#5 Denver Dispensaries

Since I have five days left in this glorious city, I decided to highlight five of the most remarkable Denver experiences that didn’t make the blog. Today, it’s medical marijuana. 

Four houses down from our bungalow stands The Sweet Leaf.  A few blocks away, on a quaint thoroughfare for coffee, wine and antique lovers, you can find Grassroots and The MMJ Wellness Center.

They are also a coffee house.

In a grittier part of town, a modest, concrete building is tagged with a hand written storefront that reads The Health Joint.  I’ve seen one called Cannamart. Get it? Cannabis is the scientific name for the marijuana plant. Another one I liked was Green Acres Farmacy. How about the Releaf Center? And my personal favorite, Mile High Therapeutics. The double meaning that comes from the city’s nickname and the state of being under the influence of marijuana is “highly” clever.  HA. 

Right by our house.

 I started counting the dispensaries (places you can walk up to with a medical marijuana license and buy the stuff) while driving around town. They usually have a green cross, a pun in their name, a marijuana leaf or, if they’re really subtle, some words that indicate them as a health resource--always written in green.

This is in the really trendy part of downtown.

 I lost count after seventeen. It has become a game and they are as easy to spot as a Starbucks. In fact, I did an online search of Denver for Starbucks and for Marijuana. Both searches came back with 323 results. I’m not kidding. I don’t understand how they all stay in business.  Are there that many people in Denver who have conditions that require a medical marijuana prescription? And if so, why don’t we smell the essence of cannabis on every street corner?

Easy to spot. Like Starbucks.

I asked our local friends, Andrea and Chris, how the market supported SO many businesses? Chris described his friend’s evaluation for a medical marijuana license, through a doctor that specializes in these kinds of prescriptions. He walked into the examination room. The doctor asked him if he was experiencing any pain. No, he replied. Do you have any old injuries that sometimes cause you pain? No, he replied. The doctor scanned his body. What about this scar on your leg- does it ever cause you pain? I don’t think so, the friend replied. You’ve never felt any pain right here? Well, I guess I did a long time ago, the friend obliged. And the prescription was written. 

Low budget signage.

I thought it may be an urban myth and this doctor must be the minority. I decided to gather some information for myself on a little field trip to a nearby dispensary. It wasn’t the classiest one I’ve seen, but I had time to pull over, so I chose MED-BUD to investigate. They must have some major odor insulation in their walls because, although I couldn’t smell it outside the door, the herbal fumes hung thick in the air inside. After I let a gentlemen get buzzed in ahead of me, I asked the nice guy with large, green plugs in his ear lobes how this all works. There is a step by step process only available to Colorado residents that involves a $90 state fee for the license, after getting a prescription written by a medical doctor. He handed me a pile of fliers for doctors I could go to for the prescription. Some of the more convincing advertisements read “we use real docs!” and “compassionate doctors on staff to assist you in obtaining your medical marijuana license” as well as, “$65 examination with this coupon!” I didn’t actually go to a doctor, but based on their marketing, they seem to want to give these things out. 

Although the man I talked to had ear lobe plugs, dispensary employees come in all forms.

For my first few weeks here, I was under the impression that it was only legal in California and, thanks to my worldly travels, Colorado. Curiosity peaked and time abundant, I researched online. (gotta love Wikipedia) There are sixteen U.S. states that have legalized medical marijuana! And Oregon is one of them! It seems that the states have their own ways of giving out medical cards, managing distribution and making sure it’s not being abused. After I had done my comparison of Starbucks and Marijuana locations in Denver, I read this quote by The Times. “Across California there are an estimated 2,100 dispensaries, co-operatives, wellness clinics, and taxi delivery services in the sector known as “cannabusiness”. That is more than all the Starbucks, McDonald’s, and 7-Eleven outlets in the state put together.” That’s crazy! I guess Colorado and California regulations make it easier to become a dispenser than Oregon. 

Many of the states that have made it legal are able to increase state revenue by taxing the sale of the green stuff. Hawaii made ten million dollars on it in 2008. That’s a lot of teacher salaries, books, computers, after school programs and other educational components, crucial to the foundation of our society. This is not a political blog, just a story telling blog, so I will move on. But, it’s definitely bud for thought. HA.

Let's get to the heart of the matter and the reason that Denver Dispensaries made my top five....If I were an entrepreneur and I lived in one of the sixteen states where it’s legal and also easy to sell, the best part of owning a medical marijuana dispensary would be coming up with the name! The possibilities for puns are endless! Bud Hub. House of Mary Jane. Or Doobydom. What about The Pot Stop? The Gigglin Green. Please leave a comment with your ideas for my new business name!