoy. “It’s easier to be informative when talking with customers; people have questions and don’t have basic knowledge, and it allows our employees to really educate people that come in about a given product.” Similarly, the popularity of vaporizers and other rechargeable smoking devices has led retailers like Get Hi Gallery to include a warranty program for many of their products, allowing customers to walk out feeling comfortable with what they purchased.

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

Retailers have also differentiated themselves with the quality of pieces sold at their establishments, particularly in the form of glass. Ste-V Day, owner of Smok N’Bra in Frisco, said that locally made glass pieces have been a huge draw for people to check out her shop, as pipes, bowls and bongs made from local glass blowers have a niche with more experienced smokers, and that more collectors have come out of a broadened market. Day said that there’s been more of a celebration of glass art compared to the stigma that used to be around smoking devices when she first began in the industry. “It started with wood, metal and ceramic pipes; there was a little glass, but all imported from other countries. There was no art form or personal at-

tachment to an artist or their pieces,” she said. “Nowadays, we sometimes do events like live glass blowing on my deck in the summers so people can actually see how it’s done.” Glickman added that his stores’ focus on selling Colorado glass has been popular both at locations like the Eagle-Vail spot, where regular customers come looking for new additions for their collections, along with the Breckenridge location, where increased foot traffic brings in visitors looking for locally made glass souvenirs.

A COMMUNITY WITHIN THE INDUSTRY

And while dispensaries sell some of the same merchandise as retailers in different parts of the industry, the two work symbiotically in the new legal format, which has helped business on both sides. “The dispensaries can sell some of the same products as us, and we can sell some products that they can’t,” said Glickman. “For us it’s about having a solid relationship with the dispensaries — we’ll send customers to them and they’ll send customers to us; it’s a kind of community.” Day agrees that a larger market is better overall, as it’s brought more people to the state, and her business has only grown as competition has increased. “I opened in 2011 before there was recreational, and only two shops have opened near me after recreational sales were legalized,” she said. “One closed down within the first year, and my shop has expanded an extra 240 square feet. People come here to ski and snowboard, but now there is a different kind of tourist — weed tourists.”

BUDDING BUSINESS

CAN THE POT INDUSTRY ONE DAY

RIVAL SKIING? by RANDY WYRICK

kiing is king in the Vail Valley — always has been. But will it always be so? Winter sports will probably always dominate the Vail Valley’s economy. Despite years of effort, the town of Vail collects about 70 percent of its annual sales taxes during the ski season. That could change in the future, and perhaps the near future. Vail Resorts has made a big investment in summer recreation with its Epic Discovery program, which aims to make the mountains as much fun in the summer as in the winter. Attractions include mountain coasters, climbing walls, ziplines and more, all with the intent of drawing summer visitors to winter resorts. That investment has communities thinking ahead, too. Town of Vail officials are carefully eyeing the success of Epic Discovery and wondering just how much longer the town’s

parking structures will be free in the summer months. Off the mountain, there’s a lot of work going on to create a valley-wide system of mountain bike trails, in hopes of turning the Vail Valley into a mountain biking haven. But the next big thing to generate big bucks in the valley just might be marijuana. Colorado’s ski industry pours $4.8 billion annually into Colorado’s economy. That’s 46,000 jobs that generate $1.9 billion a year, according to a study by RRC Associates, a market research firm based in Boulder. In addition, big game hunting pumps $403.7 million into Colorado’s economy each year, according to a report from BBC Consulting. Overall, hunting, fishing and watchable wildlife tourism has a $3 billion economic impact.

BUT …

Colorado’s legal reefer could eclipse both, and soon, say some cannabis capitalists. Cannabis venture capitalists Arcview Investor Network calls cannabis the “next great American industry.” According to Arcview, the cannabis industry grew 74 percent in 2014, to $2.7 billion. The firm projects 10-fold growth by 2021, and a $10 billion nationwide market by 2018. But other industry advocates are still trying to figure out pot’s impact beyond direct revenue. The comparison can be problematic. Skiing has been around since the 1940s, and the

cannabis industry is only a couple years old. Marijuana retail sales became legal in Colorado on Jan. 1, 2014. However, we know a few things. Colorado’s cannabis industry is benefiting from a “first mover” advantage. Entrepreneurs are locating here, opening businesses and hiring people, Taylor West, of the National Cannabis Industry Association, said. That advantage may not last. California voters will be asked about marijuana legalization in November of 2016. Connecticut is eyeing legalization, as are other states. “That may shift things a little bit,” West said. Colorado’s marijuana industry has quickly helped drive huge changes in the industrial real estate market, especially in the Denver area, West said. “It’s still growing, but not as exponentially as it did in the first year and a half,” West said. “In Denver, lots of businesses are competing with each other for a share of a statistically stable market.” Revenue and sales are still going up, West said, but the growth is easing as the industry matures. “The greatest room for growth is outside the Denver metro area, where the rest of the state was a little slower to adopt it,” West said.

they were here. But could cannabis surpass skiing? “That’s quite a bold statement,” said J.J. Walker, one of the founders of My 420 Tours, which began with a mountaintop epiphany Walker had. “People are going to come here, and they want a cannabis experience beyond just smoking it,” he said. The company’s first tour sold out in two weeks. Another Walker-founded event, World Cannabis Week, attracted an estimated 285,000 people to dozens of events. “The city (Denver) just explodes over that period,” Walker said. “World Cannabis Week is the global celebration of legalization, and Colorado is the epicenter of it. People will come here to get educated and celebrate the end of this prohibition.” My 420 books tours to the High Country and ski resorts. It’s expanding into Winter Park with a corporate hotel chain and works with some Vail Valley hotels. But skiing still rules, summer is coming and pot is growing. Can skiing remain king in these mountains?

