Weed tourism and 420-friendly sanctuaries are emerging in legalized areas – 2016 will be a great year to check out what Colorado, Washington, Alaska and Oregon have to offer for cannabis connoisseurs.

The spreading legalization of marijuana is creating ample opportunity for tourism even before it has been legalized everywhere. After legalization, it’s likely that specialized tourist destinations will continue to thrive – not unlike traveling to Scotland for the Scotch. For now, however, even in legalized states, smokers are only allowed to smoke in their own home. Public places, hotels, and resorts are usually less than welcoming towards cannabis consumers. Thankfully, however, we’ve seen establishments and companies popping up to provide safe, 420-friendly traveling destinations for travelers with a “when in Rome” attitude.

TravelTHC

Billing itself as Airbnb for pot-smokers, TravelTHC showcases a variety of 420 friendly tourism spaces to call home. At the time of writing, rules preclude individuals from being able to smoke in public or in most hotels. The laws in Colorado, for example, only allow individuals to partake when they are in private residences.

A quick look through TravelTHC shows a large number of beautiful cabins in Colorado, where the vast majority of TravelTHC options are currently located, but there is growing demand for accommodations across states with laws that favor cannabis tourism.

Resort Options

The laws are different in different states – South Dakota has one of the first specialized resorts that will begin offering marijuana for sale and consumption on New Year’s Eve 2016. The Flandreau Santee Sioux tribe of South Dakota, following the modern tradition of slightly separate legal rules on reservations, will be opening a marijuana resort including a smoking lounge with both bar and food services. There are already talks about developing a music venue and slot machines for the location in an effort to increase tourism.

This is after the Justice Department issued a policy that allows tribes to operate marijuana businesses on reservations that lie within states where the drug has become legal. Economic projections have suggested that cannabis tourism could generate up to $24 million a year in profits in these states.

Denver, Colorado hosts the first hotel with specific accommodations for marijuana smokers. Nativ Hotel, found in lower downtown Denver has a variety of small luxurious touches that make it a true paradise, including cannaboid infused coffee drinks, vape friendly rooms, living plant walls, and more.

Resort and similar options are spreading quickly – there are “bud-and-breakfast” options across Colorado, and many hotels will likely be joining this competitive market soon.

Tours and More

Many other companies are also taking advantage of the growing demand for weed-friendly tourism. My 420 Tours offers many of the closest options to all-inclusive marijuana trips for smokers. Major tourism and hotel companies remain wary of marijuana, so there is a trend of new start-ups and mom-and-pop style companies being the go-to options for the most weed friendly traveling. With 420-friendly traveling options in high demand, and earnest property owners legally allowed to provide this service (at least where cannabis has been legalized), it’s apparent that this thriving industry is quickly on the rise.