Monday Mashups: The Rise of CBD-Centric Event Venues

As laws begin to soften, BizBash has found that experiential spaces centered around CBD are starting to pop up and help consumers chill out. Take Color Up Therapeutics for example. Located in downtown Denver, the 12,000sf repurposed grocery store site is the largest facility dedicated to CBD and cannabinoids education in the city, which is saying something considering Colorado has been at the forefront of the marijuana and CBD legalization movements. Color Up's space includes a retail store, spa treatment rooms, executive offices, production lab, conference room for educational workshops, a yoga studio, a full-size kitchen for classes and demonstrations, and even a podcast room.

The company's goal is to break the stigma surrounding the medicinal plant through education and awareness, and to help the community see a different side of cannabis. In addition to a variety of CBD-focused offerings, the wellness center is also home to Color Up Therapeutics’ manufacturing and production lab where visitors can take a tour and get a peek at the creation of the brand’s hemp-derived products such as eye creams, lotions, and lip balms.

The center had a soft opening back in January, with plans for a grand opening slated for April 20 (yup, that's 4/20). The activity comes on the heels of the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill back in December, which made hemp-based CBD cultivation legal nationwide. Before this, under the Controlled Substances Act of the 1970s, cannabis of any kind had been banned, with individual states enforcing their own regulations surrounding CBD. (States will maintain this power under the new bill.)

To be clear, the new legislation refers to products that contain cannabidiol, a non-intoxicating compound found in hemp plants, which purportedly helps with anxiety, insomnia, pain, and inflammation. Legal CBD products must contain less than 0.3 percent of the psychoactive compound THC (the stuff in marijuana that causes a high).

According to the Farm Bill, hemp is now classified as an agricultural commodity (as opposed to a controlled substance), making it easier for legal and possibly higher-quality products to be more readily available around the country. Plus, there are now no longer restrictions on the sale, transport, or possession of hemp-derived products, as long as the items are produced according to the law.

And the law can be tricky.

BizBash shares that wellness brand Recess, which makes sparkling water that’s infused with hemp extract and adaptogens, recently opened a semi-permanent pop-up space in New York’s NoHo neighborhood. Recess IRL, the brand’s “first recreational wellness destination,” is designed to be more than a retail space, but rather an experiential place with wellness programming where consumers can “take a Recess” from daily life, explained Benjamin Witte, the company’s founder and C.E.O.

But in February, just days before Recess IRL opened, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene issued a ban on the use of CBD in food and beverage items sold in restaurants, bars, and cafés in the city, based on federal guidelines that say CBD is “not safe as a food additive.”

Even though the drink has been described as the “LaCroix of cannabis,” Recess contains hemp extract, not CBD, so the company believes the ban doesn’t pertain to the beverage. But Witte explained that the company is still working to remain on the up-and-up as laws evolve.

Because the hemp and CBD industries are largely unregulated, with laws that vary from state to state, brands like Recess and Color Up Therapeutics are hoping to educate the public—and build trust—as part of the buying experience. For example, Color Up Therapeutics’ CBD Wellness & Education Center hosts educational workshops surrounding CBD and cannabis, as well as offering CBD-infused cooking lessons and CBD-infused yoga classes and spa services like facials and massages. The company also holds classes for beauty industry professionals like estheticians and massage therapists who want to become more versed on CBD.

With the legalization and more CBD-centric venues popping up, it's only a matter of time before these establishments become getaways or destinations for events. Keep your eyes on the rise of cannabidiol and devour the details of planning a CBD-centric experience!