POT AND TOURISM

The Colorado Tourism Office commissioned Strategic Marketing and Research Insights for solid information about marijuana and tourism. The company interviewed 3,254 people from major markets outside Colorado, asking them 33 questions each. Almost half of those surveyed said Colorado’s marijuana laws influenced their vacation decisions, and 8 percent of those surveyed said they visited a marijuana retailer while

420 // 2016

BUDDING BUSINESS

ASPEN POT SALES TOP $8.3 MILLION IN 2015 by JASON AUSLANDER

he seven marijuana dispensaries in Aspen sold more than $8.3 million worth of medical and recreational pot during 2015, according to statistics from the city’s Finance Department. “That’s an incredible number,” said Aspen Assistant Police Chief Bill Linn. “That’s impressive.” The exact amount of $8,347,557 in marijuana sales in the city translated to $200,341 in sales tax funneling into city coffers during 2015, according to the statistics. This is the first time the city has released the yearly marijuana sales number since commercial sales of recreational marijuana began in Colorado on Jan. 1, 2014. The city previously only released the combined amount of marijuana and alcohol sales. Previous requests for the information were denied because too few dispensaries were in operation in the city, and officials feared that releasing sales numbers could give away too much specific information about how much business each dispensary was conducting. The monthly breakdown of 2015 marijuana and alcohol sales shows marijuana generally trailing alcohol, though not by much. Marijuana sales eclipsed alcohol sales in both March and April, according to the statistics. Perhaps because of spring break, the $998,418 worth of marijuana sold in March was the city’s highest monthly total of the year, and was about $140,000 more than alcohol sales that month. April’s pot sales of $455,935 were about $13,000 more than that month’s alcohol sales. The second highest monthly marijuana sales total occurred in December, when $969,133 worth of pot was sold, according to the city’s statistics. However, that month also registered the year’s highest alcohol sales total of $1,466,337. The only other month marijuana sales topped the $900,000 mark was in July, when the city’s dispensaries sold $923,915 worth of pot, according to the statistics. July also registered the second-highest amount of alcohol sales, which came in at more

Rocky Mountain Marijuana

than $1,146,974. The alcohol sales do not include alcohol sold at bars and restaurants, according to city Finance Director Don Taylor. Alcohol sales at liquor stores were responsible for contributing more than $230,000 worth of sales tax to city coffers, according to the statistics. Statewide, Colorado dispensaries sold $996 million worth of medical and recreational marijuana, according to The Denver Post. That’s almost $1 billion. For that, the state received more than $135 million in tax revenue and fees, including $35 million earmarked for school construction projects, according to the Colorado Department of Revenue. Statewide marijuana sales topped $100 million twice in 2015 — in August when they registered $100.6 million, and in December when they reached $101.3 million, according to Denver Post statistics based on Colorado Department of Revenue information. Aspen marijuana sales in August

were $796,382. Statewide marijuana sales were just under $700 million in 2014, which yielded about $76 million in tax revenue and fees, according to The Denver Post.

MARIJUANA’S EFFECT ON ASPEN

Linn said the addition of legal recreational marijuana to Aspen more than a year ago has not increased police officers’ workload. In fact, it has lessened the amount of work because officers don’t have to seize the drug when they find it on people and then deal with the corresponding paperwork such action used to necessitate, he said. In addition, marijuana is far less of a societal ill than alcohol, Linn said. “Marijuana doesn’t exactly whip people into a frenzy to act out or go to a bar and pick a fight,” he said. “There’s no question that a person who’s been smoking marijuana is a lot less likely to pose a threat than someone drunk on alcohol.” Still, Linn said he constantly

smells pot when he walks around town and would like to see users be more respectful when it comes to public use, which is illegal. “It’s not really impacting our workload, but it is impacting life in town,” Linn said. He said he attended a concert last summer in Snowmass Village with his children and others, and numerous people around them were smoking marijuana. When he asked them to stop because public smoking is illegal, he said they became angry and belligerent. That said, he thinks the jury is still out on whether legalization will negatively affect life in Aspen. “I think 10 years is a good time to look back and make that determination,” Linn said. “Now it’s working out fine.” Aspen City Councilman Adam Frisch said he’s been a supporter of recreational marijuana having an appropriate place in the city, “though I don’t like the stuff.” He said he hasn’t noticed a huge increase in public use or odors.

“I think we have a fairly happy balance now,” Frisch said. “It seems to be working.” The $200,000 in marijuana sales tax revenue was not the deciding factor in the city’s decision to allow recreational marijuana sales, he said, though “it is money that wasn’t there before.” Some of that money could be well spent by investing it back into the community to pay for social services connected to substance abuse, he said. “We are a party town,” Frisch said. “We have a moral responsibility” to provide those services to people in town who need it. Linn said the Aspen Police Department is looking at adding a social worker-type position because, more often, officers are confronted with people in a substance-abuse or mental-health crisis. “Rarely a day goes by that we don’t have something like that going on,” Linn said. “What is changing are societal expectations of how those things are addressed.” Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo said he doesn’t see a problem with marijuana use among adults, though he worries about its effect on children. He also said he thinks some of the marijuana tax revenue should be redirected to local programs that address substance abuse, mental-health issues and educational programs for children. “This product is here to stay,” he said. “If people continue to have a fear about what it will do to the community, why not divert some income toward the problem?” Tharyn Mulberry, Aspen High School principal, said the district’s message to kids about marijuana is “delay, delay, delay.” “It doesn’t mix well with adolescence,” he said. Marijuana is responsible for the highest number of suspensions at the high school this year, though that number is still less than eight students, Mulberry said. But, in a sign of the changing times, Mulberry said marijuana that is taken from students now is rarely in a baggie anymore, and is usually in one of the pill-type bottles dispensaries use. “I haven’t even seen homemade pipes anymore,” he said. “So (legalization) has had an impact.” Shelley Evans, who spearheads drug-prevention efforts in the Roaring Fork Valley in her capacity as executive director of Community Health Initiatives, said the $8.3 million in Aspen marijuana sales is “shocking … but doesn’t seem too surprising.” “I don’t like it,” she said. “It’s not

