If you walk through the doors of Ganja Gourmet in Denver, without knowing anything about the restaurant, the pictures on the wall of Bob Marley and Mona Lisa smoking a joint will be your first clue that you have not arrived at a typical restaurant.
Steve Horowitz, Co-owner of Ganja Gourmet, says the restaurant is the first of its kind to offer salads, lasagna, pizza, and desserts, all cooked or baked with marijuana. Anyone who can show a medical cannabis ID card is welcome to experience a taste of the high life. There is also a ‘bud bar’ where the ‘Budtender’ will sell you whatever strain of marijuana you desire. Customers can relax and socialize in a lounge area. They even offer a courtesy ride home if you get too high to drive.
The city has been getting inundated with application requests to open marijuana dispensaries in general, but recently put a freeze on approving any more until they can get stricter regulations put in place on how they are managed.
What's Driving This Trend
- Cannabis-infused Food
- Opportunity for restaurant industry to introduce cannabis-infused dishes and products to their menus.
- Cannabis Tourism
- New market for travel and tourism industry to offer cannabis-related experiences and destinations.
- Cannabis Retail
- Retail industry can capitalize on the demand for legal marijuana by offering marijuana accessories, apparel, and other related products.
Who This Affects Most
- Food and Beverage
- Opportunity for restaurants, cafes, and food manufacturers to incorporate cannabis into their products and menus.
- Travel and Tourism
- Opportunity for travel agencies, hotels, and resorts to offer cannabis-related travel experiences and packages.
- Retail
- Opportunity for retailers to capitalize on the legal marijuana market by selling cannabis accessories, apparel, and other related products.
