Forget Amsterdam, Oregon may soon become the epicentre of cannabis tourism; Australia readies for Mardi Grass

If a marijuana legalisation supporter wants to see how weed is made, Oregon is the place to visit. Portland has recently opened its first cannabis campus and it’s a big step towards becoming a definitive marijuana destination. Just like wineries and breweries, a trip to the campus means visitors can see how cannabis is grown and cultivated and then prepared for sale.

The 30,000 square feet Chalice Farms headquarters and campus will also show visitors how edibles are prepared in the kitchen. All the extra cannabis is stored in a vault. Hence, there is no question of mishandling of the drug, reports Portland’s KATU2. Thus, Portland is all set to become a marijuana tourism destination.

“It is the epicentre of some of the best cannabis in the world,” said Chalice Farms owner William Simpson.

Unlike Oregon, Washington does not allow cannabis to be grown, prepared and sold in the same campus. Simpson believes this is the edge that this cannabis campus has over others. Hence, it may soon become a desired pot destination for tourists and revellers.

“They’re going to stop talking about Amsterdam and/or Colorado. They’re going to all be coming to Oregon for cannabis tourism,” Simpson added.

Down Under, Nimbin’s Mardi Grass is attracting huge marijuana legalisation supporters after Federal Government announced plans to legalise medicinal cannabis. Thousands of revellers are pouring in from everywhere to celebrate Nimbin’s first Mardi Grass. However, the people are being told that marijuana is still illegal and will take time to get legalised. The event is being organised by Michael Balderstone.

This year’s Mardi Grass started with the crowd marching from Nimbin Hospital to the local police station. It was a symbolic move to introduce the crowd to the police to establish a mutual respect. Moreover, this year, people will be educated on the real truth about marijuana at the festival, reports the ABC.

“We're going to work as hard as we can for a long time yet to educate people on the real truth. The real truth is that we've been hoodwinked. It was the most used medicine on the planet until 80 years ago, but some think it's going to cripple people and turn them mad and unfortunately those doubts have settled into people's minds,” said Balderstone.