Cannabis may be legal, but it’s not lost its hype. Indeed, the novelty of legal cannabis is still well and truly with us. Consumers don’t just want to buy cannabis; they want to see how it’s made, from seed to flower. It’s a booming industry for existing cultivation facilities – and another revenue stream. Marijuana tour businesses are the frontier of this sector.
It’s got a lot of marijuana farms and growers curious. But, unlike tours of breweries or chocolate factories, marijuana remains a touchy business – regulatory speaking.
What’s the deal? We’ll explain the ins and outs of the marijuana tour business, listing a few questions you need to ask first. To get information regarding opening a financial account for your cannabis business and gaining a loan application, contact Safe Harbor Financial for details.
Technically, cannabis remains illegal in the US – albeit with legal status in specific states. Because of this aspect, you’ll find most cannabis tourism companies don’t include cannabis consumption as part of the tour, even when it’s legal to do so.
Although you may have a cultivation license, most growers do not have a cannabis retail license. The only places that sell cannabis legally are dispensaries with a marijuana retail license for their state. Additionally, the consumption of weed in a vehicle is only legal in certain states and requires a specific license to do so.
Otherwise, supplying weed as part of your marijuana tour business could land you in trouble.
In most legal states, you’ll be allowed to show people around your farm or cultivation center. In fact, guiding people around and explaining the production process is the most common type of marijuana tour business. Just be careful when it comes to consumption.
Given how such tours typically work, with a sample at the end, visitors may expect a tester as standard. If you’re not legally permitted to do so, ensure your visitors are fully aware of this legality.
Of course, if you do wish to attach a dispensary to your grow facility, you can always apply for a license. However, remember that even in certain legal states, you won’t be able to sell particular products, like smokable forms of marijuana in Louisiana.
All businesses – including marijuana tour businesses – need a hook to grab their client’s attention. Are you based in the stunning Coloradan mountains? Are you an industrial powerhouse with a set-up to make NASA envious?
Some marijuana tour businesses take in a city’s sights, hitting top dispensaries along the way. They hold a license to smoke in the limousine or tour bus. Meaning that the customers can chill as they’re ferried around in style.
Others embrace nature – heading out into the hills with a private party after a pit stop at a dispensary.
Whatever your brand, think about how you’ll sell it to the public. Is it a deep dive into the production process for cannabis connoisseurs, or is it a beginners’ guide to marijuana, leading them into this wild world?
As you decide on your hook, consider your target market. While some tours can have a broad appeal, many will have a niche audience. You’ll want to ensure there’s a big enough market to earn a profit.
Is your tour aimed at locals wanting to find more about their favorite products? Parties wanting to tour the city in style? Or tourists searching for an intro experience into the cannabis industry?
With farm tours, pot buses, and trips involving weed and waterfalls, there’s plenty of variety, each marijuana tour business appealing to a different slice of the market.
Once you’ve decided on your market, tailor your branding and message to them. Few middle-aged couples want to party on the pot bus – though they might enjoy an outdoor exploration into cannabis cultivation.
What’s included in your tour? Try to think up fun activities to spice it up. How are you going to describe your growing facilities? What part of the process do you want to explain?
Getting visitors involved and active is the most fun part of the experience. Show them the seeds you use, the fledgling plants, the warehouse of growing cannabis, and more.
Tours can run cooking with cannabis classes or “how to roll your first joint” tutorials. It’s a fun and exciting way to create a marijuana tour to remember. Classes also provided another potential income stream on top of your tour.
Get creative – one business in Denver advertises a Sushi & Joint Rolling class. So, when you are smoking your finished product, you can sample your sushi.
Price is critical. Often, you’ll be the first marijuana tour in your location – how do you know what to charge? Look at similar tours around the country to estimate a reasonable price. For example, the Portlandia Experience charges $175/hr for a bus seating 12 people. Meanwhile, their weed and waterfall tours start at $79 per person.
Of course, you’ll need to think about how you’ll be paid. Few companies accept card payments from marijuana-related businesses. So, you’ll need to go with a payment provider that caters explicitly to cannabis companies.
It’s not quite the problem it used to be; cannabis banking is undergoing something of a renaissance.
With ever more Americans siding with legalization, there’s a growing interest in fun cannabis tours. It could be a trip to a growing facility, a pot bus hitting up the best dispensaries, or an afternoon in nature (with a bit of cannabis on the side).
As new licenses, like the Cannabis Hospitality License in Colorado, become available, more and more businesses will experiment with cannabis tours. What will your hook be? It’s not just a lucrative opportunity; it’s an exciting new venture for existing cannabis businesses.
Do you own a hemp, CBD, dispensary, marijuana, or cannabis business and need a business bank account? We’ve validated over $8 billion dollars in cannabis-related funds since 2015. Bank with confidence. Bank with Safe Harbor Financial today.
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