CANNABIS: Green Dragon opens new dispensary in former Elite Organics

SMOKAL NEWS

Green Dragon opens new dispensary in former Elite Organics

Green Dragon cannabis dispensary on College Avenue Sept. 7. Rock ‘N’ Robin’s and Elite Organics used to inhabit the space, which is being renovated to house the new dispensary branch opening. PHOTO BY TRI DUONG THE COLLEGIAN

By Grayson Acri

@guy1376

You may have noticed when driving up College Avenue that there’s a new sign on a familiar building: Green Dragon has purchased Elite Organics and Rock ‘N’ Robin’s record store to open a new, eventually larger dispensary.

The new location — just to the east of campus — opened Aug. 23. Director of Corporate Operations Austin Steeves described their opening as two phases — they’re in phase one of the opening, which he described as just getting the doors open.

“Now, we are currently under a process called modification of premise,” Steeves said. In this stage, the former Elite Organics dispensary floor is open, while the Rock ‘N’ Robin’s space is being modified and will eventually become one larger dispensary.

“So the phase two would then be turning the old Rock ‘N’ Robin’s space into our Green Dragon store,” Steeves said.

However, regulations make it so they cannot include the former record store floor space until the modifications are approved by state and local jurisdictions.

“Elite Organics and Rock ‘N’ Robin’s were under ... the same owner,” Steeves said. “When she chose to sell the dispensary license — both (medical) and (recreational) — we also had to acquire the front of the store; it was all part of the package.”

“We’re shooting for two months ... to be operational in the space,” Steeves said, emphasizing that it’s entirely out of their hands. “We had a location here in Denver that took about a year and a half — because it was a historic building — through the process of just approving me to move a (point of sale system) to the other side of the building.”

Currently, they are in the process of clearing out the old Elite Organics inventory.

“We did take over their inventory,” Steeves said. “(For) some of it, ... we don’t currently carry the product or product line, so what we have right now, we’re offering those products at extremely reduced price.”

Now, if you’ve read our list of dispensaries, you’ll know that makes Green Dragon the only brand in Fort Collins with two locations, both of which opened within a year of each other.

“We really do see an opportunity in Fort Collins,” Steeves said. “We really don’t mind being in the same town and having multiple locations.”

Steeves said they have locations as close as a mile apart, but they still reach different customer demographics.

Elite Organics did not choose to sell their cultivation license to Green Dragon, just the dispensary licenses for medical and recreational cannabis.

This new store opened during the first slump in recreational sales in Colorado since sales began in 2014. According to the Colorado Sun, taxes off the sale of recreational cannabis were down 21% January through July compared to the same time period last year.

Green Dragon hasn’t been phased by the slowdown in statewide sales, however. They emphasize a wide selection of products, more edible choices and not having a waiting room as keys to their success.

“We can take our business model, and looking at that location and the opportunity that we have just started in the Fort Collins community, we really felt that it was a prime spot for us,” Steeves said.

Reach Grayson Acri at cannabis@collegian.com.

“We can take our business model, and looking at that location and the opportunity that we have just started in the Fort Collins community, we really felt that it was a prime spot for us.”

AUSTIN STEEVES

GREEN DRAGON DIRECTOR OF CORPERATE OPERATIONS

WEED CRITIQUE

HRVST Tart Pops No. 4 — a citrus delight

By Taylor Paumen

@taytaypau

Happy September, fellow stoners. Fall is just around the corner along with cold weather, and cold weather is stoner weather. Pull out the sweatshirts, sweatpants, beanies and everything comfy.

While I anxiously wait for snowy nights, I decided to change it up this week. The last few weeks, I’ve tested out some casual flower, but I wanted to spice it up and hit a product with a more narrow selection.

Concentrates are one of the purest forms of THC you can smoke, but because of the potency, I only suggest this method for experienced smokers. However, I will never suppress your urge to try something new.

This week’s pick is from one of my top dispensaries since it’s just over a mile from my home. Verts Neighborhood Dispensary truly is neighborly. My budtender introduced me to the company HRVST, which is local to Idaho Springs, Colorado. HRVST’s specialty seems to be concentrates, which I couldn’t enjoy more.

For someone whose primary smoking method is a nectar collector with wax, the HRVST shatter Tart Pops No. 4 indica strain, which comes out at 78.39% total THC, was a top-level wax. The shatter itself melts down smoothly for a comfortable intake.

The light yellow wax was one of the most tasteful shatters I’ve had; it was sweet and sour in a citrus kind of way. I was pleasantly shocked every time I took a hit and was given such a lemony taste. I bought a gram, which came out to about $20 plus tax. That kind of price for such a strong taste is a steal.

But, like last week, I have another disclaimer as we progress through our cannabis journey together. Every week seems to be a new lesson, and this week I have yet again purchased a strain that was quick out the door. I went to visit the Verts website to search for the Tart Pops but was taken aback when I found nothing.

When I called to see if the shatter was just an in-store purchase, a budtender informed me they no longer have this strain on their shelves. However, Verts currently offers three other extracts from HRVST, all testing around 70% THC.

Although I just teased you about Tart Pops No. 4 being such a great wax, I can’t imagine the other options being drastically horrible. HRVST prides itself on a “commitment to quality (to ensure their) consumers receive a clean, high-terpene extract,” which suggests the majority of its products are a good choice.

For those of you who come here to read about a strain you can actually get your hands on, I apologize. For those of you who smoke sativa, I also apologize for not branching out. I submit a professional promise to our loyal audience that next week’s strain review will be weed you can find and enjoy, and I will cave and give sativa another chance. However, I highly recommend HRVST products, as they are high quality for a lower price.

Reach Taylor Paumen at cannabis@collegian.com.

“The light yellow wax was one of the most tasteful shatters I’ve had; it was sweet and sour in a citrus kind of way.”

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY CHARLIE COHEN THE COLLEGIAN