“Starbucks of marijuana” Denver chain heading to Telluride is ruffling existing pot business’ feathers

By The Summit Daily

TELLURIDE, Colo. — A new business called Green Dragon has been granted a license to sell recreational cannabis in Telluride. The four existing cannabis stores in Telluride aren’t doing cartwheels of joy.

The “Wal-Mart of weed,” said the manager of one existing store. The “Starbucks of marijuana,” said another of the Denver-based chain. It has 10 stores, including Aspen, Breckenridge and Glenwood Springs.

Green Dragon’s price of $5 a gram undercuts prices of existing stores. It sells only in the recreational sector. Other stores sell to both recreational and medical customers. A competitor argues that those with medical needs will be hurt by this price-cutting.

According to the Telluride Daily Planet, this new twist has some existing cannabis stores calling for new rules to govern marijuana sales. Like Aspen, Telluride has largely treated marijuana stores like liquor stores. There are no limits and there are no special prohibitions about locations, such as restricting them to industrial zones.