{"id":10805,"date":"2025-08-08T12:17:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T12:17:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/?p=7239677"},"modified":"2025-08-08T12:17:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T12:17:16","slug":"denver-cannabis-lounge-accused-of-violating-law-could-lose-its-license","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/denver-cannabis-lounge-accused-of-violating-law-could-lose-its-license\/","title":{"rendered":"Denver cannabis lounge accused of violating law, could lose its license"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/denver-cannabis-lounge-accused-of-violating-law-could-lose-its-license\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<div><img src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/denver-cannabis-lounge-accused-of-violating-law-could-lose-its-license.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p><em><strong>UPDATE at 12:15 p.m. on Aug. 8:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2025\/08\/08\/tetra-cannabis-lounge-denver-employee\/\">Denver employee \u2018no longer with the city\u2019 after incident at cannabis club<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>A Denver cannabis lounge is at risk of losing its license following allegations from city officials that the business violated multiple laws during events it held earlier this year.<\/p>\n<p>This week, the Denver Department of Excise and Licenses issued an \u201corder to show cause\u201d to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tetralounge.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tetra Lounge<\/a>, meaning it will have to defend itself in a hearing in October and explain why its license \u201cshould not be suspended or revoked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The city alleges that the business, at 3039 Walnut St., violated the terms of its license during parties on April 20 and July 10 when vendors appeared to be selling and sampling cannabis products. Investigators believe one of the vendors was not a legally licensed marijuana company, the order states, among other allegations.<\/p>\n<p>Tetra Lounge, which opened in the River North Art District in 2018, is what\u2019s technically known as a marijuana hospitality establishment, and its license doesn\u2019t permit cannabis sales. Patrons who visit bring their own weed and pay an entry fee <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2023\/06\/06\/tetra-lounge-marijuana-hospitality-reopening-rino-arts-district\/\">to smoke outside on its patio<\/a>. The lounge also hosts events, such as joint-rolling classes.<\/p>\n<p>In an interview with The Denver Post, Tetra Lounge owner Dewayne Benjamin disputed many of the city\u2019s allegations and said some were mischaracterized or taken out of context. For example, officials noted finding pipes with burnt marijuana inside the building, which is not licensed for smoking. Patrons are only permitted to consume outside on the patio, but Benjamin said he brings the pipes and other smoking apparatuses inside to clean them.<\/p>\n<p>In an instance where officials allege they saw someone sampling and selling cannabis, Benjamin said he was told by the vendor they were not doing so, but he removed them from the property anyway.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese things we go above and beyond to prevent,\u201d Benjamin said. \u201cOver the course of seven years, Tetra has been one of the safest social atmospheres in Denver.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"related right\"> <\/aside>\n<p>One other accusation involved psychedelics, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2024\/02\/05\/colorado-psychedelics-decriminalization-law-psilocybin-shrooms-dmt-mescaline-arrest\/\">some of which are now decriminalized in Colorado<\/a>. The city\u2019s order alleges that one event included a vendor advertising DMT, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2024\/08\/19\/psychedelic-mushrooms-gummies-microdosing-wellness-trend-colorado-human-consciousness\/\">microdose<\/a> capsules and mushroom chocolates, and that another was giving away free psilocybin gummies just outside of Tetra\u2019s licensed premises.<\/p>\n<p>Benjamin said the onsite vendor in question was providing information about decriminalization laws, not products. He also said he saw a representative of the Denver Department of Excise and Licenses consume a mushroom gummy from the vendor located off of the business\u2019 property.<\/p>\n<p>Eric Escudero, spokesperson for the department, said \u201cWe encourage him to file a complaint with the city, and it will be investigated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tetra Lounge\u2019s hearing is scheduled for Oct. 10 and the business is permitted to operate in the meantime.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.denverpost.com\/dp\/preference\">Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Originally Published: August 8, 2025 at 6:00 AM MDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<p>A Denver cannabis lounge is at risk of losing its license following allegations from city officials that the business violated multiple laws during events it held earlier this year. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5062,52,6811,376,1547,7938,77,5577,7816,6886,9,5019,6228,1,3,7072,6923,61,1736],"tags":[5063,2632,6816,2954,4115,7939,2655,5580,7818,6889,5022,6235,7073,6924],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10805"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10805"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10805\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}