Pubdate: Wed, 11 Nov 2015
Source: Colorado Springs Independent (CO)
Column: CannaBiz
Copyright: 2015 Colorado Springs Independent
Contact:  http://www.csindy.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1536
Author: Griffin Swartzell

GAS & GRASS OPENS, LEGALIZATION ROUND-UP

Cheap gas, legit grass

Last week, Denver-based medical marijuana company Native Roots 
invited the Independent to preview one of its two local combination 
gas station/dispensaries, named Gas & Grass. Located at Academy 
Boulevard and Galley Road, the business is bringing in new customers 
with an alluring offer: cheap gas.

Chief compliance executive Dave Cuesta says those who have registered 
Native Roots as their caregiver will get 15 cents off every gallon of 
gas they buy at a Gas & Grass location. If someone who isn't a 
patient has made a purchase from the dispensary side of Native Roots, 
they'll get 5 cents off per gallon. And anyone who newly registers 
Native Roots as their caregiver will get a free tank of gas.

The gas station has a sales window with lottery tickets and a 
selection of tobacco products, including - no surprise - a dense rack 
of blunt wraps. On the dispensary side, technically a separate 
business for compliance reasons, you'll find Native Roots house brand 
flower and concentrates, including shatter, wax and a coconut 
oil-based concentrate. Though Andreas Nilsson, who manages both 
Colorado Springs Gas & Grass locations, says the company isn't 
producing any solventless extracts at the moment, he says it's 
"looking at putting that on shelves as soon as we are able to."

Native Roots opened its first local dispensary-only site this past 
July, and according to Cuesta, the response has been positive. "Our 
patients have come to expect superb quality marijuana, a very 
comfortable shopping atmosphere [and] an informative shopping 
atmosphere," he says.

The Galley station opened in full last Saturday, Nov. 7. As for the 
second station at Uintah and 17th streets, Cuesta says we can expect 
its debut within three weeks.

Win one, lose one

Mexico's Supreme Court has affirmed Mexican citizens' fundamental 
right to grow, consume and transport marijuana. As reported on the 
IndyBlog, a Mexican marijuana club called the Mexican Association for 
Responsible Self-Consumption and Tolerance (SMART) had claimed that 
getting high was part of the country's constitutional doctrine of 
free development of personality; the court agreed. The decision only 
affects SMART right now, but it opens the door for more lawsuits 
and/or nationwide legalization.

Back in the States, Ohio voters last week soundly defeated Issue 3, 
which would have legalized both medical and recreational marijuana 
sales. The issue would have forced Ohio to source all of its weed 
from 10 grow operations, all of which were determined before polling 
day. Washington Post columnist Jonathan Adler called the structure - 
while not technically a monopoly - "crony capitalism at its worst."

Only 36 percent of voters backed the measure, but National Cannabis 
Industry Association executive director Aaron Smith sees that as 
something to build on. In a statement released on election night, he 
said "the foundation has been laid for a potential 2016 effort that 
would put forward a more common-sense initiative and have a major 
impact on the presidential conversation in the process."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom