TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Stoned with the stars: California's marijuana tourism gets smoking

California's pot legalization means that anyone over the age of 21 -- as for alcohol -- can have up to one ounce (28.3 grams) of grass. Meanwhile, producers, distributors and sellers must apply for city and state licenses, and adapt their products to meet tough legal requirements.

Javier Tovar (Agence France-Presse)
Los Angeles, United States
Tue, January 29, 2019

Share This Article

Change Size

Stoned with the stars: California's marijuana tourism gets smoking Cannabis tourists browse products in a marijuana dispensary on a cannabis tour organized by LA-based Green Tours, January 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles, in 2016, became the largest city in the world where cannabis is legal, many guides offer tourists the opportunity to immerse themselves in this industry. (AFP/Robyn Beck)

W

hen California legalized recreational marijuana use in 2016, Gene Grozovskiy decided he would show tourists the big change behind the scenes.

Now he's seeing some green, thanks to strong interest in all that grass in Los Angeles, considered the world's largest pot market where the air routinely smells of weed.

The 35-year-old took inspiration from his father, a Russian immigrant who led tours of Los Angeles for decades. The younger Grozovskiy outfitted a bus to take visitors on pot-themed outings.

But he acknowledged that getting Green Tours off the ground has not been easy.

It's the same complaint heard from many with pot-related businesses in California: while dreaming of big money, what they have encountered is plenty of bureaucracy and high taxes from the state.

"At first, the cannabis industry did not accept us, the tourism industry did not accept us," said Grozovskiy.

"It took a year of literally knocking on doors and fighting," he explained. The company lost money in 2018 but expects to be in the black this year.

Rivals, such as Green Line Trips, Weedology, Dope Tours and Food High, cropped up over the first few months after recreational pot use was legalized.

Grozovskiy's tour takes about four hours and includes a visit to a dispensary -- selling not only weed but also candies, chocolate and other edibles -- a local growing facility, a bong factory and a house for smoking. It costs $89.

Rather than typical Hollywood tour stops, Grozovskiy's bus will take patrons to experiences like a smoking session with actor Tommy Chong from "That'70's Show," for $179. In the future, he hopes to bring other celebrities on board, like Snoop Dogg.

Like at Disneyland 

Guide Ryan Lance told the story of cannabis: how it was first used as medicine in the United States before being outlawed.

Now, its recreational use is legal in 10 US states, including California, and in the capital Washington.

Read also: Thailand approves medical marijuana in New Year's 'gift'

Among the major changes since legalization, marijuana-linked arrests have declined sharply -- down from millions in recent decades.

In the dispensary, manager Scott B, who wouldn't give his last name, detailed the various types of marijuana plants that exist. 

He also described how to differentiate female from male plants, how they are crossed, and the light and water the plants need to thrive.

The manager detailed worrisome state taxes, strict tests that can lead to millions of dollars in weed being discarded and how some companies employ five-year-old children to test the safety of their packaging.

Dan Chlebanowski, 30, who has been a pot lover since his teenage years, listened closely.

"I think any time you're interested in something, and anytime you can see the behind-the-scene aspect of that, it's always fun," he said.

"I mean you see it at Disneyland, you see it here in Hollywood, why not for cannabis, you know?"

Legalization was critical to launch pot-related tourism ventures. And yet the overall marijuana industry has not surged as many predicted. 

Arcview, a firm specializing in the cannabis market, reported a drop in the state's sales between 2017 and 2018, from $3 billion to $2.5 billion. 

"The decline is slight, but remarkable given that we projected a very rapid growth," said Arcview vice president David Abernathy.

'I have my contacts' 

California's pot legalization means that anyone over the age of 21 -- as for alcohol -- can have up to one ounce (28.3 grams) of grass. 

Meanwhile, producers, distributors and sellers must apply for city and state licenses, and adapt their products to meet tough legal requirements.

The measures have led to a "very developed and robust illicit market" of businesses that won't comply with the new law and can thus avoid charging astronomical taxes that can reach 35 percent, said Abernathy. 

Alex Traverso, head of communications at the California Bureau of Cannabis Control responsible for regulating the industry, told AFP that several measures will be approved in the state legislature that may reduce the tough current regulations.

But anyway, the impact of the high prices was so great that Felicia Davis, who was on the tour, said she would not vote for a similar legalization in Wisconsin, where she lives.

She prefers to pay less on the black market. "I have my connections," she said with a smile.

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.