DENVER — You had to know it would happen: Colorado florists are offering marijuana floral arrangements for Valentine's Day.
"You can't do a lot because the smell is so overwhelming. It's more of a little accent here and there," said Cindy Ollig, owner of the Perfect Petal in Denver.
Recreational marijuana has been legal in Colorado for more than a year, and many retail pot shops take pride in selling intact marijuana "buds," rather than the compressed or ground-up marijuana often found on the illegal market.
Ollig said marijuana fans, especially those who own stores, love to incorporate the cannabis plant into their lives. She said incorporating marijuana isn't all that different than giving chocolate or wine. This summer she provided marijuana-themed floral arrangements for a wedding between two pot dispensary owners.
"They have great budgets and wanted to give a nod to their business," she said with a laugh.
Ollig's phone has been ringing off the hook after her business was featured in a story by the Denver Post's Cannabist section Thursday morning.
To stay within the law, the customer must provide the marijuana, and the florist cannot deliver the completed arrangements; they must be picked up by the buyer.
Ollig isn't the only florist incorporating marijuana into bouquets. Another Colorado florist, Buds & Blossoms, makes wedding arrangements, and boasts "you can take the buds from your bouquet or 'budonniere' and put it straight into your bowl."
The marijuana-themed bouquets are the latest development in the fast-growing legal cannabis industry in Colorado and Washington state.
Last month, a California-based company introduced in Colorado a marijuana-infused sexual lubricant for women that claims to help them relax. And marijuana store shelves are stocked with pot-infused candies, cookies and brownies as "ganjapreneuers" race to market with products that remain illegal across the rest of the country.
