Planning a trip? Are all travelers over the age of 21? Here’s something you may not have considered: cannabis tourism.
Since the legalization of recreational marijuana use and sale in Colorado, the state has developed a burgeoning cannabis tourism industry. People can find pot-friendly hotels in which to stay, go on tours of dispensaries and grow houses, or undertake the weed equivalent of a wine tasting (though generally spread out over a longer period of time). And there’s the more obvious “go to Denver and get high because it’s legal there” variety of tourism. There are all kinds of options.
It might seem weird that there would be more to cannabis tourism than just being able to use weed in Colorado, but you have to remember that recreational use is only legal in five states—Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Washington D.C.—and only Colorado, Washington state, and Oregon allow recreational sales so far. It also helps to understand that weed has been a part of American culture for a long time, and been recognized as not a big deal by many people for almost as long, but there are a lot of people who haven’t engaged with it because it is illegal in most places.
Imagine coming of age during Prohibition, and then alcohol becomes legal again. You’ve never partaken of it and you don’t know the first thing about it, so why not seek out some advice before diving headfirst into alcohol use?
That’s what a lot of cannabis tourism comes down to: Advice and a safe space in which to try a drug. Marijuana doesn’t have particularly nasty effects for most people, but it still affects users in ways that, when coupled with activities like driving, can be a problem. If you don’t have friends who are marijuana users, finding a professional “bud tender” could be a safe, welcoming way to experience a drug you can’t legally have at home.