Weed news and updates

DGO Magazine STAFF

Editor Angelica Leicht aleicht@bcimedia.com 375-4551

Design/layout Ryan Brown rbrown@bcimedia.com

Contributors Erin Brandt Megan Bianco Amanda Push Matt Clark

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Interim Chief

Executive Officer Carrie Cass

Director of

Multi-Media Sales Jamie Opalenik

DGO is a free monthly publication distributed by Ballantine Communications Inc., and is available for one copy per person. Taking more than five copies of an edition from a distribution location is illegal and is punishable by law according to Colorado Revised Statute 18-9-314.

DGO Magazine is published by Ballantine Communications Inc., P.O. Drawer A, Durango, CO 81302 Volume 5 Number 40 February 2022

Beware, the Jabberwocky (from Green House Durango)

Beware the Jabberwocky strain, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! (And the weed! The strain that gets you stoned! And more stoned! And so stoned!)

DGO Pufnstuf for DGO Mag

6 Obscure stoner films to add to your streaming rotation

When it comes to the essential stoner films, we all know what the top choices are. Ask any cannabis enthusiast and they’ll tell you that any Cheech and Chong film, and movies like “Friday,” “Jay and Silent Bob,” “Clerks,” or even “Soul Plane” belong in the stoner film canon. But what about the more obscure options? 14 How weed could help end the never-ending pandemic

Is cannabis the key to ending the

COVID-19 pandemic? The research sure appears to be promising, anyway. 22 More questions answered from your friendly neighborhood DGO potheads

From what it’s like to step into a dispensary to how weed can be a tricky, tricky little beast, here are your questions about pot for our in-house potheads.

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4-5. Weed news and updates 6-8. Obscure weed films to binge right now 9-13. Snowdown schedule for 2022 14. Cover story: Is cannabis the key to ending the pandemic? 18. Prohibition Herb review 19. The Green House strain review 20. Edible review 21. Sinsere review 22-25. Ask a couple of potheads 27. Dispensary listings

/dgomag @dgo_mag

ON THE COVER

Tell us what you think! Got something on your mind? Have a joke or a story idea or just something that the world needs to know? Send everything to editor@dgomag.com Cannabis’ role in fighting back COVID-19

Cover art:Matt Clark (illustration) Ryan Brown (design and layout)

Wondering what’s going on with the state of cannabis? We have the answers for ya.

New records have been set for Colorado cannabis

All hail the pothead state of Colorado, which just set a record for the amount of weed-related revenue in 2021.

The Colorado Department of Revenue announced in early January that the state had managed to rake in a new record for the total annual cannabis sales in 2021.

“New record alert! In 2021, Colorado collected over $423 million in revenue from marijuana sales (compared to the previous record of over $387 million in 2020). Colorado also surpassed $2B in tax and fee revenue and $12B in marijuana sales to date,” the agency posted to its social media pages.

And, according to a monthly press release for December 2021, tax and fee revenue reached $30,609,563 — with a total of $423,486,053 between January and December 2021.

That means Colorado has raked in about $2,018,933,005 in weed taxes and fees since February 2014.

Y’all really love your weed, huh

But that’s not all! The latest data also revealed that $158,462,549 in taxes and fees was collected in November—with a total of $2,060,952,959 between January and November 2021.

What that means is that from the time that legal cannabis sales began in January 2014 until now, the state has collected a total of $12,039,747,032 in weed taxes and fees. We’re rolling in that good-good dough.

These figures are based off of the state sales tax of 2.9%, cannabis retail sales tax of 15%, and retail cannabis excise tax of 15%.

What’s interesting, though, is that the sales data from October, November, and December of 2021 show that sales decreased, according to the report. And, both cannabis sales and prices dropped in tandem.

Per the report, the price of smokeable flower per pound dropped by 28% during the last three months of 2021 — or from $1,316 to $948, according to Denver Westword.

For comparison’s sake, the price per pound at the end of 2020 was $1,721 on average.

And, what’s even more interesting is that while Colorado has set new records, they’re nothing compared to what has happened in the legal states of Washington and California.

The state of Washington has collected $3 billion in taxes and fees since the legal market opened for business, and California has collected $3.1 billion in tax revenue. As such, Colorado’s newly achieved $2 billion pales in comparison.

Part of the cause for the discrepancy is the fact that Washington’s sales tax is as high as 46% in certain regions, and California’s sales tax is as high as 38% — so both states are raking in a huge amount of tax money based on the high tax rate alone. On the other hand, Colorado’s tax percent is the third-highest in the country — but it’s not nearly as high as those other two states.

And, according to Marijuana Policy Project Policy Director Karen O’Keefe, Colorado’s cannabis industry is more consistent. That leads to a steady flow of funds for the state.

“When you have that kind of funding, economists say you have what’s called a multiplier effect, where you not only have the initial investment in the stores, the jobs and the tax revenue, but then that money is in people’s pockets who spend it again,” O’Keefe told Westword. “So it’s as if each dollar is two or three dollars, which is the way economists usually look at it.”

O’Keefe also noted that this longterm investing has led to the creation of 40,000 jobs and over 1,000 Colorado businesses — both of which have had a massive positive impact on the state.

“Some of the more recently taxed states are focusing on specifically investing a good chunk of the revenue in communities that have borne the brunt of marijuana prohibition and that have had disproportionate marijuana arrests,” O’Keefe said. “You’ll just continue to see more tax revenue, more people working in the cannabis industry, operating cannabis businesses.”

A billion-dollar biz in AZ

Well, friends. It looks like we have some competition in the cannabis space, as weed is now a billion-dollar business in Arizona.

According to figures released by Arizona’s Department of Revenue, the state’s medical and recreational cannabis sales combined to generate more than $1.23 billion in revenue last year.

“Rarely does an industry produce over $1.2 billion in revenue in its first year. This number shows that the legalization of cannabis is something Arizonans believe strongly in and the many benefits it contributes to the state’s economy,” said Samuel Richard, the Executive Director of the Arizona Dispensaries Association (ADA).

The Department of Revenue offered a breakdown of the sales data, which revealed that recreational adult-use pot in Arizona raked in about $528,001,278 in revenue, while medical cannabis generated $703,803,194 in 2021.

Per the data, the state of Arizona raked in $60,299,191 in adult-use sales in November 2021, making it the highest-grossing month for recreational pot. That was the only month in 2021 that saw recreational sales top $60 million in the state.

And, there’s more. According to the report, April was the top month for medical cannabis in Arizona, with $72,944,477 generated between medical and recreational sales.

But those are just the sales numbers. When it comes to weed taxes, the state raked in $196,447,570 on the combined sales for medical and recreational cannabis last year — not including December, as that month’s sales data is still incom-