Pubdate: Thu, 22 Jan 2015
Source: Boulder Weekly (CO)
Copyright: 2015 Boulder Weekly
Contact:  http://www.boulderweekly.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/57
Author: Leland Rucker

CREATING A NATIONAL CANNABIS BRAND MIGHT BE HARDER THAN YOU THINK

I ran across several stories about Bethenny Frankel, a reality show 
personality, who, after apparently being spotted coming out of an 
Aspen dispensary and tweeting her delight at the experience, is 
rumored to be wanting to cash in on the cannabis business. Frankel 
developed the Skinnygirl ready-to-drink cocktail line, and "insiders" 
say she wants to sell a special strain that would not induce the munchies.

This is hardly news. Google "munchies and pot" and you'll find 
recommendations for strains that don't necessarily force the 
unsuspecting into wolfing an entire giant bag of jalapeno potato 
chips in 15 minutes. Recent studies are indicating that cannabis 
opens olfactory receptors, which then helps activate appetite. But 
really, "the munchies" concept seems little more than a marketing 
device, developed and perfected from the 1970s, when pot was highly 
illegal yet flourishing and depicted in a long parade of stoner 
movies and advertising, from Cheech and Chong and Animal House to 
Jeff Spicola in Fast Times at Ridgemont High up through Seth Rogen's 
Pineapple Express.

What this really has to do with is branding, which in this case 
involves taking a product nobody is particularly looking for and, 
through association with a hypothetically "famous" person (I had 
never heard of Frankel or Skinnygirl before this) induce people into 
spending money on said product.

A similar tactic is being carried out by the family of Bob Marley, 
who has already been selling men's, women's and children's clothing, 
bags, hoodies, headwear and other decor under the late reggae star's 
name for several years. In November, the family announced it was 
giving permission to use it on a new line of cannabis- and hemp-based products.

"The brand, dubbed Marley Natural, marks the first time the family's 
name would adorn packages of cannabis products ranging from strains 
similar to those Bob might have smoked in his homeland Jamaica to 
concentrates, oils and infused lotions sold in countries and U.S. 
states that have taken steps to decriminalize and legalize pot use 
and sales," according to a Reuters story.

It will be interesting to see whether Frankel or Marley will be able 
to establish a national product line that will distinguish itself 
from any of its competitors. Marley would seem to have the edge in 
that he is the musician most associated with cannabis. But whether 
people will line up and pay premium prices for "strains similar to 
those Bob might have smoked" or a chic line of diet pot is still a 
question mark.

Every national story I've read about Skinnygirl or Marley Natural 
says that products will be in stores in states where cannabis is 
legal, including Colorado, the latter perhaps by the end of this year 
or early in 2016. And while it is possible that Marley Natural will 
be available in Washington state - its operations are there - it 
probably won't be on Colorado shelves that quickly, if at all.

That's because Colorado has fairly strict laws about cannabis 
business ownerships. Bob Marley or Skinnygirl or anybody else who 
wants to sell their products here would have to obtain a state 
license, which requires a two-year state residency, and they must 
create their products here.

It's one of the most important Colorado cannabis regulations that, at 
least for now, helps keeps big business and out-of-state money at bay 
and gives local entrepreneurs a leg up while they try to establish 
their businesses for the longer haul.

That doesn't mean that the Colorado law will be in place forever, and 
I'm guessing there are already those who are lobbying legislators for 
those very changes that would allow outside interests into the state. 
But for the time being, Colorado won't be seeing any national brands, 
at least for awhile. Besides being good for local businesses, it 
gives consumers more possibilities and choices that a national brand 
would most likely eliminate for expediency and efficiency.

An interesting story from Frisco: The Summit Daily in that mountain 
town reported that a local Holiday Inn tried to stop a cannabis 
dispensary from opening next door.

The fracas took place at a city council meeting January 13, when 
councilmembers were reconsidering and updating marijuana codes for 
retail and medical businesses. The hotel argued that its customers 
would be turned off by a dispensary and would then look elsewhere for 
lodging. Representatives said that families were complaining of 
cannabis odor in the hotel, and many were uncomfortable talking to 
their children about it. It even asked council to change zoning rules 
so that the hotel's temporary quarters for employees would be 
considered full-time housing, which would disallow the dispensary.

Town officials, while passing some changes in the town's regulations 
and code, shot down every one of the hotel's arguments. More than one 
person reminded the owners that cannabis is legal in Colorado, and 
that parents do their children a disservice by not talking to them about it.

And is legal cannabis hurting the lodging business? Being a ski town, 
frequent users of the hotel include racers, which prompted a response 
worth repeating from Tom Wilkinson, a former ski coach and now Frisco mayor.

"Believe me, I coached ski racing for a long time," he said. "And if 
you can find a ski racer that doesn't smoke pot, I'll give you $100."

You can hear Leland discuss his most recent column and Colorado 
cannabis issues each Thursday morning on KGNU. 
http://news.kgnu.org/category/features/ weed-between-the-lines/ 
Respond:  ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom