Is There a Place for Private Pot Clubs?

Marijuana is legal recreationally in Colorado, but sparking up a joint outside of a bar or puffing on your vape inside of a night club could still land you in trouble with the law.

To get technical, it’s unlawful to publicly consume any form of marijuana in Colorado. So if you’re at home, it’s all good.

But, what’s a law abiding citizen to do when they want to spark up a joint with a stranger, the same way one might spark up conversation over a couple of beers at a bar?

Enter the slew of (not-so) underground pot smoking clubs, one of the worst-kept secrets ever if this online guide is any indication.

So what’s the point of these private pot shops? Advocate says they operate as havens for cannabis smokers looking for a more social vibe. In fact, these so-called “marijuana recreation centers” have been a lifeline for many, including veterans offering them a safe location to legally consume their meds.

Back in 2013, Denver mayor Michael Hancock banned the clubs outright.

Now, Hancock is advocating for them as a safe and regulated place to allow adults to legally consume with like minded individuals (and a push to get stoners to stop rolling up in public parks no doubt).

Roughly 90 minutes south of Denver in Colorado Springs, private pot clubs have been banned outright, with opponents of the clubs claiming they breed illegal activity.

Existing clubs have eight years to phase out of business, which seems generous when you realize this is coming from a town that banned the recreational sale of marijuana at the exact same time the rest of the state was legalizing it.

Colorado state representative Jonathan Singer (D-Longmont) is preparing a bill that would tackle the issue statewide from a different angle. It would allow recreational stores to create a separate tasting room of sorts where customers could consume products purchased on site.