Colorado: Marijuana Tourism Anyone?
Now that Colorado is the first state in the nation to allow recreational marijuana sales, several pot-related marketing campaigns are already sprouting up, notably outfits hoping to draw out-of-the-area pot enthusiasts with marijuana tourism.
Cannabis-friendly community guides, activities and tours in Colorado are already in circulation while 18 retail marijuana outlets in Denver had already received licenses to open the first day of 2014.
Another two dozen other marijuana-related businesses, which had met the city's licensing requirements, were awaiting approval also.
More than 25 cities and towns other than the Mile High City allowed medical marijuana businesses to either add or transition to retail marijuana sales beginning Jan. 1.
Promising "fun, affordable and discreet" cannabis-centered excursions, Colorado Highlife Tours plans to provide a community-based marijuana adventure through expand private and public limousine and bus tours.
Prior to the New Year's, the tour company mixed sightseeing with stops at glass-blowing shops, marijuana grow centers and had offered customers "free samples," since buying pot directly was illegal.
"On our tours, we're getting a lot of empty nesters that haven't smoked pot in 20 years. We've also had people who have never smoked pot take our tours and had one couple get high and so paranoid that we had to interrupt the tour and take them back to their hotel," company owner Timothy Vee said in a story published by NBCNews.
"You'll be able to buy a little pot here and there, see a commercial grow, visit iconic Colorado landmarks and take lots of pictures," Vee said, adding the experience "will be like a Napa Valley wine tour."
Well, maybe so, although unlike Napa wine purchasers, Colorado's out-of-state pot ourists won't be able to take home most if not all of the marijuana products they purchase.
Michael Elliott of the Medical Marijuana Industry Group confirmed to NBCNews "it remains illegal to take marijuana out of the state." said.
Then, because marijuana also remains on the list of items prohibited by the federal Transportation Security Administration, Denver International Airport will enforce a new policy that bans pot throughout the airport.
"Previously, a visitor to the airport could have less than one ounce of pot as long as they were over 21 and did not pass through security," airport spokeswoman Stacey Stegman said in the NBCNews article. But, now, to ensure passengers don't end up violating air travel rules, "we have prohibited the possession, use, and consumption of marijuana for everyone on airport property."
At least starting out, pot-seeking travelers won't be able to find much information about marijuana tours side-by-side with official city and state tourism brochures, in government sanctioned vacation guides or websites promoting Colorado's skiing, hiking and cultural activities.
That's because tourism officials have a fiduciary responsibility to produce the best return from their marketing efforts and, as of yet, there is no research on any benefits of marijuana tourism, indicated Rich Grant of Visit Denver, the city's travel and visitor bureau.