In a letter that begins, "Dear Marijuana Industry," the of Denver Department of Excise and Licenses announced it will hire a full-time person to help budding cannabis lounges break through the red tape of opening up shop.
The business licensing office created the position, "cannabis process navigator," based on input received from the marijuana industry, said Excise and Licenses spokesman Eric Escudero.
"It really is just someone else that's there to help," Escudero said. "People have a lot of questions when they're getting any kind of business license. They have questions, whether it be zoning, buildings, public health... what we want to do is make this process easier for people.
To ensure public safety, potential business owners have to navigate a bureaucratic maze that traverses various city departments to ensure things like air quality standards and fire codes are followed.
That's one reason only two legal weed lounges, or places where people can consume marijuana, exist citywide: The Coffee Joint and Vape & Play. Another is because of Denver's strict restrictions of where they can be (at least 1,000 feet from schools, day care centers, rec centers, drug and alcohol treatment centers, and public pools). No one with a liquor license is allowed to get a license, either.
By the way, whoever gets the job will receive a very livable wage. It'll pay between $76,000 and $122,000, according to the job post.
