A 4/20 incident at a Denver cannabis club has cost one city employee their job and could cost the venue, Tetra Lounge, its license.
This week, the Denver Department of Excise and Licenses issued Tetra Lounge an “order to show cause,” alleging that the business, at 3039 Walnut St., violated the terms of its license during parties on April 20 and July 10 when vendors appeared to be selling and sampling cannabis products. Investigators believe one of the vendors was not a legally licensed marijuana company, among other allegations.
Tetra’s license doesn’t permit cannabis sales. Patrons who visit bring their own weed and pay an entry fee to smoke outside on its patio. The lounge also hosts events, such as joint-rolling classes.
The business, which opened in 2018, will have to defend itself in court this fall and prove why its license “should not be suspended or revoked,” according to the city order.
But the city also claims that on April 20, its inspectors witnessed a vendor located just outside of Tetra’s licensed premises giving away psilocybin-infused gummies.
And that’s where things get complicated. Tetra Lounge owner Dewayne Benjamin told The Denver Post he was onsite that day and saw two men from the Excise and Licenses department enter the building. He said the men visited the vendor’s booth and that one of them consumed a mushroom gummy. The other city representative saw him do so, Benjamin said.
When asked about the incident, Excise and Licenses spokesperson Eric Escudero initially encouraged Benjamin to file a formal complaint so the incident could be investigated. On Friday, however, Escudero told The Post that the employee in question no longer works for the city.
“The city believes in accountability when an investigation uncovers employee misconduct. The employee is no longer with the city. I can’t comment on specifics regarding the employee or the city investigation,” Escudero said in an emailed statement.
An inquiry to the city’s human resources department wasn’t immediately answered.
Benjamin opened Tetra seven years ago as a private cannabis club, before Denver developed the marijuana hospitality establishment license under which he currently operates. Over the years, the business has faced previous enforcement actions as it sought to update its building’s air filtration system and license to meet the city’s evolving standards.
Benjamin disputed many of the allegations outlined in the city’s order to show cause in an interview with The Denver Post on Thursday. He believes the detail about psilocybin gummies was included to paint Tetra Lounge in a negative light, even though the order states they were being given away “by individuals not associated with the Respondent.”
“I’ve been going on with Denver for so long,” Benjamin said. “They’re obviously going to the extreme to make sure my business doesn’t flourish.”
Tetra Lounge will be permitted to operate while it awaits its Oct. 10 hearing.
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