Colorado's high flyers get high in style at sophisticated cannabis soirees with 'munchies for foodies'
The first Edible Events party was held in Denver Saturday, catering to the city's well-heeled cannabis enthusiasts
The party was held at a high end art gallery in downtown Denver
Guests paid $125 per ticket for the fully catered event which was BYOC (bring your own cannabis)
Event planner Jane West says she wants consuming weed to become just as acceptable as drinking wine
Guests brought their own pot-infused foods, vaporizers or joints to the event
Joint smokers were provided with a luxury bus outside the non-smoking gallery
The event will be held monthly for guests keen to create a new, high-end pot scene
By Alex Greig
PUBLISHED: 00:04 EST, 27 January 2014 | UPDATED: 01:33 EST, 27 January 2014
Now that Colorado citizens can buy marijuana for recreational purposes legally, catered pot parties are the new wine and cheese mixers.
Event planner Jane West of Edible Events threw her first weed-friendly event at downtown Denver's high-end Space Gallery.
Pairing cannabis with canapes is a winning formula for West, whose guests forked out $125 per ticket for the sold-out event where the wine and food were provided but the weed was BYO.
West, 37, dreamed up the event soon after Colorado became the first U.S. state to legalize the sale of cannabis for recreational use.
She quickly realized that there was a market for a more discerning demographic to consume pot in a social environment.
'When I looked around Denver there was nothing that really fitted my demographic, that I felt comfortable with,' she told the UK Telegraph.
The inaugural party for Edible Events was themed End of Prohibition, and photographed by cannabis education group Kind Reviews.
Among her guests are sisters Candy Nuss, 59 and CynDee Williams, 62, dressed smartly, their silvery hair perfectly coiffed.
Successful real estate broker Wendy Bruner, 67, also enjoyed the event, telling the Telegraph that she never liked to smoke and hates the taste of alcohol but loves the high cannabis gives her when she consumes it in the form of cakes and granola bars.
'It blows my mind how many people our age are doing it. My brain's always racing and it mellows me out. It just takes all the worry out of things. I think people will realise this is not a stepping stone and you're not going to be a cocaine freak in three months,' she said.
Edible Events' soirees, to be held monthly hereafter, 'combine visually stunning venues with decadent food and libations to create a unique, unforgettable evening affair' and showcase the best Denver has to offer in 'the culinary, cannabis and art scenes,' according to the company's Facebook profile.
'I decided to have events that I would like to attend. It's really about normalising cannabis, making using it as ordinary as ordering a glass of wine. This is for people who would go to an art gallery opening, or a four course dinner, but also like cannabis,' West told the Telegraph.
Her guests brought their own cannabis in the form most pleasing to them - edible, vaporiser, joint - and in turn were provided with a delicious menu of weed-friendly foods such as chicken parmesan lollipops in sofrito and brie, mango and poblano chilli quesadillas.
The food is specifically designed with the weed-consumer's mouth in mind, moist with sauces, cheese and cream and full of more-ish flavors. 'Munchies for foodies,' West calls it.
It's a far cry from the stereotype of the dim stoner slacker munching down a bag of Cheeto's and watching Beavis and Butthead.
Guests who preferred to consume their weed the traditional way - rolled and smoked - were provided with a luxury bus bedecked with peacock feathers where they could smoke to their hearts' content.
The company's goal, reads the Edible Events Facebook page is to 'maximize your cannabis experience and stimulate your heightened awareness of taste, smell and sight.'
'I wanted to create an event where consuming cannabis is just the same as consuming alcohol, so it's really just normalizing it,' she said.
'I dont want to use the word "pot" or "weed" or "smoke" or "joint,"' West told The New York Times.
'If we redefine it as consuming cannabis, then maybe people will be more open to that. There are only so many hoodie-wearing stoners in town. This needs to be opened up to other demographics
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