Now that several states and the District of Columbia have legalized the use of cannabis for recreational purposes, the tourism industry has responded in kind with a budding industry of weed friendly tours of various cities, especially in Colorado, Washington, and Oregon.
While there are still some barriers to the 420 tourism industry becoming as big as, say, Napa Valley tours of vineyards, the quality, and availability of these kinds of adventures will no doubt increase as public acceptance of marijuana as a legal recreational substance becomes higher.
So, for now – what kinds of tours can you expect? Are they worth the money? What should you know before embarking on any of these cannabis tours? Read below to find out!
Lodging
One of the biggest hurdles running 420 tours in North America that are becoming more prevalent is the persistence of anti-marijuana prejudices that still persist in most major hotel chains throughout the adult use states. Most hotels will firmly reiterate their no-smoking clause when asked about marijuana use in the rooms or on their property, despite the legality of the substance.
If you want to try to stay in a major hotel chain anyway, your best bet is to try to get a tobacco smoking room or a room with a balcony, you could also use a discrete vaporizer. Make sure to keep all containers closed when not in use as it can smell up a room fast.
However, a better bet is to seek out lodging with a service like Airbnb, VRBO or 420 friendly travel sites like USAWeed.org or something similar by using the search phrase “420 friendly” when looking for a place. Also, a handful of independent lodgings has popped up in major cities, such as the Bud & Breakfast in Denver although they are at the top of the price range for accommodations.
420 Tours – Cannabis Sight Seeing tours
There are a variety of different types of 420 tours, and the state you are in will also determine what kind of tour you can take. On the lower end of pricing, you can start with a 3 or 4 hours long afternoon tour of your chosen city for between $50-$150. A tour like this would typically include a brief primer on the types and strains of cannabis, a few stops at recreational cannabis stores, perhaps a stop at a grow facility or maybe even a glass blowing shop if your tour guide is especially artistic. Some tours, like from Colorado Highlife Marijuana Tours and Travel, take you into the beautiful mountains and show you the real sights that visitors want, of Colorado. For a more immersive experience, you can make a weekend of it – for $1000, you can have a 3-day 420 tours in Denver that include lodging, a vape pen on loan for the duration of the tour, and a pot-infused cooking class. If you need help on your vacation here are a few good companies.
Cannabis Friendly Travel Agents
Colorado
Colorado Highlife Cannabis Tours & Travel
Washington
Kush Tourism
Oregon
BridgeTown Tours
The final verdict, at this point in time at least, is that most of the experiences can be had without the aid of the tour itself – you can probably experience most things on your own as a tourist.
The advantage of the tours would be for anyone unfamiliar with the culture of cannabis, want to see the scenery and culture of the places they are at or for someone who needs a bit of a hand-holding type of introduction to 420 culture in the adult use states.
