Colorado ski resorts wary of marijuana tourists; others chase them

[Warren Stupidity]

BY KEITH COFFMAN
DENVER Thu Jan 2, 2014 8:40pm EST
Jan 2 (Reuters) - Colorado ski resorts and the state Tourism Office have chosen not to embrace out-of-state visitors who have come to buy legalized cannabis, creating an opportunity for a handful of small firms that are catering to marijuana tourists.

When legalized marijuana became available for sale with the New Year, out-of-state tourists joined Coloradans in lining up at authorized retailers, despite the federal ban on the substance.

Colorado, under a 2012 voter-approved referendum, allowed the world's first state-licensed marijuana retailers to open for business on New Year's Day and legally sell pot for recreational use. At a number of the roughly three dozen former medical marijuana dispensaries cleared by state regulators to sell the drug, lines of customers formed outside the door.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/03/usa-marijuana-colorado-idUSL2N0KC1C420140103

Oddly, every ski resort I've ever been to not only tolerated "alcohol tourists", they actively sought them out. I guess this wariness must be fear that they won't spend enough money at the dozen or so bars scattered up and down the slope. It certainly can't be a safety concern.

[jberryhill]

1. "alcohol tourists"

The difference is that the several bars at a ski resort including, as you point out, the ones you actually have to ski down from, are operated by the resort.

[Warren Stupidity]

2. oh and there is the now decades long loathing of 'boarders

by ski resorts, and as we all know, boarders do like their smokes.

Your picture sums it up perfectly.

[Cha]

14. That reminds me.. Coors musta been

Pissed about Amendment 64!

[Bjorn Against]

3. They will change their minds as soon as they see how much money the resorts that embrace it make.

[jberryhill]

5. Not if it cuts into alcohol sales

[Bjorn Against]

6. While alcohol is very profitable, renting out rooms is even more profitable

If people choose the resorts that embrace it over the resorts that shy away from it then no amount of alcohol sales will make up for the number of vacant rooms. If the resorts that embrace it fill up faster than the ones who don't you will soon see all the resorts embracing it.

[jberryhill]

7. If people are staying at offsite villas

Then the resort is only collecting on lift tickets, rentals, food and drinks for visitors not staying in a resort-owned property.

I know whereof I speak...

http://domains.adrforum.com/domains/decisions/1106470.htm


Complainant is The Vail Corporation and Vail Trademarks, Inc. (“Complainants”), represented by Jennifer Daniel Collins, of Faegre & Benson LLP, 1700 Lincoln St., Suite 3200, Denver, CO 80203-4532. Respondent is Resort Destination Marketing c/o Brian Pannell (“Respondent”), represented by John Berryhill (...)

This is not the first time under the Policy that a ski resort operator in the western United States has attempted to expansively extend its limited rights in resort operation services, to essentially monopolize the booking, reservation, and tour package trade to the locale in which it operates. The resort of Deer Valley in Utah, also possesses similar federal registrations, and yet it has been repeatedly recognized that trade in resort bookings, using a geographic descriptor of the resort location, even where it coincides with a federally registered mark, is a legitimate non-confusing reference to the indicated booking services: Deer Valley Resort Co. v. Intermountain Lodging, FA 471429 (Nat. Arb. Forum June 21, 2005) (deervalleycondos.us) Deer Valley Resort Co. v. Intermountain Lodging, FA 471005 (Nat Arb. Forum June 9, 2005) (deervalleypropertyrentals.com) Deer Valley Resort Co. v. Intermountain Lodging & Reservation Center, FA 474344 (Nat. Arb. Forum June 27, 2005) (deervalleylodging.info).


Respondent submits that each of the Deer Valley cases is on all fours with the present case in this regard. In each instance, complainant Deer Valley demonstrated similar US federal registration for certain “DEER VALLEY” marks. Nonetheless, the panel in, e.g. Deer Valley Resort Co. v. Intermountain Lodging & Reservation Center, FA 474344 (Nat. Arb. Forum June 27, 2005) (deervalleylodging.info), recognized that among Internet consumers of luxury destination accommodations, it is recognized that many third party tour operators, estate agents, rental agents, and so forth, engage in legitimate trade associated with travel and accommodations relating to such destinations generally, such that the addition of other signs and indications to the specific geographic resort mark are not per se “confusingly similar.”


Vail lost.

The mountain operators believe they are entitled to squeeze every last nickel out of anyone who comes without shouting range.

[Bjorn Against]

8. The thing is they don't sell any of those things if people don't go there

If people are more likely to choose places that embrace pot over places that shun it then sales of all of those things you mentioned are effected.

[jberryhill]

9. True to an extent

But catching a whiff of something on the lift ride has hardly been unusual at almost any ski resort I've ever been to.

I can't see why there would be any more pot smoking going on now that it's legal, since there's never been anyone trying to figure out which of a 100 pairs, trios or quads of people suspended in moving chairs above the ground on private property were responsible for that smell.

How many times did Bodie Miller fail a pee test?

[joshcryer]

10. So start selling Green Dragon Soda.

Charge 10x the current rate for marijuana dosages (it's about 10x more potent).

[jberryhill]

13. They can't do that

Aside from the various state regulations on sales, it would be unwise for an otherwise substantial business to pick up selling pot as an additional line.

Do you want to be the lawyer who gets a call from a billion dollar client who says, "Hey, we want to start violating federal law. Whaddya think?"

[joshcryer]

15. Starting July 1st any retailer can request a license.

Any store, 7-11, whoever. Denny's. Really.

I don't see how it'd be any different from having a liquor license.

I admit those ski resorts that are leasing federal land may not want to do this. Though I think it's illegal to drink on federal land anyway. So that's a tough one for me to argue.

[Mopar151]

4. I was talking to a beer salesman who sells in ski country

Didja know that the family of brands that encompasses Long Trail outsells Anheuser-Busch in VT? The beer companies pour money into promotions near the mountains, because they figure that vacationers are more apt to be adventurous, and may bring a new "brand experience" home with them.

[JVS]

11. What are the indoor smoking laws like in CO?

[uncle ray]

12. basically it's ok if in "private".

be it your residence, a private hotel room, or a private party or club. i don't know about denver or resort towns, but co springs actually has several private rec pot clubs. denver forced a cancellation of a celebratory new years party at a nightclub because they deemed it public because it was advertised on the internet. the clubs are getting away with it in the springs, so there's no reason resorts couldn't accept it if they choose to do so.

[JVS]

17. if smoking is banned in hotel rooms, they'll have difficulty

[SoCalDem]

16. a simple waiver should do it

any post-accident test that comes up positive for pot or alcohol & no law suit..