ASPEN MARIJUANA AND ALCOHOL TAXES COLLECTED, 2015 $40K Marijuana

Alcohol

$35K Alcohol $230,274

Marijuana $200,341

$30K

$25K Total taxes collected, 2015 ($430,615)

$20K

$15K

$10K

$5K Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec TOTALS: ($43,084)($41,033)($44,477)($21,552)($17,111)($33,020)($49,701)($43,449)($34,435) ($23,627)($20,675)($58,451) Source: City of Aspen Finance Department

ASPEN MARIJUANA AND ALCOHOL SALES, 2015 $1.5M Marijuana

Alcohol Alcohol $9.6 million

$1.2M

Marijuana $8.35 million

$900K Total sales, 2015 ($17,942,310)

$600K

$300K

$0 TOTALS:

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec ($1.8M) ($1.71M) ($1.85M) ($898K) ($712K) ($1.38M) ($2.07M) ($1.81M) ($1.44M) ($984K) ($861K) ($2.44M) Source: City of Aspen Finance Department

SOURCE: City of Aspen Finance Department. GRAPH ICS DE SI G N E D BY E VA N G I BBA R D.

good news to me like it is to some.” Evans focuses her drug prevention efforts mostly on children, and said that before legalization, 7 out of 10 kids seeking substance abuse treatment had primarily alcohol-related issues, with marijuana a secondary problem. “Since medical marijuana began in 2009, 10 out of 10 kids that walk into the treatment center say they’re using marijuana, (and) alcohol is secondary,” Evans said. “They’re telling us they can’t stop using marijuana.” Those kids report having trouble in school, trouble with health issues like respiratory problems and cognitive

issues like memory lapses, she said. “With marijuana, it seems to have a more long-term and far-reaching effect,” Evans said. And while Evans admits that heavy use of alcohol over the long term causes far more serious health problems than long-term, heavy marijuana use, she thinks that will change in time. “I don’t think (legalization has) been a good trade-off,” she said. “We aren’t even beginning to see the negative side of things.” Garrett Patrick, owner of Stash dispensary in Aspen, said he doesn’t see any social ills caused by legal

marijuana. “I think it’s actively helping people out,” he said. “I see it as helping people. I think it’s a good thing.” Once people are eventually able to go out to a venue and smoke marijuana socially, it will take away from the drinking culture, he said. “Smoking events are totally different than alcohol events,” Patrick said. As for the $8.3 million in sales in 2015, Patrick said he’s not surprised. “It’s probably about what we figured,” he said. He said he thinks marijuana sales will continue to grow, and hopes they surpass alcohol one day.

420 // 2016

Rocky Mountain Marijuana

420 // 2016

Rocky Mountain Marijuana

LESS THAN THREE YEARS AFTER POT WENT PUBLIC,

dispensary chains like Native Roots are spreading like wildfire and bringing a corporate mentality to the Wild West of legal marijuana. We take a behind-the-scenes look at the familiar business gears of an unfamiliar industry. STORY BY

PHIL LINDEMAN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

BEN TROLLINGER 420 // 2016

hen Josh Ginsberg talks about Native Roots, the 36-year-old CEO of Colorado’s largest dispensary chain sounds like an MBA professor discussing a case study decades in the making, or maybe an MBA student proposing a model so familiar it might just work for weed. “We want people to know that when they find what they like, they can have the same experience over and over,” Ginsberg said from his office in the chain’s Denver garden facility. “That’s our whole philosophy and model, from the music and budtenders to the product you’re smoking to the product we’re selling to how we’re selling it. And that’s really what has allowed us to grow the way we have: Every time we give that experience to someone else it’s always well-received.” In less than three years, since the advent of legal recreational marijuana in January 2014, Native Roots has aggressively expanded across the state. The brand started humbly with just two locations — one known as Native Roots in Denver and owned by Rhett Jordan, the other called The Dandelion

Andrew Benton is the store manager for the Native Roots Frisco location. He’s worked for Native Roots for two years and in the marijuana industry for nine years.

in Boulder and owned by Ginsberg — and soon burst onto the recreational scene with its first ski-town location, a clean, crisp, thoroughly modern concept in EagleVail, found less than 10 minutes from Vail to the east and Beaver Creek to the west. Both ski resorts draw hundreds of thousands of visitors in the winter, just like their Summit County counterparts, and the founders saw an untapped opportunity. That first Native Roots resort location opened in August 2014 and quickly cornered the tourist market, despite the fact it was soon joined by two other recreational dispensaries on a mile-long industrial strip known as “The Green Mile” — the Eagle County equivalent of Breckenridge’s Airport Road. Native Roots came to Frisco in December 2014 and quietly flew under the radar as another local dispensary, Medical Marijuana of the Rockies, was saddled with a federal racketeering lawsuit from the Frisco Holiday Inn, merely a block from Native Roots. About eight months later, Medical Marijuana of the Rockies permanently closed shop, while Native Roots opened its second Summit County location in Dillon. By April 2016, partners Jordan and Ginsberg grew their brand to 14 locations across the state, including

70%

TODAY, ALL DISPENSARIES MUST GROW AT LEAST THIS MUCH OF EVERY PRODUCT THEY SELL, INCLUDING OILS, SHATTERS, WAXES AND EDIBLES. This spurred the vertical integration mentality, and now, large companies with vast resources like Green Dragon and Native Roots are building inhouse brands and philosophies to make the most of massive grows.

two in Summit County, one in downtown Aspen, another on 16th Street Mall in Denver and several ‘Gas and Grass’ combo dispensary/gas stations in Colorado Springs. All told, the company now boasts roughly 450 employees between budtenders, growers, management and traditional corporate departments like marketing, human resources and industry compliance, including four officers dedicated solely to keeping up with constant policy changes from the state’s Marijuana Enforcement Division. And that’s only the surface. Along with two more Front Range locations that will open by summertime — stores 15 and 16 — the company also has two corporate offices with a third in the works, not to mention a half-finished, state-of-the-art garden facility in Denver that will replace four remote sites and soon become home base for vertical integration: plant growth, plant curing, product development, concentrate manufacturing, even a tissue-culture lab to fine-tune plant genetics. “The principle here is that we aren’t trying to be a behemoth of a dispensary chain,” Ginsberg said. “We just want to bring that consistent product and consistent experience to anyone who walks in the door.”

