Getting Baked: Marijuana Desserts On The Rise In Colorado
It's not just pot brownies anymore. THC-laced baked goods, from cookies and cakes to pastries and crackers, have become serious business in Colorado ever since marijuana was legalized in the state on January 1st. In fact, according to USA Today, more marijuana dispensaries and pot bakeries are popping up than ever in Denver. The demand has steadily increased for marijuana edibles in the cannabis state, and competition for having the best marijuana baked goods is on the rise.
"You name it, it's being made," Julie Postlethwait of Colorado's Division of Marijuana Enforcement told USA Today.
Sweet Grass Kitchen has been operating in Denver since 2010, and since January 1st, they have already noticed a huge increase in orders, even though their recreational marijuana-selling license has not been processed yet.
"Edibles in particular seem to be incredibly popular in the recreational market... even more so than the medical market," Julie Berliner, owner of Sweet Grass Kitchen told us. "We've never seen anything like it!"
To keep up with demand, Sweet Grass Kitchen started growing its own supply of marijuana instead of going through a distillery or other distributor. Berliner said she thinks people prefer the baked goods to minimize the pot smell, and to avoid having to smoke the marijuana directly.
So how are these bakeries safely and efficiently injecting THC? For Sweet Grass Kitchen, they infuse the marijuana directly into the sweet cream butter, instead of injecting butane hash oil, which she said is a less harmful method. The results, said Berliner, are delicious cookies and brownies with the familiar cannabis aroma.