Organized pot tourism draws Texans

DENVER – Texans aren't just traveling to Colorado on their own to enjoy legal marijuana, they are also taking part in organized marijuana tourism.

"We had a great pair of women from Houston who came up for our first tour ever. They were social workers. They went back and told everyone there," Matt Brown, owner of My 420 Tours in Denver, said. "We are expecting a lot of people from Texas."

Brown offers a variety of tour packages that include Bud Bowl tours that coincide with the Super Bowl. That package sold out within a few days. He offers Valentine's Day themed marijuana tours and St. Patrick's Day tours.

Tour packages cost about $1,200 per person, but some cost nearly $2,000.

"We call ourselves 'your best friend who lives in Colorado,'" said Brown. "We pick you up at the airport and provide all transportation."

Brown's tours include hotel, cooking classes, 420 happy hour parties and grow-house tours. Customers get plenty of samples, he said.

"We really give you everything you need for your Thursday to Sunday tour," Brown said.

Tours do not include airfare or most meals.

Colorado legalized marijuana under state law on Jan. 1. It is still illegal under federal law, but federal agents do not generally investigate people with a small amount of marijuana who grow or use it in private.