Two of Colorado's Largest Dispensary Chains Continue to Grow

Two of the largest dispensary chains in Colorado — and so the world — continue to grow, with both Native Roots and The Green Solution opening new stores before the holiday season. Native Roots, the largest dispensary chain in the state, opened its newest outlet on Monday, November 20, while the Green Solution is opening its fourteenth store.

Native Roots, which started as a single medical dispensary off the 16th Street Mall, has turned into one of America's largest legal-cannabis empires. Its newest store, at 4000 Morrison Road in West Denver, is the company's twentieth location.

Native Roots also has a license for another dispensary in Glenwood Springs under its "Gas and Grass" brand, which converts operating gas stations into dispensaries that still pump petrol, a transformation that Native Roots has performed three times in medical-only Colorado Springs. However, the company is still ironing out details before announcing anything official, according to Native Roots management.

The Green Solution, which added a Fort Collins retail dispensary in September, will celebrate its newest retail pot shop at 4151 East Kentucky Avenue in Glendale with a grand opening on Saturday, December 9; the store had its soft opening in November. There will be free food, giveaways and a ribbon-cutting ceremony from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to celebrate the new store. The TGS brand also has plans to open a store at 1995 Wewatta Street in downtown Denver before the end of 2017; it converted a Silver Plume store into the state's first outlet dispensary in July.

As consolidation continues to overtake the cannabis industry, Native Roots and the Green Solution are competing with other large, homegrown chains such as Sweet Leaf (ten locations), Green Dragon (eleven locations) and LivWell (fifteen locations) for retail dominance. The new Native Roots location is a former Live Green dispensary, part of another dispensary group that now has three stores.