Thomas Mitchell
Audio By Carbonatix
Update: The Adams County Liquor and Marijuana Licensing Authority Board hearing for JAD’s Smokehouse has been postponed to Wednesday, February 16.
When Joshua Davis received a marijuana hospitality license from the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division last August, he anticipated opening his pot-friendly lounge and music venue by Halloween.
Five months later, Davis still hasn’t opened JAD’s Smokehouse. But he’s nearing the finish line as he continues working to get all permits approved.
“I think it was a bigger project than originally thought, and it took us longer on building the fence and some other stuff that Adams County and the state wanted in order to comply,” Davis says. “They want to make sure we do this right, and that we both don’t lose.”
Davis is creating his marijuana-friendly lounge and micro-dispensary at 7667 Washington Street in unincorporated Adams County, next door to the Dream House strip club. He says he’s put six figures into new bathrooms and renovating the space for legal indoor and outdoor marijuana consumption, and hopes to be open to the public within a week – but he’s still got one more round of approvals to go.
According to Adams County communications director Christa Bruning, the venue has met all state and local zoning and planning requirements, and now is just awaiting a hearing before the Adams County Liquor and Marijuana Licensing Authority Board, which will hold a final vote on Wednesday, February 2.
If that’s approved, JAD’s would become Colorado’s first licensed marijuana consumption spot to also allow marijuana sales.
Davis says that he’s been working closely with the licensing board to ensure his best shot at approval. If he gains his local permit, he plans to host marijuana-friendly outdoor music on the one-acre property, with space for food trucks, movie screenings and a back patio. He also plans to hold marijuana-friendly activities and programs throughout the week, such as puff and paint classes.
The property’s deep parking lot will host music shows and food trucks, according to owner Joshua Davis.
Thomas Mitchell
Davis kept the center bar from Drunken Monkeys Neighborhood Tavern, the former occupant of the building, and that’s where employees will serve up a limited selection of recreational marijuana products. Under current state laws, guests can only consume marijuana bought at the establishment, and no liquor sales are allowed. Davis has plans for an alternative, though, which he shares as he looks at unfinished bar and open wall space meant for flatscreen TVs.
“That’s where the dab bar will be,” he explains. “We’ll have dabbing or smoking accessories they can rent, and video games on the wall.”
Marijuana hospitality was legalized at the state level nearly two years ago, but a local government still has to opt in before social consumption is allowed in that municipality. So far, only a handful of towns and counties have done so, but Adams County was an early adopter, approving hospitality in 2020. While Adams County has awarded five marijuana hospitality licenses to undisclosed lottery winners, Bruning says that JAD’s is the only licensee actually in the process of opening.
Denver has also opted into the state’s marijuana hospitality program, and began accepting applications last November. Since then, a private marijuana lounge in the RiNo neighborhood and a historic hotel in Capitol Hill have each applied for hospitality licenses.
