Native Roots' Gas & Grass Stations to Provide Different Types of Fuel

Native Roots stores have been a part of the Colorado marijuana scene for years — and the chain has grown to encompass eleven recreational and medical outlets across Colorado in part because of clever marketing.

Take a 2010 review, in which our William Breathes noted that Native Roots "has better mall shopping than souvenir stores."

The Native Roots braintrust has only gotten better at promotion since then. Note the teasing lead-up to the September 16 pot-tax holiday on its Facebook page, as illustrated by graphics on view below.

Still, the outfit is hitting new heights with its latest concept: Gas & Grass stations, two of which are slated to open next month in Colorado Springs.

The concept, Native Roots spokeswoman Tia Mattson tells KOAA-TV, isn't a combo operation. Rather, the gas station and the medical marijuana dispensary are conceived as two separate businesses at the same location.

The gas station will be open to the general public and provide the usual kind of fare offered at the attached convenience store — all of it non-medicated.

Meanwhile, those who want to patronize the dispensary must have a medical marijuana card; recreational sales remain verboten in the Springs. However, "loyalty discounts" will be offered to those who want to gas up after grabbing some cannabis — sort of like how King Soopers customers get extra pennies off per gallon after clearing thresholds for food purchases.

Gas & Grass stations are currently under construction near two prominent intersections: West Uintah and 17th Street, as well as Academy and Galley. Grand opening dates have yet to be announced, but; they're expected to greet their first customers in October.

Mattson emphasizes that the Gas & Grass combo is about convenience — and while we haven't heard any anti-pot critics argue that the notion sends mixed messages about smoking and driving, such a tack would hardly be shocking.

In the meantime, though, Native Roots' planned twelfth and thirteenth locations offer a unique twist on on the pot shop model, as well as another indication of how quickly legal marijuana sales have become part of the broader Colorado economy.

Look below to see the aforementioned KOAA piece, followed by Native Roots' pot-tax holiday Facebook graphics.

KOAA.com | Continuous News | Colorado Springs and Pueblo