Dear Stoner: Where Can I Hold a Smoke-Friendly Event?

Dear Stoner: Where can I find cannabis-friendly events around Denver? I have a business in cannabis and would like to host a smoke-friendly event, but I’m not sure where to look.
Tarik

Dear Tarik: Hosting a cannabis-friendly event in Colorado is pretty easy, but hosting a pot-smoking-friendly event? Not so much. For starters, any event at which you hope to allow pot smoking would have to take place at a private venue that is either outside or doesn’t have to comply with the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act (a law that bans smoking at indoor venues unless otherwise permitted) — and there are very few of those. Even after finding a venue that fits your criteria, however, you’d have to apply to the local governing body for an event permit. That’s not always easy; High Times was just denied such a permit by Adams County for its Cannabis Cup because of law enforcement concerns over attendance and public pot consumption.

Word to the wise: If the event you’re trying to put together is more business-related but you still want to indulge, don’t call it an event — call it a party. By hosting a party at a private residence that’s not open to the public, any adult over 21 who attends is free to enjoy recreational cannabis within the confines of the property, as long as no marijuana is sold. You can still invite whomever you’d like and talk shop wherever you party, but the activity can’t be funded by your company. Remember, it’s just a “party.”

Dear Stoner: Does caffeine drown out the comedown from weed?
Clark

Dear Clark: A cup of coffee after a morning bowl is a treasured way to start the day for many, but studies are starting to show that cannabis and caffeine might not mix so well. According to Dr. Scott Krakower, the assistant unit chief of psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital in New York, mixing the two doesn’t provide the combination of effects you’d expect. In a recent article in Live Science, Krakower says that combining the two “would mix neuro-chemically,” causing your brain to lose working memory and focus. The upper-and-downer combination of caffeine and THC is also harmful and can make users feel restless and weary at the same time — meaning coffee after pot won’t necessarily sober you up, nor will pot after too much coffee immediately knock you out. You can still enjoy a small bowl of Kush in the morning and follow it up with some bean juice — just make sure you don’t have any work to do, and take it in moderation.

Send questions to [email protected] or call the potline at 303-293-3222.