Dean Ween has big plans for Denver.
The guitarist, best known for his work in the iconic alt-rock band Ween, hopes to open a Denver concert venue where the audience will be allowed to use marijuana — without hiding from security.
The venue would be named Dean Ween’s Honeypot Lounge and would be located near Coors Field, according to chief operating officer Michael Polansky, who announced the plan at a city meeting on Monday.
“I think cannabis and music make total, total sense together,” Polansky told The Denver Post. The venue would host music, comedy and film-related events, with Dean Ween serving as entertainment director and performing “in various incarnations.”
“We think that we can offer a unique kind of musical experience for Denver and the world,” Polansky said. The venue also would operate as a consumption site during the day, with educational and wellness programs, he said.
A representative for “The Deaner,” also known as Michael “Mickey” Melchiondo, confirmed to The Denver Post that he’s part of the venue plan. The guitarist’s repertoire includes “I Smoke Some Grass (Really Really High),” a trippy ’90s B-side.
The organizers hope to open the Honeypot’s doors by April 20, the stoner holiday, Polansky said. It would be among the first businesses of its kind in the United States.
The group hasn’t yet applied for the city license that would allow marijuana consumption in the venue, according to city licensing spokesman Eric Escudero. And the organizers haven’t announced a location either.
The organizers plan to apply within a few weeks for the license.
The current rules include some strict limits on marijuana use at Denver businesses: Under state law, a marijuana venue could not serve alcohol. The audience likely would be limited to vaping and edibles. And they’d have to bring their own stuff, since social consumption businesses can’t sell THC products.
“Social consumption is the next frontier,” Pulansky told City Council members.
Denver is one of the first in the nation to host a “social consumption” permit program, approved by voters in 2016. But the city only has one social-weed venue so far — a coffee shop that connects to a dispensary. Some have criticized the limits on locations, while others are frustrated by the state law that forbids indoor smoking.
“Allowing room for innovation will alleviate the problem,” Polansky added.
Another proposed business, an arcade named Vape and Play, hopes to open early in 2019 at 1753 S. Broadway, according to co-owner Taylor Rosean.
“I’m extremely thrilled,” Rosean said of the Honeypot announcement. “We heard rumors that another private interest was looking around, and I was super excited that it was someone that is intending to open and do it right. They have such an amazing background in music. I think they’re really going to contribute something unique in this developing market.”
Matt Van Sistine, a board member of the Ballpark Collective neighborhood group, said he had just heard about the Honeypot proposal, but hadn’t talked to the organizers. Honeypot Lounge would have to prove that it has neighborhood support to get a permit.
“At this point, I’d rather know more about ’em,” he said. “The challenge is, who’s behind it?”
