By Brittany Hyde
IG: @thebreakoutb
With the legal cannabis market forecasted to be valued at $63.5 billion by 2024, according to Ameri Research, Inc., many states are considering and re-considering their regulations on cannabis in order to adopt policies which keep residents safe while providing room to capitalize on the potential profits.
Colorado is currently paving the way for others to follow, having just approved its first cannabis club, The Coffee Joint.
According to their website, The Coffee Joint is a self-proclaimed ‘Cannabis entertainment and education center’ located in Denver’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. The Lincoln Park area is known for being the home of the Art District, housing over 40 galleries, restaurants and shops. Also found in this area, next door to The Coffee Joint, is 1136 Yuma, a dispensary, and the café’s sister store. While customers won’t be able to purchase cannabis products at The Coffee Joint, they are welcomed to purchase products at 1136 Yuma for consumption at the café.
The Coffee Joint is operating legally under Denver Initiative 300, also known as the Social Pot Use Initiative, which is a ballot initiative allowing social marijuana use at businesses. The Initiative was established to address an issue that had not been previously addressed in cannabis laws or regulations; since cannabis cannot be consumed in public how are patrons 21 years of age or older, who may be renters or tourists and unable to consume cannabis at their residence, able to legally use it?
Under the initiative, The Coffee Joint is able to offer a safe place to consume cannabis, while also offering drinks, packaged food, games, and items for sale. Owners Rita Tsalyuk and Kirill Merkulov have much larger goals than just being the cannabis equivalent of a bar, however. Rita and Kirill plan to use their business to also provide education to their consumers about cannabis. According to their social media and the events page of their business website, The Coffee Joint has already scheduled a 5-hour long live lecture with the Trichome Institute called ‘Interpening Level 1’, an event which is open for anyone to enroll.
“We will have lessons given by cannabis experts, vendors, scientists, psychologists and psychiatrists. We want to give a better name to the cannabis industry and be good for residents, too.” – Rita Tsalyuk, Co-owner of The Coffee Joint
