GLENDALE, Ariz. — Your team is in the Super Bowl, your flight is booked and you're headed to Arizona, where the parties are plentiful, the sun is shining and marijuana is legal.
Would you partake?
Marijuana dispensaries are betting you and the one million estimated tourists coming to Arizona will.
Kansas and Pennsylvania both outlaw marijuana – though Missouri OKs recreational use. This is why dispensaries are stocking up and adding staff in preparation for Super Bowl week.
“I think everyone is going to be in super vacation mode," said Michael O'Brien, owner of Ponderosa Dispensary.
Ponderosa is the closest dispensary to State Farm Stadium. O'Brien said he's called in more staff and expects business to boom.
"They're going to be out here for the Super Bowl, and they're gonna want to...you know, dabble in the products," he said.
South of the stadium, MINT Dispensary is putting the finishing touches on a brand-new dispensary near Interstate 10 and the 202.
CEO Raul Molina said they picked the spot for the proximity to the stadium and the opening date for the Super Bowl.
“We expect the crowds to show up," Molina said. "Being close to the game and the stadium is just going to be incredible for us."
This is Arizona's first major event since recreational marijuana was passed in 2020. There were no large events during COVID.
But nationwide, experts say marijuana sales typically increase by 22% during the week of the Super Bowl. And that's in places that aren't hosting. Local dispensaries are hoping to see that much business and more.
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