Since cannabis was made legal in numerous states, we’ve seen joint ventures and collaborations with weed businesses, restaurants, entertainment institutions, and so on. But what about something more comforting, communal, and inviting? 

Pot users might want to head to Colorado for that, as the state is looking into bringing the hospitality industry into cannabis. It started in January 2020, when a state law went into effect that allowed for the licensing of cannabis hospitability businesses, aka consumption lounges and sites where consumption is legal. 

This was great news for consumers, but it just keeps getting better. On July 1, 2021, marijuana hospitality businesses were authorized by the state government and the Denver Marijuana Code, meaning businesses that choose to get a license for on-site cannabis consumption can do so in a permanent location or a mobile one. 

According to data sources from JDSupra, under the “Retail Marijuana Hospitality and Sales Business Licenses,” there will be three kinds of licenses, which are the following:

• Hospitality: allowing gusts and customers to consume cannabis in an establishment
• Hospitality & Sales: alongside consuming cannabis in the establishment, sales of the plant will also be permitted
• Mobile Hospitality: customers are allowed to consume cannabis inside a vehicle like a tour bus or mobile pop-up store. 

In late January 2022, Forbes reported that the first business application for one of the above licenses would create a consumption lounge at the spooky and historic Paterson Inn. That news came a few months after Denver started accepting applications for hospitality licenses in November 2021. 

And according to the state’s website, there haven’t been a whole lot of applications for the marijuana hospitality program, only three in the state so far. But, seeing that there’s a limited amount of licenses being given, it might be time for Colorado residents to hop on board before the rush. 

With the new program allowing customers to consume weed on-site in licensed locations, there’s no saying where Colorado’s cannabis industry is headed next. As one of the first states to legalize weed, it’s no surprise that innovative and beneficial moves like this are going down. And we can only expect more weed-friendly states to join in.