Colorado to Open its First Drive-Thru Cannabis Shop

Colorado has been at the forefront of most cannabis innovations since it, along with Washington, became the first states to legalize recreational cannabis in 2012. Now, a small town in Colorado is about to open the first drive-thru cannabis shop in the state.

Parachute, Colorado will be home to the drive-thru facility after getting approval from the Parachute Board of Trustees last week. The shop, Tumbleweed Dispensary, needed additional approval from the Marijuana Enforcement Division. One provision of the drive-through window is that no one under the age of 21 is permitted to be in the vehicle at the time of purchase, even the back seat. The shop is anticipated to open sometime next month.

“As far as I can tell, we are not aware of this business model ever coming up before,” said Robert Goulding, spokesman for the state Marijuana Enforcement Division. “It will have to follow all the rules and regulations that apply to every dispensary.”

The shop must maintain the proper surveillance and security, and no cannabis can be visible from the outside.

“We think the drive- thru is a very creative and innovative idea,” Parachute Town Manager Stuart McArthur said.

In 2016, cannabis accounted for about 30 percent of Parachute’s $1 million tax revenue according to McArthur, “The really good news is that other businesses are benefiting from it.”

McArthur and others in the city hope that consumers traveling to Parachute will shop at other retail facilities in the city and eat at local restaurants, strengthening the city’s tax revenue even further.

Roy McClung, the Mayor of Parachute, is thankful for the recreational cannabis industry, and attributes his town’s successful economy to cannabis. For the state as a whole, Colorado brought in nearly $200 million in taxes and fees in 2016, according to the Colorado Department of Revenue.