Mile-high city gets higher with Denver’s first cannabis-friendly Bud + Breakfast

When Colorado’s Amendment 64 took effect in January 2014, effectively legalising marijuana, hordes of tourists flocked to the American state to try the barely legal drug – only to find there was nowhere to smoke it.

Though adults aged 21 or over can legally possess up to 30g of retail marijuana, regulations make it difficult to consume without breaking the law.

As with the open container laws covering alcohol, marijuana cannot be smoked in public. While some cigar shops enjoy immunity from the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act , which prevents smoking in public establishments, those rules do not extend to pot shops. Ganga-preneurs are forbidden from opening “bud bars”, and smoking in dispensaries is likewise illegal. National parks adhere to federal law, which makes cannabis camping tricky, too. Breaking marijuana laws can result in thousands of dollars in fines and jail time. In short, Denver is hardly an all-American Amsterdam. This poses problems for hash-hungry travellers without a friend’s couch to crash on.

Enter Joel and Lisa Schneider, owners of the Mary Jane Group , which is leading the way in “the canna-lifestyle hospitality sector”. They run The Adagio Bud + Breakfast in downtown Denver. Unlike a hotel with a public lobby, a privately owned bed and breakfast can allow customers to legally consume marijuana products on their private premises. The Adagio opened in 2014, effectively cornering the market.

Entering the Adagio feels almost disappointingly normal. Complete with crown moulding, chandeliers and a grand piano, the gorgeous Victorian home (built in 1892) is hardly a drug den. In fact, apart from the enshrined Jerry Garcia memorabilia and giant blown-glass bong, you might never know its secret. No one’s breaking bad in here.

Upper-echelon customers travel from all over the world to spend US$179-US$399 a night on the handsome rooms. Guests enjoy decidedly decadent Wake + Bake breakfasts : eggs and coffee, or peanut butter and banana-stuffed French toast with candied bacon. And at 4.20pm each day, there are happy-hour munchies. Smoking is not allowed in the rooms, so everyone smokes in the common area. This creates an unusual bond between guests, like a glorified adult youth hostel. Rather than feeling forced together for an awkward breakfast, guests sit for hours, waxing poetic together – an immaculate house party. It also allows for the owners to keep an eye on folks. “It feels like mom’s house … except you can get high on the couch,” noted one glassy-eyed businessman.