CANNABIS TRAVEL WEEKLY - 12.19.22

RHODE ISLAND - $1.6M in the First Week of Adult Use Legal Cannabis Sales

Summary: "Rhode Island cannabis dispensaries collectively sold more than $1.63 million worth of cannabis during the state’s first week of adult-use sales, WPRI reports. The state can expect roughly $133,600 in cannabis taxes from the first week with about $23,500 in taxes going to the local governments which host the shops — adult-use cannabis sales in the state are taxed at 20% while medical sales are only subjected to the state’s 7% sales tax. Rhode Island became the 19th U.S. state to legalize adult-use cannabis earlier this year. Under the measure, adults 21 and older are allowed to purchase and possess up to an ounce of cannabis and home-grow up to six cannabis plants."

Travel Lens Commentary: Like taxes, medical cannabis travel and leisure cannabis travel are distinctly different strategies that deserve their own attention. Does your destination have the potential to host patients and/or medical professionals seeking training on medical cannabis and the endo-cannabinoid system? What about multiday B2B industry events that power meaningful economic impact? Any state with legal cannabis laws of any kind are home to a burgeoning industry that impacts their community and offers opportunity for destination stewards that choose a take pro-active role. Visit Rhode Island RHODE ISLAND CANNABIS ASSOCIATION INC

CALIFORNIA - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is a California Cannabis Travel Story

Summary: “For me, equity is big. There’s a lot of people who have been arrested, but there’s not a lot of people who have a license. Families have been totally wiped out. A license is real equity.” - Reese Benton, Posh Green Cannabis Boutique. Reese Benton is sole owner of Posh Green Cannabis Boutique in San Francisco,  a well-loved community business. As the first Black woman to open a dispensary in San Francisco, Benton worked with the City of San Francisco Office of Cannabis’ equity program to obtain a license and open her boutique. As an advocate for cannabis equity, Benton has turned Posh Green Cannabis Boutique into a hub for knowledge and products from other equity businesses. Coming in the form of direct grants, equity businesses there can receive up to $65,000 if they meet certain eligibility and requirements. As of December 2021, San Francisco has distributed over $3 million to cannabis equity businesses.  San Francisco Travel Association Department of Cannabis Control

Travel Lens Commentary: Travel is a vehicle that shifts perspective, a facilitator of transformation - and it isn't meant to always be pleasant and delightful. Some of the most powerful travel experiences are rooted in tragedy and sadness, walking in the shoes of the marginalized and bearing witness to what remnants are left of the disgusting atrocities that humans are capable of - and learning from that, that which mustn't ever be repeated. Simply spend a day at Dachau Concentration Camp in southern Germany or experience a Khmer Rouge killing field in Cambodia for humbling experiencing that will forever change you. For me, the cannabis equity programs of today are reflections and reminders of some of the most important cannabis stories we must keep alive and continue to tell (and teach from), in travel. The cannabis equity programs of today are an attempt at restorative justice, righting the wrongs of the war-on-drugs era. Cannabis equity programs are living proof and real recognition of the immense damage that the war-on-drugs facilitated for so many communities, destroying families and fueling incarceration at levels at rate that would make your head spin. As we stand up modern day cannabis travel experiences, we must become educators of the past and stewards of the future, creating a smarter, kinder, and more compassionate world that promotes true equality and equity. San Francisco Equity Group

SAN JOSE - Location, Location, Location - Cannabis Shops in the Visitor Ecosystem

Summary: San Jose officials have indicated their desire to double the number of authorized cannabis retail sites, and last month the City Council relaxed regulations with a 10-1 vote to make it easier for retailers to expand geographically, with the lone dissent from incoming mayor Matt Mahen. The goal is to enable dispensaries clustered in East San Jose to move into other areas while also increasing the number of cannabis business licenses in the city from 16 to 37. Visit San Jose San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau

Travel Lens Commentary: When a destination is approaching cannabis retail strategy, tourism and visitor ecosystem should always be considered. Why, you ask? Because the data shows that destination visitors account anywhere between 20% to 50% of cannabis retail transactions in legal adult use markets - that's why. Destinations are best served by allocating an appropriate number of licenses towards supporting the visitor experiences and awarding licenses to those businesses that are excited about not only being a cannabis shop, but also a cannabis attraction that plays a role in creating a greater destination experience build for visitors that is on-brand with the greater destination. Tucking cannabis businesses away in an industrial district as if it is something shameful and dangerous is inaccurate, outdated, and ridiculous. Cannabis is medicine and people consume cannabis to improve their quality of life. California is a global cannabis destination and visitors are expecting an experience that is memorable, safe and enriching. Cultivar Strategies Cannabis Travel Association International