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AirTHC Bets on 'High' Demand for Pot-Friendly Rentals in Colo.

By Brett Snider, Esq. on April 28, 2014 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Weed tourism seems to be a booming business for Colorado, where a new startup called AirTHC is providing pot enthusiasts with legal places to enjoy herb.

The company launched in early April, just in time for the reefer reverie of 4/20. Denver's KMGH-TV reports that AirTHC was inspired to "fill a void" between legal marijuana and a lack of places to legally smoke.

So what's the low-down on AirTHC's high-ly anticipated rentals?

AirTHC Rentals Provide 'Green' Space

Although there are a number of places to buy recreational pot in the Rocky Mountain state, there are remarkably few places that you can smoke it legally.

Colorado has barred smoking marijuana in public, which means no smoking on/in:

  • Buses,
  • Streets,
  • Parks,
  • Government buildings,
  • Schools, and
  • Malls.

You can smoke inside private residences and businesses, but most businesses fall under Colorado's indoor smoking laws. This means no smoking cigs or nugs inside most Colorado businesses.

There are a few private businesses which do allow pot smoking, but the New York Daily News reports that Denver only has about "600 hotel rooms" which allow pot smoking. With a high demand for hotels to host pot tourists, AirTHC hopes to "provide property owners a way to cash in on the boom."

AirTHC v. Airbnb

AirTHC is modeled (and ostensibly named) after its relatively more sober big brother Airbnb, which allows property owners to rent out rooms or entire properties to visitors much like a vacation home or hotel room. Airbnb has been dealing with some issues in New York City, where the service has allegedly been used for prostitution and is struggling to stay legal.

Airbnb is legal in Colorado, and airTHC is hoping to replicate the startup's success with the promise of reefer-friendly rentals. Owners can list their pot properties now with airTHC for free, and airTHC will open to renters once there are enough rooms to go around.

AirTHC founder, Greg Drinkwater, told Mashable that the company could "expand into additional states where marijuana is legalized in the future." Encouraging out-of-staters to come and blaze away a Colorado weekend may create even more friction with neighboring states, who are already vexed by Rocky Mountain reefer.

But until Colorado says otherwise, airTHC may be the best legal bet for Colorado pot tourists.

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