As of January 1, 2018, recreational marijuana became legal in California and the fledgling cannabis tourism industry is betting big on growing demand for marijuana-centric experiences for avid users and those curious about cannabis.
The first major cannabis tourism project to launch is the Flow Cannabis Institute, created by Flow Kana, a craft cannabis brand based in San Francisco.
In 2017, Flow Kana acquired the historic Fetzer Winery property in Redwood Valley in Mendocino County, in Northern California, for $3.5 million. Fetzer Winery is one of the biggest names in inexpensive wine - a standard on grocery store shelves across the country.
Flow Kana is transforming the property, surrounded by vast redwood groves and wildflowers, into "the world's first cannabis campus" with educational, research and leisure experiences.
So, what will Flow Kana offer at what7x7 describes as "the Wonka factory of weed?"
A place to research & process
The 80-acre property includes the 85,000 square foot, former winery that is being transformed into the Flow Cannabis Institute.
The Institute will not grow cannabis onsite. Instead, they'll welcome cannabis farmers from Northern California to the property, where they can "test, dry, cure, trim, process, package, manufacture and distribute farm products cost effectively, and at massive scale," according to Flow Kana.
They compare the concept to coffee farmers, who take their beans to a centralized facility for processing, which also helps keep costs low.
A place to learn
A 22,000 square foot facility, including former winery offices, will be made into an educational facility.
Flow Kana will welcome growers, policy makers, the media, academics, and the general public to the property for workshops, conferences, exhibitions and classes on sustainable cannabis growing and use.
They'll offer workshops and classes based on "a model farming operation" where interested parties can gain first hand experience in organic and sustainble cannabis farming, production, processing and more, including business practices.
A place to relax
What excites me most about the Flow Cannabis Institute? The bed and breakfast.
The historic Fetzer family home is being tranformed into a bed and breakfast, complete with a spa offering marijuana-infused spa treatments.
Guests can light up poolside, hike the grounds, and enjoy marijuana and wine pairings in the evening.
The old Big Dog Saloon, build in the Prohibition Era, will become a cannabis tasting room.
A place to taste (but not buy)
Once a hang out for locals, the Big Dog Saloon will become a marijuana tasting room.
Built during the Prohibition Era, the abandoned building will become a place for guests to try different types of sustainable and organic marijuana products from Flow Kana.
According to Amanda Reiman, head of community relations at Flow Kana, the tasting room isn't seeking to get people stoned, but to educate them on the role of cannabis and marijuana in their lives and how to marijuana use it responsibily.
After testing some products, guests can ease their munchies with a pizza offered in the dining area.
They'll also rent the facility out for special events. Marijuana marriage, anyone?
Flow Kana will offer tastings of their organic and sustainable cannabis products, but won't sell them. (Courtesy photo)
One thing you won't be able to do: buy marijuana.
Flow Kana doesn't plan on opening a dispensary, but California law allows it to be given away for free, so there will be plenty of samples being sent home with guests.
Would you go to a marijuana bed and breakfast?
The facility is slated to open in Spring 2018.
Check out this video and decide for yourself!
Learn more at flowkana.com.
About Sarah
Sarah Stierch is a journalist based in Sonoma, California in the United States. She primarily works in the realms of wine, travel, food and culture. Her work can be discovered in Wine Enthusiast, Sonoma Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, KQED, Motorburn, The Huffington Post, North Bay Biz, North Bay Woman, the Bohemian, The Press Democrat, Sonoma Index-Tribune, and more. She's a former fellow at the Wikimedia Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, and Berkeley Center for New Media.
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