“THE STARBUCKS MODEL” It’s all part of a strategic and highly professional business plan, one overseen by the founding partners and funded almost in full by profits from their rapidly expanding dispensary network. The plan still includes combination medical and recreational stores, such as the high-profile Frisco and EagleVail locations. But it runs much deeper than the chic, black-onwhite wallpaper and packaging that have become the brand’s calling card. On April 1 — yes, April Fool’s Day — Native Roots announced a bid for naming rights to the Denver Broncos football stadium, Mile High. Let the jokes begin, right? “It’s not a joke, we’re very serious,” Jordan told several news outlets, including CBS Denver. It’s also not a cheap proposition: Sports Authority, the Denver sporting goods chain that recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, bought the rights in 2011 for $6 million per year over 25 years, or a grand total of $150 million. But the money is pouring in for Native Roots. Like most dispensaries, it’s a privately held company with several investors, including the two founding partners and one unnamed investor who helped fund the initial expansion in 2014. All Colorado dispensaries still operate as cash-only businesses, so the company does not release any figures save the tax revenue reported to the sate — “It’s a human safety thing,” Ginsberg said. But the CEO says its landmark growth in 2015 was funded almost fully by earnings. It’s a self-sustaining brand by now, and a respected one, and that’s exactly what the founding partners want to be less than three years after full legalization: a uniform experience in the former Wild West of Colorado’s marijuana industry. “We have spent a lot of time and a huge amount of resources on this,” Ginsberg said. “If you’re in Aspen, in Longmont, in Trinidad — it doesn’t matter. You know what you’re going to get. We’re going for the Starbucks model, and it’s not because we want to be a behemoth. It’s because you get a vanilla latte and it tastes the same every time. ... When there’s consistency — when you know you’re getting the same thing every time — that’s why you go there, and that’s what we want with marijuana.”

Wendy’s and Taco Bell restaurants seen through the neon green cross sign for Native Roots in Frisco. Much like its corporate neighbors, Native Roots has been expanding its own chain of stores across the state, in a move that is becoming a new trend in the cannabis industry.

“Due to constantly changing regulations and strict governmental regulations of pesticides and other rules, it is extremely difficult for the smaller grows to deal with the extreme challenges of cultivation within these strict boundaries in a cost-effective manner.” — A LE X LE V I N E ,

G R E E N D R A GO N C A N N A B I S COM PA N Y

CORPORATE CANNABIS Native Roots is far from the only Colorado dispensary with plans for something bigger, better and more familiar in the marijuana industry. Medical centers debuted in 2009 when the industry was still wildly controversial, but the promise of a legal market for a previously illegal substance was too tantalizing for these entrepreneurs with hopes of expansion: Jordan at Native Roots, Ginsberg at The Dandelion and Alex Levine of Greenwerkz, the company behind the Green Dragon Cannabis Company chain. Like Native Roots, Green Dragon has grown without rest in the past two years and now owns seven locations, including Aspen, Denver, Edgewater, Aurora, two in Glenwood Springs and, as of February 2016, Backcountry Cannabis Club in Breckenridge — the dispensary at the heart of CNN’s “High Profits” documentary series. For Levine, growth is simply a natural side effect of a constantly changing industry. In 2015, a combined 947 medical and recreational dispensaries across the state collected $76.2 million in tax revenue, up from $43.9 million in 2014, all while regulations changed weekly and the state itself was hit with a joint lawsuit by two neighboring states, Oklahoma and Nebraska. (The suit was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court in March 21, 2016.) “In a rapidly changing industry, many

dispensaries find it difficult to compete with the larger companies in marketing, compliance, capital improvements, access to capital and general business skills,” said Levine, sounding even more like an MBA prof than his competitors at Native Roots. “As we have grown and benefited from economies of scale, our quality has been improving and continues to do so.” While Green Dragon’s footprint is about half the size of Native Roots’ — the company owns grow sites in Denver and Glenwood Springs — its approach to the industry is no less ambitious. It begins with packaging: Unlike most dispensaries, all Green Dragon flower (aka marijuana bud) is vacuum-sealed in clear plastic bags before it leaves the garden. “It’s like opening a fresh bag of potato chips,” Levine said. “Most of our competitors package flower in plastic, pop-top vials, which are not airtight, so the product starts to dry out and deteriorate.” Green Dragon has several reasons for potato-chip packaging — it keeps the product fresh and free of bacteria or mold, also known as “pot rot” — but Levine again sees it as a byproduct of an evolving industry. As the Green Dragon brand expands, packaging guarantees a reliable and consistent experience. “Due to constantly changing regulations and strict governmental regulations of pesticides and other rules, it is extremely difficult for the smaller grows

“We’re going for the Starbucks model, and it’s not because we want to be a behemoth. It’s because you get a vanilla latte and it tastes the same every time. … When there’s consistency — when you know you’re getting the same thing every time — that’s why you go there, and that’s what we want with marijuana.” — JOSH GINSBERG, NATIVE ROOTS

to deal with the extreme challenges of cultivation within these strict boundaries in a cost-effective manner,” Levine said. “Green Dragon has the resources to be able to deal with these challenging and rapidly changing regulations.” It’s the same experience Native Roots wants to provide, even when behind-the-scenes regulations seem overwhelming. Late in 2010, the state legislature passed House Bill 10-1284. Among other things, it green-lighted commercial sale and limited the wholesale market. Today, all dispensaries must grow at least 70 percent of every product they sell, including oils, shatters, waxes and edibles. This spurred the vertical integration mentality, and now, large companies with vast resources like Green Dragon and Native Roots are building in-house brands and philosophies to make the most of massive grows. Green Dragon’s Denver facility uses a combination of natural and artificial lighting to cut down on emissions, while both Green Dragon and Native Roots are experimenting with tissue-culture labs. At the Native Roots lab, a former Frito Lay researcher is helping capture the exact genetic properties for each of the dispensary’s 30 strains. Again, it’s all about consistency: clone plants lose certain genetic qualities after just one or two generations, while a tissue culture preserves the exact structure and, in theory, physiological effects, much like the culture-grown potatoes Frito Lay uses so that every chip tastes exactly delicious. “The Blue Dream (strain) that I have today might have been through 15 other people — it’s that far genetically from what it originally was,” Ginsberg said. “It’s like when they make orchids: something with the same structure as the parent.”

