As of December 2024, the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division found that Latinos make up 18.4 percent of all worker licensees in the state. While this is a 10.7 percent increase from 2021, Latino owner licensees were still at just 9.8 percent last year. According to the most recent data from the Colorado State Demography Office, nearly 23 percent of the state's population is Hispanic.
The War on Drugs, struggling social equity programs and high economic barriers have helped create a mostly white space of cannabis business ownership, but at cannabis-friendly venue Tetra Lounge's Cultura Elevada on Monday, July 21, Latino-inspired cannabis fare was the star of the show.
The event was held to spread awareness about Latino-owned cannabis companies, lifestyle brands and entrepreneurs who blend their heritage into their specialities. Brands like Curiosa Apothecary, Cloud People Creations and Unapologetic Worldwide showcased one-of-a-kind teas, handmade jewelry and spell jars that were made on the spot. Yet the true stars of the show were the Latino-owned cannabis brands that fit perfectly into the ambiance of guests partaking in blunts, edibles and vape pens.
Albert Gutierrez, founder and owner of cannabis vaporizer cartridge brand Schedule One, became far too familiar with a world that demonized cannabis and resulted in deep-rooted stigmas. After securing a state cannabis research license and then making history by obtaining one from the DEA in 2018, Gutierrez founded the company, with a name directly that combats the federal notion that cannabis is a Schedule I drug with no medical benefits.
Schedule One is now in over fifty dispensaries across Colorado. With the mission of celebrating the plant's benefits and removing fear around it, Gutierrez believes that events like Cultura Elevada allow Latinos to connect with each other, and everyone else.
"If we can create awareness around what we're doing in the industry, helping people in our communities [and] making sure that we're pushing our community forward, that's really important," Gutierrez said. "It's important to allow our people to have a chance to be in this business."
Bachaz's line of gummies come in Mexican-inspired flavors, like chamoy and tamarind.
Alexander Hernandez Gonzalez
Growing up in Yuma, Arizona, Carranza was first introduced to cannabis from her cousin and husband as a young adult. After playing around with familiar Mexican snacks, such as chamoy and fruit sprinkled with Tajin, Carranza began to combine these flavors in gummies with THC.
According to Carranza, Bachaz is slang for "cannabis joint roach" in Spanish.
"[Bachaz] might be small, but we got lots of flavor to bring," she added.
Actively trying to get her brand into more dispensaries can be daunting at times, according to Carranza, especially if there is no one who speaks Spanish or understands Bachaz's ethos. But Cultura Elevada allowed more cannabis consumers to "get together and have a good time," she noted.
"If a dispensary doesn't have someone to speak Spanish but they really enjoy [Bachaz], they're not taking the product because they don't know how to introduce [the product] and handle the Spanish-speaking consumer," Carranza said. "I would just love to see more dispensaries educate [buyers]. We are kind of pushed away."
According to Tetra owner Dewayne Benjamin, giving opportunities to Latino, Black and other underserved communities allows them to be "recognized in the cannabis industry as legit participants."
"Tetra is definitely built on the culture of cannabis, which encompasses all genders, races and creative people," Benjamin said. "That's something the cannabis industry needed, and I think Tetra has done a great job at cultivating a [space] where everyone can come and celebrate it together."
Tetra hosted Cultura Elevada in partnership with the Center for Social Equity Support Incubator Program, a local organization that helps advise and support new cannabis business owners. Benjamin has worked with The Center for Social Equity's Shannon Donnelly to host Cannabis 101 courses for prospective cannabis business owners, but he especially appreciates the educational and inclusiveness aspects of events like Cultura Elevada.
"We haven't been included in the legal aspect of developing businesses for the most part of Colorado legalization," Benjamin explained. "Giving clients and civilians the opportunity to gain education and speak interesting in the industry where they haven't been included create[s] a great benefit for these communities."
