Denver Business Owners Get In On 'Bud And Breakfast' Trend
DENVER (CBS4)- Denver is a part of a new tourism trend called "Bud and Breakfast." People dine on cannabis meals with their stay.
Some call it the "Airbnb" for stoners.
The Denver marijuana-based bed and breakfasts make up about 38 percent of all Bud and Breakfasts nationwide. The Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division does not regulate it. Founders of "Bud and Breakfast" say homeowners cannot sell cannabis or charge guests for using it. They can, however, "gift" it.
Deborah Button owns several of the establishments in the metro area. Her guests get at least one cannabis infused meal a day for guests.
She says she "was doing airbnb and it was right after legalization and I kept getting people with MS and Lou Gehrig's [disease] and I thought, 'Oh, this is what they are doing out here.'"
Button realized there is a growing demand for marijuana-friendly accommodations in Denver.
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Button makes marijuana-banana smoothies, eggs benedict with cannabis-infused hollandaise sauce and even cannabis cheesecake and pumpkin pie.
Guests like Dallas-based Tanya say the edibles cure her chronic pain and are delicious, "You feel like you are living the life of the land of the free for real."
Button describes her clientele as diverse, "I get some of the stoner guys who want to try every dispensary in town, but I also get older couples who just want to experience it."
When CBS4 was there, guests were staying at Button's home to self-medicate. Mother of three, Natasha Irizarry, drove in from North Carolina. She suffers from Lupus and only controls her pain with marijuana edibles.
A bad fall left Tanya with chronic pain. She says her pain vanished after eating cannabis-laced foods. She has traveled to Denver two weeks in a row and stayed at Button's bed and breakfast both times to reap the benefits of marijuana.
Button does not want us to reveal the exact location of her Bud and Breakfasts because she doesn't want her neighbors to be concerned. Right now there are 26 in the Denver area and range from $45 to $1,000 a night.
Britt Moreno anchors the CBS4 morning and noon newscasts and is the Wednesday's Child reporter. She loves hearing from viewers. Connect with her on Facebook or Twitter @brittmorenotv.