COLORADO AND BEYOND The newest Native Roots lab and grow facility isn’t fully operational — Ginsberg expects it to be online by early this summer — but, again, it’s far from the only dispensary brand preparing for future growth. Altitude Organic Medicine, the newest dispensary in town with 70 employees across the state, opened a Dillon location in mid-March after nearly $500,000 in renovations. It’s the company’s fifth location (one is currently for sale) and first foray into the recreational market after dominating the medical market in Colorado Springs. In time, he hopes to debut Summit’s first drive-through dispensary, beating Native Roots to the punch. (Native Roots has no plans to open a local Gas and Grass location. Why? It’s tough to find independent gas stations, Ginsberg said.) “We had secured such a solid position in the Springs,” said co-owner

Aaron Bluse, one of three partners spread between Pueblo, Colorado Springs and now Frisco. “We’ve always kept our eyes open for the right situation and right fit, and we ended up finding that in Dillon because it really is a central location for the highway and ski areas.” Altitude Organic’s new garden facility, a two-acre complex in Pueblo, is currently being built in phases. When completed, it will be home to a 750,00-square foot garden, plus manufacturing for the company’s soon-to-launch line of in-house edibles and concentrates. Much like packaging and tissue cultures, Bluse believes Altitude Organic’s claim to fame — and market share — is a clean product. This February, he and his partners filed a deposition with the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Colorado state attorney to defend the “organic” label, partnered with 700 pages of documents with pesticides, additives and other elements used in the growing process. (Breckenridge Organic Therapy is also part of the organic labeling investigation.) Bluse expects to have a ruling from the USDA in May or June. “I feel that there is a shortage, or a lack of, the clean, safe product here in Summit County,” Bluse said. “People might be living an organic lifestyle but buying cannabis that isn’t on the same level. We’re trying to find things that have medical benefits, bringing a different element than just, ‘Hi, come get high, see you next time.’” It’s a reflection of Colorado’s pot industry as a whole. Small mom-and-pop dispensaries still claim more than half of the market, but they’re fast being ousted or outright purchased by larger chains with the depth, business sense and, of course, funding to shed the drug-dealer label.

But what happens when the dominoes fall and the industry expands beyond Colorado? Native Roots has already seen a cultural shift, beginning with its compliance department: two are former MED officers — police officers before that — who saw the promise of working in the private sector. “The times have changed,” Ginsberg said, echoing a sentiment from 2009, when medical centers arrived, and again in 2014, when recreational sales debuted. “People are coming out in droves because they want to be in this industry. It’s something new, it’s something fun, it’s something different than the job they’ve had for 20 years. We are a put-together company. We know what’s going on and people don’t have to be ashamed to come work for us.” While Native Roots currently has no plans to expand beyond Colorado, Green Dragon is “actively searching for additional acquisitions in Colorado and would like to expand outside the state,” company president Ryan Milligan said. Altitude Organic is busy with its new grow facility, which will help Bluse expand the company’s two organic medical brands: Cannacone, pre-rolled joints available only through Altitude Organic locations, and Colorado Extract Company, sold in various stores across Colorado Springs. For now, expansion is the name of the game for burgeoning chains. But, no matter how wild things get, it’s still hard for entrepreneurs to believe they’ve come so far, so fast. “I never thought I’d have the chance to do this,” Ginsberg said. “Every day I wake up and it’s so cool that I get to run this gigantic company, and it just happens to be marijuana, it just so happens to be selling weed with a company of (450) employees and 16 stores. It’s crazy. I think that every day.”

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CANNABIS CODE

HOW TO OPEN A

MARIJUANA DISPENSARY IN COLORADO

Though recreational marijuana businesses are becoming more common in Colorado, potential entrepreneurs need to jump through a number of legal hoops by ELISE REUTER

The cost of opening a marijuana dispensary exceeds $1 million.

Rocky Mountain Marijuana

tarting a new business may be difficult, but that goes double for dispensaries. Obtaining a medical or retail marijuana license can be time consuming and costly and, in some cities, prohibited. As towns vote to continue moratoriums limiting the number of licenses allowed, business owners may find themselves in a pinch, such as the case of a Breckenridge man, Gabe Franklin, who obtained a medical marijuana center license through a transfer of ownership in 2015. The catch — he didn’t have the cultivation license required by Colorado law, as medical dispensary owners must produce a minimum of 70 percent of their on-hand inventory. “It’s a pickle of a position to be in,” Assistant Town Manager Shannon Haynes said. “He dropped the cultivation license and only has the medical license, so he can’t sell. … The hindrance here is we have a moratorium in place that doesn’t allow for a new license to be issued.” The town currently has four dispensaries open on Airport Road, compared with two in the neighboring town of Frisco, one in Silverthorne and three in Dillon. Statewide, Colorado reported 514 licensed medical marijuana centers and 424 retail centers as of March 1, 2016. The state also reported 753 medical cultivations and 503 retail cultivations. Colorado offers a total of seven different licenses related to the sale, cultivation, testing and infusion of cannabis. Lynn Granger, communications director for the Colorado Department of Revenue’s Enforcement Division, noted the state would not issue a license to applicants for locations that are capped under local law.

