With just two days left before marijuana sales become legal in Colorado, the state's largest newspaper has unveiled a new website devoted to covering pot culture inside and out.
Called The Cannabist, the site will be run by Ricardo Baca, The Denver Post's marijuana editor. Baca's appointment last month made waves across the media — he got a coveted Colbert Report appearance out of it — as has the newspaper's ongoing search for a pot critic.
See also: Why Would-be Marijuana Moguls Have Their Work Cut Out For Them
Baca's video introducing the site is worth watching just for the extracts he reads from the many, many applications he's received for the pot-critic post. Here's a taste:
The Cannabist site combines stories on the politics and culture of marijuana — everything from City Hall regulations to playing video games under the influence — alongside reviews of various strains. There are also recipes and cannabis-friendly restaurant reviews. In short, it looks more like a grown-up newspaper than your average pot-themed website.
"You see the websites that have the big pot leaf that are writing in stoner nomenclature and jargon," Baca told Mashable earlier this month. "That’s not going to be us ... I think that some of the professional writing out of the culture of cannabis hasn’t been fully explored."
One of the more potentially lucrative aspects of the site: It features an interactive map of all the state's dispensaries. Another site called WeedMaps offers that information for medical marijuana in states that provide it; the site has 2 million visitors every month, and annual revenues of $18 million.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Image: MARTIN BERNETTI, AFP