It was 7:00 p.m. on a Wednesday in January, but it felt like a Friday night in downtown Denver. Couples and groups of friends softly chatted as they waited their turn to enter. Judging by the crowds, you could easily think this was Colorado’s hottest club, if not for the faintly sweet smell of marijuana permeating the premises.

Welcome to the world of legal recreational weed. The billion-dollar business of hydroponic grow labs and craft dispensaries has meant big money for Colorado since the drug was legalized. With Airbnb reservations up 68% from 2016 to 2017 and Colorado schools getting a reported tens of millions a year from marijuana tax revenue, it seems like everyone is cashing in on the state’s “green rush.” Local Girl Scouts even got to the ok to sell their cookies outside weed dispensaries.

But as visitors flock to the state for cannabis tourism, some businesses offer a bang for their buck while others are more predatory. I spent a few days in the mile high city earlier this year to suss out the best way for a budget traveler to legally smoke marijuana in Denver. Speaking to everyone from hotel workers to budtenders (yes, that’s a really job) to Uber drivers, the research was difficult, but someone has do it.

– Read the entire article at Forbes.