“The Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) checks to see what the caps are, and they don’t issue the license,” Granger said of Franklin’s case. “With medical, however, they issue the license and it’s done on the back end with the counties. They end up having a license but they can’t really use it.” While he could turn his license in, Granger added, “I don’t know if they would want to do that, wait and see, or move.” While Breckenridge’s town council discussed the possibility of allowing Franklin to obtain a cultivation license, they ultimately decided to wait for the moratorium to expire in July 2016. “We need time to think about all of the ramifications of this,” said Wendy Wolfe, who served on Breckenridge’s town council through March 22, 2016. “One applicant has brought this glitch to our attention. We were trying to help somebody out. But if they turn around and sell this license, we’ve got a different thing on our hands.” Currently, the cost of a medical marijuana center application ranges from $7,000 to $15,000, depending on the number of patients the center serves. Initial license fees alone range from $5,200 to $13,200, and renewals cost slightly more. The process for a retail establishment is significantly cheaper, with application fees set at $5,000 and initial license fees at $3,000. Each employee is also required to get an occupational license, or “badge,” which come in at $250 per person. In total, the cost of opening exceeds $1 million, according to special counsel Jean Gonnell of Denver-based business firm Hoban & Feola, LLC.

“I don’t think you can even start a marijuana business in Colorado with less than a million dollars,” Gonnell said. “If you wanted to start one in Denver, I don’t think you could start one for less than $2 million.”

THE OTHER KIND OF GREEN

While the cannabis industry might be attractive to some investors, Colorado law currently restricts out-ofstate lenders from obtaining a profit share. Under the current law, only business owners may have a profit share, and the owner of a medical or retail marijuana business must be a two-year resident of the state prior to applying for a license. “There’s a lot of doubt. A lot of people think marijuana should be treated differently than other businesses,” Gonnell said. “There’s a lot of red tape as to where the funds can come from, how you can pay investors and security investments for facilities.” A bill was introduced to the Colorado Senate in January that, if passed, would allow license applicants to be either a Colorado resident or U.S. citizen for applications submitted starting January 2017. The bill would prohibit owners from being a publicly traded company, and require a controlling interest of licensees to be Colorado residents. Currently, the only ways to invest are to loan money with a high interest rate, or invest in a cannabis-relat-

ed business that does not require a license, such as security or containers. “You can have an unsecured promissory note with a high interest rate. But for some out-of-state lenders, that’s not enough,” Gonnell said. “It’s been that way since the beginning. It’s really just coming down to (the state) wanting to make sure cartels and bad actors are not benefitting from Colorado’s marijuana industry.” To add to the difficulty, most banks will not allow marijuana-related businesses to open an account, as it is still illegal at the federal level. The few smaller, local branches that do often charge high fees. To remit sales tax to the state, Granger noted many businesses just use cash. “It’s a total hassle. So much that the MED has a cash-counting machine there,” Gonnell added. “A lot of people don’t work in cash so they have to go get money orders.” Currently, Colorado collects a 2.9 percent sales tax on all sales, and a 10 percent sales tax on retail sales. A 15 percent excise tax also figures into the listed price of retail products. On top of that, local sales taxes are applied. In Frisco, Silverthorne and Breckenridge, a five percent excise tax is collected. “It’s a tougher industry because you have both state rules and local rules you have to abide by,” Gonnell said. “So, you have to know both.” Despite these drawbacks, those who have made a foray into the

industry have been able to reap the rewards. High County Healing customer relations director Joe Lindsey stood by the counter, giving customers high fives and smiles as they walked through the door. Since

Colorado law currently restricts out-of-state lenders from obtaining a profit share in marijuana businesses.

opening as a medical dispensary, High County Healing expanded to retail, as many businesses have done since Amendment 64 passed. “It’s a very dynamic industry,” Lindsey said. “That’s why I love it.”

NUMBERS OF MARIJUANA LICENSES IN COLORADO BY TYPE, AS OF MARCH 1, 2016: NUMBER OF LICENSED MEDICAL MARIJUANA BUSINESSES:

Centers: 514 Cultivations: 753 Infused Product Manufacturers: 206 NUMBER OF LICENSED RETAIL MARIJUANA BUSINESSES:

Stores: 424 Cultivations: 503 Product Manufacturers: 173 Testing Facilities: 15 SOURCE: Marijuana Enforcement Division

420 // 2016

CANNABIS CODE

ASPEN, WITH REST OF STATE, GRAPPLES WITH POT-CLUB POSSIBILITIES by RICK CARROLL

Denver-based event producer has called on the City Council to reconsider allowing pot clubs in Aspen. Freddie Wyatt, president of Munch & Co., urged council members at their Jan. 25, 2016, meeting to legalize private cannabis clubs. His reason: There’s nowhere to legally consume marijuana products in Aspen except for one’s home. Even so, users continue to consume in places they’re not allowed to, he said. “I’d like you to do some due diligence of how we can get cannabis in Aspen in a safe environment, just like we do with alcohol being regulated,” Wyatt said during the citizen comments portion of the meeting. A private pot club would get users “off your streets” and “in a private place that is safe.” He said pot clubs would be no different than bars in Aspen, which have an open-container law. Wyatt’s suggestion came the same week the Winter X Games returned

to Aspen. Alcohol was prohibited at the venue, with the exception of the VIP section. Wyatt said a cannabis area would make sense for the event, as well. “Obviously you have cannabis use within the crowd,” Wyatt told the council. Last year during the X Games, Munch & Co. partnered with Native Roots cannabis dispensary and The Infinite Monkey Theorem winery to host a pairing dinner with marijuana as the underlying theme. The party was private. The pot-club issue is not new to Aspen politics. In 2015, city officials, concerned that Aspen’s reputation might be sullied by allowing clubs, backed off the idea while waiting to see what other Colorado communities did. Other hurdles, such as the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act, which prohibits indoor consumption, also gave the city reservations. Wyatt noted that Denver Mayor

Michael Hancock has reconsidered his position on outlawing pot clubs in Colorado’s capital city. “When you start looking at what the users are doing, whether they are visitors, walking up and down the mall and smoking in our parks, you recognize if someone doesn’t have a residence here that they have got to have an outlet,” Hancock reportedly told The Denver Post’s editorial board. “I haven’t said, ‘Yes.’ But I have said, ‘Give me more information.’” Colorado has a handful of pot clubs that are able to operate because they have private memberships. But Aspen’s city attorney said the legalities are too hazy for Aspen to allow clubs at this time. Meanwhile, state legislation that addresses pot clubs likely will be introduced in the 2016 session, according to reports. The bills would allow cannabis consumption in the clubs, which wouldn’t be allowed to sell marijuana.

