24 JUNE 5-11, 2025 westword.com WESTWORD | REAL ESTATE | RENTALS | HEALTH WELLNESS | SERVICES | EMPLOYMENT | ADULT | MUSIC | CLASSIFIED | CANNABIS CALENDAR It’s time to kick off Pride month in Denver — or should we say spark up. RiNo cannabis venue Tetra Lounge is throwing two Pride events over the next week, starting with an annual Glitter Gathering celebrating the LGBTQ+ and cannabis communities in the same space. A few days later, Pokémon enters the Pride festivities at Tetra, with a handful of other cannabis-friendly events taking place around town, as well. Puff, Paint and Mini-Mixer Saturday, June 7, 2 to 4 p.m. The Coffee Joint 1130 Yuma Court This cannabis-friendly paint session (elec- tronic dabbing, vaping and edibles only; no open fl ames), is led by Leana Spann, who will guide you through your marijuana- infl uenced masterpiece while you mingle and puff away. Tickets (21+) cost $44.52 on eventbrite.com and will help support the Women in Cannabis Expo. Guests can bring their own cannabis products or buy them at the dispensary next door. 4th Annual Glitter Gathering Saturday, June 7, 3 to 7:30 p.m. Tetra Lounge 3039 Walnut Street RiNo cannabis venue Tetra Lounge is team- ing up with Colorado Harvest Company and Green Dot Labs to host a Pride day party with live music and DJs, local food and drink vendors, cannabis brand giveaways, art installations and more. According to organizers, all proceeds will support Denver LGBTQ+ nonprofi t the Center on Colfax. Enjoy beats and tunes from Daneeca and djKidProdig, munch on food or sip some lem- onade with a joint in hand for just $20. Get tickets and learn more (21+) at tetralounge. com/events/4th-annual-glitter-gathering. Pokémon Pride Game Night Wednesday, June 11, 7 to 11:55 p.m. Tetra Lounge 3039 Walnut Street Wanna smoke ‘em all? Put your card skills and toking ability to the test during a special Pride edition of Pokémon game night at Tetra Lounge. There will be space for Pokémon card battles and video games as well as mu- sic, more games and a costume party. Get in with a $20 Tetra day pass (21+), and bring your own cannabis for consumption. Learn more at tetralounge.com/events/pokemon- pride-game-night-denver. Psychedelic Science 2025 Monday, June 16, to Friday, June 20 Colorado Convention Center 700 14th Street After breaking records for attendance and coverage in 2023, Psychedelic Science will return to the Colorado Convention Center in 2025 with over 400 presenters, nearly 190 workshops and presentations, and more than forty associated side parties, concerts and networking gatherings. Learn more about the conference’s agenda, exhibition hall, speakers and tickets at psychedelic- science.org. ■ A S K A S T O N E R BY BRENDAN JOEL KELLEY Dear Stoner: Is it legal to trade some of my weed for some magic mushrooms as long as no money changes hands? Aspiring Barterer Dear Barterer: Let’s start with the Natural Medicine Health Act of 2022, which decrimi- nalized magic mushrooms and created a gifting economy in the psychedelic space in Colorado. Pertinent sentences read: “An individual may share with an adult (21+) in the context of counseling, spiritual guidance, community- based use, supported use, or related services,” and “No payment for natural medicine (‘re- muneration’).” However, payment for bona fi de harm reduction or support services used concurrently with sharing is allowed. “Remuneration” is the operative word here, according to Sean McAllister, a Den- ver-based attorney who specializes in psy- chedelic law. “The sharing provisions say you can share with no remuneration, and remuneration, of course, means payment, defi ned to be anything of value,” he says. As opposed to the regulated healing centers and licensed handlers and facilitators, one can only receive remuneration for harm reduction services on the personal use side of the Natural Medicine Health Act, according to McAllister. “This is the gray area,” he explains. “If I give you a ten-minute explanation of psilo- cybin — start low, go slow, set and setting, all the basic information — and you pay me $50 for the harm reduction consultation, then, voilà: I give you free medicine.” If you’re a recreational cannabis user without a medical marijuana card, you can share up to an ounce of weed. But character- izing a gift exchange as a “trade” is techni- cally coloring outside the lines. “Legally, you should stay away from any system where you could be seen as receiving value for giving something,” McAllister adds. “But in reality, if you have someone that gives marijuana and somebody gives psilocybin, and you both say it was voluntary, I think it could be done.” According to the attorney, the true ques- tion is, “Would he only give me psilocybin if I gave him cannabis? Then, technically, you’re receiving something of value.” That distinction means that trading one for the other would be seen as illegal. How- ever, such an exchange is also a very low priority for law enforcement. McAllister equates the scenario to trees falling in the forest when no one is there to hear them crash: “Law enforcement doesn’t have time to go out and investigate how somebody gave somebody mushrooms.” Send questions to [email protected]
