A leisurely stroll along the Animas River Trail is one activity both locals and tourists enjoy. Recently, local marijuana tourism companies have sprung up from the recreational industry, finding ways to combine the classic Durango lifestyle with cannabis consumption and education./Photo by Jennaye Derge 

The new green tourism

Cannabis friendly tourism begins to sprout in Durango

by Tracy Chamberlin

When Colorado voters approved Amendment 64, essentially legalizing marijuana in the Centennial state, the frenzy began. Many came from far and wide when the first retail stores opened in January 2014 like kids in a candy store. Wide eyed, ready to celebrate.

Since that day, another budding industry has taken root – marijuana tourism.

According to John Mace, owner and operator of High Up Tours, which offers scenic rides in the San Juans, brewery tours and even airport shuttles, 75 percent of the questions he gets from his customers are about legal marijuana.

They lean over from the passenger seat and whisper, “So, legal weed. What’s up?”

When Mace first started the business, it was primarily about marijuana tourism.

After working in the corporate world for several years, he had been looking for something different. He said for a time he did the “Durango Tango,” working several jobs, until one night during the 2014 Snowdown, he was talking with friends about the first retail stores, which had  opened their doors just weeks before.

He realized visitors would come for the cannabis and his friends pointed out, if there’s ever a time and a place to start this type of business – this is it. Just a short time later he started the journey and opened High Up Tours.

At this point, Mace is migrating more toward brewery  tours but he still wants visitors to ask questions. In fact, he encourages it.

“Don’t be afraid to ask questions,” he said. “It’s not the same weed you smoked at Woodstock.”

And, it’s not just about the smoke. Retail marijuana shops offer products to eat and drink, tinctures, patches, oils and a host of other items. Many have different dosages and the regulations are still changing.

Just this week, officials with the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division debated new rules for packaging edibles. No decisions were reached, but the new regulations will soon be finalized and likely go into effect next year.

Essentially, the discussions centered on trying to make the warnings on edible marijuana products distinctive enough to keep them away from children, but not intimidating enough to scare off customers. They also talked about how to label dosages in an effort to prevent users from accidentally consuming too much.

When Mace first opened, he offered guests a tour of a local commercial grow operation, giving them an inside look into the process. The tour wasn’t about consuming; it was informative. “It was to give them that look behind the curtain,” he said.

By the time his guests made it to the dispensaries, they were able to make educated and informative decisions about the products they bought.

Although the employees at retail marijuana stores are knowledgeable and said they want to answer questions, it’s not just about what to purchase at the store. It’s also about what happens beyond the cash register.

“It could be pretty confusing for people – new or old to cannabis,” explained Regina Wells, owner and operator of Durango Artisanal Tours, a new start up that offers cannabis friendly local walking and driving tours.

Wells explained that most people have heard the statistic a million times, that there has not been a single death from an overdose of cannabis. “Although that’s a good thing,” she said, “we feel there is no reason to ever have a bad experience with cannabis either.”

The need for information is exactly why Mace and Wells focus on education.

When visitors come to the state, they often have no place to partake. It’s illegal to consume marijuana products on federal land and in public. Taking it home, across state lines, is completely out of the question. So what can they do?

Wells said it’s a conundrum, which her company solved by giving visitors a legal place to partake. Their walking tours begin at a historical downtown home, which like all their stops are well-kept industry secrets. It allows them to have easy access to local highlights like the river trail and shops.

“We also have cannabis friendly locations up the valley, and in Silverton, Ouray, Ridgway and Telluride,” she added.

At the same time, the company provides guides who are knowledgeable about the law, safety and connections to cannabis friendly accommodations.

Her company markets to adults who come for the cannabis, Wells explained, whether they’re new or experienced. “We want to open this up for people who are in serious need of a day to relax, laugh and to forget about the world’s stresses for a moment,” she said.

She started taking guests on tours this summer and is currently working with other municipalities in an effort to introduce visitors to sights outside the city limits.

The past year has been about research, making connections and making sure she’s got the permits in place. It’s been a lot of leg work for Wells, but it’s also an opportunity to take part in shaping the future of the industry.

The best thing about building her business, she added, is creating the tours and highlighting what’s unique about the area. After all, it began with a desire to share the mountain lifestyle with visitors. “If folks are coming here to smoke cannabis, why not share this lifestyle with them?”

Nevertheless, marijuana is still a Schedule I drug on the federal books and, therefore, still illegal under federal law. So far, government agencies have either quietly looked the other way or publicly announced they have no intention of butting in. That doesn’t mean they couldn’t change their minds tomorrow.

Because there are no assurances, banks and other businesses are often leery of working with marijuana retail and tourism. However, High Up Tours has made inroads to becoming more accepted by joining the Durango Chamber of Commerce and YPOD, or Young Professionals of Durango.

“Ultimately, this is still an experiment,” Mace said. “The dust is far from settled.”