Socially Acceptable

Cannabis business people in Denver were hoping to transform the city into “Amsterdam 2.0” with the implementation of social consumption clubs under Initiative 300. But nearly a year later, no clubs are open for business, considering the steep list of fees, buffer zones and requirements. Now a business called Coffee Joint is poised to become the city’s first social consumption club.

“We’re currently in the [application] process. . . Tentatively, I think the process will take two to three months.”

While Denver prides itself on cannabis-related tourism with everything from cannabis-themed busses to cannabis-specific tour guides, there aren’t legal spaces to consume cannabis for tourists who are staying in hotel rooms.

Denver voters approved Initiative 300 on Nov. 8, 2016, which allows for the social consumption of cannabis, but it ended up taking about nine months for the city to begin accepting applications. On Aug. 24, 2017 city officials announced that they’d begin to accept applications for social cannabis consumption. Initiative 300 sets up a four-year pilot program called the Neighborhood Supported Cannabis Consumption Pilot Program, which allows for clubs called Cannabis Consumption Business Locations.

Approved businesses can open 21-and-over sections where patrons can bring their own cannabis. The businesses must be located 1,000 feet away from schools, daycare centers and from alcohol and drug treatment centers. The grayed out buffer zone areas plus the long list of added rules have made it nearly impossible for many businesses to secure a license.

A business in the Lincoln Park area, however, is on its way to becoming the first social cannabis consumption club in Denver. The city of Denver received an application from Coffee Joint, a proposed social club on Dec. 8, 2017. Co-owners Rita Tsalyuk and Kirill Merkulov, if awarded the license, plan on charging a $5 cover charge at the front door. Patrons may then rent vaporizer equipment and consume edibles on the premises. Smoking still won’t be allowed under Colorado’s Clean Indoor Air Act. The space is located next door to a dispensary that they already own.

“We’re currently in the process. Obviously, we’ve already applied for the application,” Merkulov told CULTURE. “Tentatively, I think the process will take two to three months.” As part of the licensing process under Initiative 300, applicants including Tsalyuk and Merkulov must prove they have support from the local community. In response, Coffee Joint sent people to attend two meetings with the La Alma Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association, and so far, neighbor input has been mostly positive. One of the association’s members even toured the proposed cannabis consumption club site.

Merkulov’s 1,850-square-foot facility will include a converted garage and a smaller room for private and corporate events. The site is located at 1130 Yuma Court in Denver.

Dan Rowland, with the city’s Department of Excise & Licenses, confirmed to The Denver Post that Coffee Joint is the first cannabis consumption license application to be processed. “There’s going to be a whole process with the city of Denver’s Department of Excise & Licenses” before the business can open, Merkulov added. Other businesses that have expressed interest in opening a social consumption business include Strainwise and LivWell Enlightened Health.

Before obtaining a license for social cannabis consumption, Tsalyuk and Merkulov plan on opening the business as a conventional coffee shop until they receive the final go-ahead. If they are successful, Coffee Joint will be the first Cannabis Consumption Business Location in Denver.