Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/310878
THISYEARCOLORADOVOTERSLEGALIZEDRECREATIONALMARIJUANA IGNITINGCONTROVERSYYETFUELINGABUDDINGNEWINDUSTRYIN THEROARINGFORKVALLEY WHEREMARYJANEISHAVINGHER MOMENTCOURTINGSUITANDTIEVERSUSTIEDYEDBUSINESSMEN. BYDOUGBROWN PHOTOGRAPHYBYSHAWNO'CONNOR GREEN rush T he quartet of Bavarians, all in their 50s, stand in line at Silverpeak Apothecary during a bright March weekday while studying the pot selection that looks like a sushi menu, reading the brochure titled Guide to Responsible Cannabis Consumption, and smiling quite a bit. "So, you probably smoked in Amsterdam before, right?" I ask. "No. Never in Amsterdam. Or in Germany." "But you have used pot." "No!" says Thomas Tanzer, 52, dressed in ski pants and sweater. "This will be the first time for all of us." They walk out 15 minutes later, laughing and holding a small sack of weed- laced candies and ask me to take their picture in front of the dispensary. "Be careful with those edibles," I tell them. "Go slow." "We will," says Tanzer, holding out the brochure. And off they go to give this marijuana stuff a whirl. Scoring weed has never been a tough challenge in Pitkin County. Its iconic, almost mascotlike former resident, Hunter S. Thompson, yoked his identity to his fondness for drugs of all sort, including cannabis, and law enforcement has long taken a largely hands-off approach to marijuana use. But what was mostly reserved for locals and connected visitors is now on display in downtown Aspen. Silverpeak Apothecary looks like a boutique or gallery, sells grams of Jilly Bean, White Widow, or Trainwreck starting at $15 and attracts lines most days just before it opens, at 1 PM. No longer does a pot lover visiting Aspen have to "know a guy" who knows a guy who sells pot. All she needs is a photo ID to prove she is at least 21 years old, and she can pur- chase weed as easily as buying a bottle of wine. ASPENPEAK-MAGAZINE.COM 165 164-169_AP_F_MJ_V3_SUM_FALL_14.indd 165 5/6/14 3:39 PM