“...YOU RECOGNIZE IF SOMEONE DOESN’T HAVE A

RESIDENCE HERE THAT THEY HAVE GOT TO HAVE AN OUTLET.”

—MICHAEL HANCOCK, DENVER MAYOR

Rocky Mountain Marijuana

“The state is grappling with the issue,” said City Attorney Jim True. “There’s legislation being proposed. We’re not sure how that will address the constitutional problem. There’s also discussion of them amending the constitution to address this issue because the whole state is grappling with the same problems. ... It’s a problem throughout the state that other communities are looking at.” Retail marijuana was legalized in Colorado in 2012 with Amendment 64, which also makes it illegal to consume cannabis in public. Public use also isn’t allowed in other states that have legalized marijuana as well as Washington, D.C., where city lawmakers in January initially approved private cannabis clubs but later withdrew their measure. Aspen council members didn’t spend much time on the issue at the Jan. 25 meeting, but one elected official said he was open to the possibility. “I personally am not a user or fan of the stuff, but I’m certainly not opposed to having a private club,” said Councilman Adam Frisch, adding he’s open to having discussions about pot clubs in the future. Said Wyatt: “It’s time to look at it. It’s here, and it’s not really going anywhere.”

CANNABIS CODE

MOUNTAIN Can an employee be fired for using medical marijuana off the job?

LAW

by NOAH KLUG

nder Colorado law, an employer cannot terminate an employee for engaging in lawful activity off the premises of the employer and during non-working hours. What are the implications of this law when a Colorado employer with a zero-tolerance drug-use policy is confronted with an employee who uses medical marijuana? That was the issue before the Colorado Supreme Court in the case of Coats v. Dish Network decided in 2015. To begin with the facts, Brandon Coats was an employee of Dish Network, LLC, who had a valid medical marijuana license under Colorado law. Coats was a quadriplegic and

used medical marijuana for muscle spasms. He was employed by Dish Network for about three years, handling customer service telephone calls. He reportedly had good employee valuations and no disciplinary actions. He said that he never used marijuana while on the job or during work hours. Dish Network had a zero-tolerance drug use policy and routinely tested its employees for drug use. After Coats tested positive for marijuana, he informed Dish Network that he was a registered medical marijuana patient and planned to continue using marijuana. In response, Dish Network terminated Coats for

violating its policy and for no other apparent reason. Coats then sued Dish Network under the aforementioned law, arguing that he was wrongfully terminated for engaging in lawful activities outside of work. He contended that medical marijuana is a lawful activity under Colorado state law and is protected by the statute. After Coats lost in the trial court and the Colorado Court of Appeals (on a split decision), the Colorado Supreme Court decided to hear the matter. The court concluded that the term “lawful” as used in the statute is not restricted to being lawful under state law. Therefore, the use of medical

BE SURE YOU ARE AWARE OF YOUR EMPLOYER’S DRUG/MARIJUANA POLICIES BEFORE LIGHTING UP. marijuana, which is unlawful under federal law, is not a lawful activity under the statute. Indeed, under the Supremacy Clause, if there is a conflict between federal and state law, federal law applies, including in the area of marijuana regulation. This means there is no such thing as something being legal under state law if it is illegal under federal law. The court, therefore, affirmed the decision in Dish Network’s favor and found that the lawful activities statute did not prevent Dish Network from terminating Coats under the circumstances. The lesson from the Coats case is that an employee can be terminated for testing positive for marijuana under a zero-tolerance drug policy even though the employee’s use of marijuana conforms with state law and occurs off premises and during non-working hours. The Coats case follows other Colorado cases that have found in favor of employers on marijuana issues. For instance, a 2005 case held that an employee could be terminated for refusing to take a drug test despite her privacy concerns; a 2008 case upheld the denial of worker’s compensation benefits to an employee who tested positive for marijuana use; and a 2011 case held that an employee who used medical marijuana was not entitled to unemployment benefits when he tested positive. Employers who wish to adopt a zero-tolerance stance should do so in a written policy communicated in advance … and employees who value job security would do well to heed the words of one judge’s opinion on this topic: “The Colorado Constitution does not give medical marijuana users the unfettered right to violate employers’ policies and practices regarding use of controlled substances.” Noah Klug is owner of The Klug Law Firm, LLC, in Summit County, Colorado. He may be reached at 970-468-4953 or Noah@TheKlugLawFirm.com.

420 // 2016

CANNABIS CODE

THE ART OF CHANGING PERCEPTION

Longtime local artist uses relief painting for cannabis creations by HEATHER JARVIS

nize it for what it is, but those less familiar will usually marvel over the beauty of the piece, like Serpentini’s mother’s 80-year-old friends who contacted her after she posted pictures of the paintings online, wanting some “of my pretty green and blue flowers.” This subtlety is exactly what Serpentini is going for — she hopes that these paintings will help change the public’s negative perception of the plant. “That’s the way I want to go with it — focus on making it beautiful,” she said. “People that don’t know, they think it’s a beautiful flower, so then it starts to change perception, one tiny step at a time. Because that’s what it’s about — if I take away ‘weed,’ ‘marijuana’ — all these ridiculous things people think about this plant and just turn it into a beautiful flower, and they just think, ‘Oh, pretty artwork,’ and then they hear it’s cannabis.”

Artist Alyssa Serpentini holds up one of her cannabis flower-inspired paintings.

