CULTURE
Colorado Receives Its Own Marijuana Museum
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Get high on history.
Published on October 7, 2015

Marijuana has only barely been legalized in a handful of states across America, but one minister believes the herb is already fully deserving of its very own museum. According to the Casper Star-Tribune, the Reverend Brandon Baker of Greenfaith Ministry has established a cannabis museum alongside U.S. 85 on the Colorado side of the state’s border with Wyoming. As you may have guessed from the name alone, Greenfaith Ministries is not exactly your typical church. Founded in 2006 in Cheyenne, Greenfaith features services that incorporate smoking marijuana as a part of its prayer offering. Baker told the newspaper, “Whatever you’re thinking, the smoke, once it leaves your lungs, it carries your prayer up to the Almighty. We tell people to be careful what they’re thinking while they’re smoking because your words and thoughts are carried up.”

But Baker was not satisfied just preaching to his congregation about weed’s medicinal and religious dimensions; he also wanted to create a museum in conjunction with his church to help educate visitors of all ages. The museum, which was established in August, receives roughly five to ten visitors per day with the hopes of expanding as knowledge, and interest, about marijuana begins to spread nationwide. Inside the space is a smattering of information on the various components of the marijuana industry. One of the exhibitions on display differentiates between marijuana and industrial hemp, with a collection of hemp seeds from around the world that visitors can actually touch and examine. Another explores the history of marijuana in Wyoming and Colorado by using newspaper clippings and handouts on edibles, where they can be consumed, the law and driving under the influence. Out behind the museum are two pet goats and a disc golf course to add to their guests’ experience.

But the Ministry has ambitions of expanding their mission even further, with plans to introduce industrial hemp plants onto the museum’s grounds next year, parts of which will be fed to goats living on the property. In turn, the goats will produce cannabidiol-infused milk, a substance that is believed to have impressive medical benefits, including stopping seizures and other ailments. The museum will also offer a private area where visitors who wish to partake in and enjoy non-industrial varieties of hemp can feel free to do so at their leisure.

Baker sees his museum as an important instrument in the fight to legalize marijuana nationwide, providing visitors with fair, unprejudiced information about the drug so they can make their own educated decision. This is particularly important for residents of Wyoming whose current governor, Matt Mead, is a former federal prosecutor who condemns the legalization of cannabis and has instituted the Governor’s Marijuana Impact Assessment Council to ensure it remains a Schedule I drug. “There’s a lot of misinformation being spread,” Baker told the Casper Star-Tribune, “We’re here to inform people. There’s a lot of marijuana handouts from the state (of Colorado). We’ll give everyone some unbiased information.”

If the cannabis museum sounds like the perfect vacation destination for your next family road trip, you are in luck because The Reverend has plans for a kid-friendly harvest celebration this Halloween weekend that will also serve as the establishment’s grand-opening event to the public. If you are looking to get your buzz on, these festivities will unfortunately be THC-free, but it will be an excellent opportunity to learn about marijuana, play with some goats and indulge in plenty hemp-centric activities that are suitable for visitors of any age.

COLORADO
HISTORY
CULTURE
Emily Kirkpatrick
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Emily Kirkpatrick is a writer based in Brooklyn, NY who writes for publications such as Lucky Magazine, Paper, and Bustle, amongst others. The only thing she likes more than high fashion and pop culture distilled into GIF form is the perfect egg sandwich. If you're interested in her daily musings on celebrities, subway etiquette, and bad TV, make sure to follow her on Twitter @kirkpate
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