American Green Inc., a Pheonix based cannabis grower and product maker had the vision to turn the small town of Nipton, California into Cannabis Town – Weedville. The concept was shared in 2017 as the first weed-friendly, energy-dependent destination in the United States.
Imagine someone taking an entire town and transforming it into a place just for pot tourism. Some thought it was a pipe dream. They spent approximately five million to buy the town during the green rush. Interestingly, this little town was both founded and built by the gold rush.
With cannabis being illegal on a federal level, the initiative did not exactly make the whole concept promising. American Green Inc., took a big risk. The company released a statement the following year: “Buying and Building a town is very cash-intensive. Up until now, the cost of attracting capital has been very expensive for our company” Today, the 120-acre town is owned by Delta International Gas & Oil (later changed their name to Cannawake Corporation). They purchased it from them for $7.7 million dollars with the stipulation that American Green could still continue with its project to move forward with developing their cannabis-town.
There is hope and support that the town will become a cannabis tourist destination. Jim Eslinger – and a self-proclaimed hippie – the mayor of the 20-person town. He is also the owner of the Trading post (that sells CBD infused products) and the only hotel. Eslinger is in favour of turning the cannabis town into a resort. And in preparation will become ordained as a minister in order to start a cannabis church.
Future for Weedville
Today, Nipton is a quiet town with a welcoming attitude about smoking cannabis and they welcome you to visit. Hopefully, they’ll get their plans on track to attract more visitors. Keep their website bookmarked. It has yet to be launched.
CannAwake Corp. continues to watch for opportunities in other small towns. They hope to preserve their charm and history. And, evaluate their potential to infuse growth and revenue opportunities for the town and for the company.
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Travel responsibly taking only memories and leaving a near to zero carbon footprint. We are all visitors on this beautiful planet of ours. Let’s treat it and all inhabitants with love and respect!
A xenophile at heart, she lives to travel and loves to share her experience on Trip Jaunt (formerly Weekend Jaunt), an online travel community and hub she founded in 2010. She hopes that you will feel inspired to discover the world as well! Helen is a member of the North American Travel Journalists Association and the Academy of Canadian Film and Television.
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