MERGING TWO INDUSTRIES

he novelty of marijuana isn’t even close to wearing off yet, even here in Colorado. As more and more states continue to legalize the plant, whether for medical or recreation, the stigma is slowly being replaced by a greater understanding of its many uses. Alyssa Serpentini, a longtime local artist, has recently begun using her talents in relief art for a new kind of

Rocky Mountain Marijuana

project based on this rising industry. She paints large, colorful flowers on canvases to hang in people’s homes. The flowers are cannabis, but not the kind of in-your-face structure of a marijuana plant. The subtle paintings are a mixture of greens, blues and purples layered on top of each other so they pop when you look at them. Those familiar with the plant will immediately recog-

With years of experience in the world of architectural artistry, Serpentini has done everything from faux finishes, bas relief and upholstered walls. Her work can be found all over the county, in homes and in local businesses, such as Caamano Sweaters and The Hearthstone in Breckenridge. She turns blank walls into three-dimensional, textured areas with raised trees, flowers, business logos — whatever clients are looking for. After years of doing large-scale relief work on walls, local musician and artist Cody Wayne, a friend of Serpentini’s, suggested she scale down her work into smaller paintings. She did two relief paintings for him and they both sold. So she decided to do a few more, which also sold. “Everything I did sold within two months,” she said. This eventually led her to the cannabis relief paintings about a

year ago. She was in Steamboat with some friends who own a large-scale dispensary, when another friend of theirs was opening a store in Denver called Secret Stashh Gifts. The store sells high-end hemp clothing and high-end pipes for thousands of dollars, so her friends in the industry suggested she create a piece for the store. She did, and it was so well received that she created a few more. “Since then people keep asking for them, and I haven’t had much time to sit down and do them,” Serpentini said. “I’ve got all these ideas and everyone keeps ordering them.” In the blink of an eye, things have begun spiraling forward for the artist. She is having professional photographs taken of her work to be printed on posters and postcards to start, in order to give her clients smaller, less expensive options of her work. She has two major projects in the works, although still in the planning stages, so she isn’t quite ready to share the details. With her degree in fashion, she could see printing her work on clothes or undergarments in the future. “Twenty years working in Summit County as a faux painter and fashion design and it’s all culminating to the last week and a half,” she said. There was a point where she was a little unsure about the idea of creating the marijuana design. “I almost stopped doing these, quite honestly,” she said. “About eight months ago I said, ‘What am I doing?’ … But then a friend of mine who has been battling cancer and using cannabis, as well as chemo, told me she felt like they were uplifting. She was like, ‘I love looking at that — it’s so uplifting.’ So then I thought you know, people are using this as a healing herb.”

A LIFE OF DESIGN

Serpentini grew up in the world of fashion, as her mom owned a women’s clothing store in Ohio and would take her to all the shows in

Local artist Alyssa Serpentini creates relief paintings of cannabis, and hopes her artwork will help change the public’s negative perception of the plant.

New York and Chicago. She moved to Summit County in 1996 after completing her degrees in fashion merchandising and design. She moved here from Ohio with a roommate, who is also a designer, with the idea of creating ski gear together. During her first two years in the county, the two would comb thrift shops and take apart clothes to remake them. Her roommate eventually wound up as the head designer of 686 and is now a designer at Under Armour. Serpentini eventually got into construction painting, and because she could draw, a friend of hers suggested she try faux painting as a way to make some money on the side. Through her construction job, she landed a gig doing a faux finish at the old Keystone Discover Center. This led her to another job in the Frisco Towers, a large condo complex, which asked her and her

“

PEOPLE THAT DON’T KNOW, THEY THINK IT’S A BEAUTIFUL FLOWER, SO THEN IT STARTS TO CHANGE PERCEPTION, ONE TINY STEP AT A TIME.” — ALYSSA SERPENTINI, LOCAL ARTIST roommate to take a bunch of metal and make it look like pine. “Her and I did this whole big condo at the Frisco Towers in the mid’90s. From those two jobs, things went from there,” she said. “The economy was a lot better back then and there was a lot of faux finishing going on and that was it — I quit that job with construction painting, went on my own since ’99. And I haven’t worked for anyone else since.” Serpentini loves to do just about everything the county offers —

MORE INFO:

snowboarding, rock climbing, hiking. She now lives in Fairplay with her daughter, and finds inspiration for her work in her everyday life. “There isn’t much I’m not inspired by,” she said. “All experiences in life, everything I look at, my daughter and all of my people, they are all what inspires me. It’s why I feel so lucky.” Her work with cannabis art has taken off so much in the last month she is excited for all the possibilities in the future. She hopes that her

pieces help change the negative stigma surrounding the plant, especially when it comes to cancer patients using it as a treatment or healing tool. “I do hope these pieces — if I had any real dream — make somebody look at something different,” she said. “Why is this so hated? I don’t understand. The area I’m from in Ohio, I’ve seen too much of it. Why not let people have what they want? … If I can help change that perception in any way shape or form, that’s all it is.”

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ALYSSA SERPENTINI AND HER WORK AT ALYSSASERPENTINI.COM.

420 // 2016

BY THE NUMBERS

AS OF MARCH 1, 2016

STATEWIDE

ME DICAL

514

LICENSED MEDICAL MARIJUANA CENTERS

424

RETAIL CENTERS

754

MEDICAL CULTIVATIONS

503

RETAIL CULTIVATIONS

the cost of opening a marijuana business in Colorado

MEDICAL DISPENSARY OWNERS MUST PRODUCE A MINIMUM OF

NUMBER OF DISPENSARIES IN SUMMIT COUNTY

NUMBER OF

DIFFERENT LICENSES RELATED TO THE SALE, CULTIVATION, TESTING AND INFUSION OF CANNABIS BY THE STATE

PERCENT OF THEIR ON-HAND INVENTORY

figuring out sales tax: 2.9%

on all sales

Rocky Mountain Marijuana

10%

retail sales

15%

excise tax added to list price

local sales tax

Frisco, Silverthorne and Breckenridge

SOURCE: Marijuana Enforcement Division