We made a stop in Denver…at a marijuana shop.
I had expressed interest in visiting a “pot shop” now that weed has been legalized, recreationally, in Colorado  When I moved away, only medical marijuana was legal. But now, it’s a whole new ball game.
So, as my friend, who shall remain nameless, drove me from the Denver airport – way on the east side of Denver – to Golden – on the far west side of Denver – we made a detour. This friend actually did some research, found a place that had good reviews and was on the way to Golden. Golden, like some other municipalities, has opted not to have recreational stores in their city limits. My friend had the address programmed into the gps and said to me at the airport pick up, “Hit that address then hit go.” I did and off we went.
Urban Dispensary was in an okay part of town, not too far from Federal Boulevard. I had no idea what to expect and neither did my friend. There were actually two entrances for the store. One in front for medical marijuana and the side entrance for those of us wanting to purchase it for recreational fun. When we walked in there was a girl at a podium. It reminded me of a hostess in a restaurant. She checked our id’s to make sure we were of age and that our licenses weren’t expired. We were told to take a seat and that someone would be with us. There was a couple sitting across from us from Atlanta who were vacationing in Colorado. They too had just come from the airport. Pot tourism!
The couple from Atlanta were called and escorted in to the shop to make their purchase. Then it was our turn. A very hip young lady was our escort. I told her I was looking for just a little bit to smoke and perhaps an edible. She asked if I wanted a body high or a mind high. I wasn’t sure. I hadn’t had marijuana for at least 5 years. “Do you want to be energized or do you want to relax?” she questioned. “Relax,” I replied. So, she brought out a couple of jars with buds in them and told me a bit about them. She told me what her favorites were. One was called Kush and it smelled like…well, like weed. It just had that typical weed smell. It was one of her favorites and I just liked the smell of it. Definitely brought back college memories! There were a couple of strains whose names now escape me, but I remember one smelling rather poop-like and one had a more herb-like smell. I settled on another one called Grape Stomper. I couldn’t resist as it reminded me a bit of wine. Weed and wine – that’s a great combination!
Grape Stomper
My receipt – the goodies are in the bag!
The store was small and clean with the marijuana jars under glass cases – kind of like looking at jewelry in a fine jewelry store. The edibles were on shelves behind the glass counter and in a refrigerator which also contained marijuana infused beverages. Pipes and papers were also available for purchase.
I told the gal I just wanted enough to roll a joint with each one. Since I am no longer a resident of Colorado, I was restricted to buying 1/4 ounce. No worries. I didn’t want that much. Then she brought out a couple of edibles. Some were regular-sized chocolate bars. Whoa! Those are the ones that you just take a nibble of, but there have been some folks who have eaten the entire bar and had some bad experiences. I didn’t want that much. “Do you have something smaller?” I asked. “We have cookies.” Perfect, I thought. Yes, two cookies. Those you can eat the whole thing and be fine. There’s minimal marijuana in those.
THC Cookies!
Since Colorado has legalized recreational marijuana the eyes of the entire country are on it. Other states and the District of Columbia have followed suit, but Colorado is really a model. There are loads of restrictions and regulations as to growing it and selling it. My friend commented about how, since it is not yet legal federally, that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) are not involved yet, listing the ingredients. But, they are listed on the bottles which you can see from the photos. Yet, I understood what my friend was saying in that there is no federal regulation. It will be interesting to see how this new world of marijuana legalization goes in Colorado. There are many unknowns, but there are those who are okay with it even if they are not folks who partake in using it. One thing is for sure, they are bringing in a lot of tax revenue from it! In fact, they have so much extra money that the state government has to put it back to the citizens of Colorado to decide what to do with it – a small refund to everyone or let the government keep it and spend it.
So, time will tell how this all turns out. It’s a bit of an experiment really. I, for one, believe in the legalization of marijuana. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not some major user. I’ll choose a nice glass of wine or a good craft beer over weed. But, there are times when I like to have a little. I find weed to be pretty benign as far as so-called illicit drugs go. I know folks may disagree with that, but that’s a whole other post. For now, all eyes are on Colorado.
