Ever since Colorado legalized cannabis in 2012, certain things have been missing. When a newly legalized market emerges, there’s no question that certain balls are going to be dropped.

For instance, the rules and regulations for Colorado cannabis can’t stay the same for more than a week at a time. Meanwhile, California has had issues with growers reverting to black market methods to avoid the state’s outrageous licensing fees.

On the flip side, sometimes the newly emerging market gets it right, which is what we really hope has happened now that Denver has approved hospitality licenses that allow cannabis use within businesses.

If you don’t get it, let’s emphasize that we’re talking about real, in the open, cannabis use here. That’s a far cry from the days of yesteryear, when old timers like us had to bend our knees to hit our hash pens in night club crowds.

According to an article from 9News, the city started accepting applications for the licenses in November, having approved the first one this month.

With any luck, it’s only a matter of time before we’re no longer doomed to cheefing a kief bowl with our seat reclined outside of whatever hellish Denver activity we’ve picked for Friday night, only for us to have a very real out of body panic attack when we enter the nightclub/concert/bar that our former college roommates have dragged us into.

Prior to the approval of hospitality licenses, individuals were allowed to consume marijuana if it was a private social club operating on a membership.

“After overhauling its marijuana rules and regulations in 2021, Denver didn’t allow private clubs to allow on-site consumption anymore,” reads the article from 9News. “The city now requires a license to do that.”

An existing private club called Tetra Lounge was one of the first to have its hospitality license approved by the city pending passing inspections, with the business hoping to have a smoking lounge open in time for 4/20.

According to the article, the city is solely focusing on social equity applicants in an effort to make the industry more diverse and accessible.

One other social equity hospitality license has already been approved, with two other applications pending approval.

In trying and frightful times like these, it’s nice to know that we have the little things going for us, such as a real life possible shot at fulfilling our lifelong dream of ripping a four foot bong inside a Coldstone Creamery.