At most offices in America, smoking a joint during your lunch break
or eating cannabis-laced brownies at your desk would land you in HR.
But in some states, not only won't you be punished -- you might be rewarded.
Kyle Sherman and Chase Wiseman cofounded Flowhub, which
provides software for the cannabis industry, in 2015. The Denver-based
startup has been a weed-friendly workplace from day one.
"Our philosophy at Flowhub is to get s*** done," said Sherman. "If it
helps our employees get work done, then we don't care if they consume at
work."
Sherman and Chase both consume marijuana at work, either in weekly brainstorming meetings or toward the end of the day.
"It definitely surfaces new ideas and a fresh take on things," said Sherman.
While recreational marijuana is legal in Colorado, smoking of any kind
isn't allowed in the building. So Flowhub's 18 employees, most of them
millennials, are free to bring in cannabis-infused edibles, sodas and
juices.
So far, there haven't been any negative outcomes.
"Our clients are some of the biggest firms in the cannabis industry,"
said Sherman. "We have to be on point with our work. We've never had a
problem yet."
High There! and MassRoots are just across the street from each other in downtown Denver.
Both are social networking platforms for cannabis users.
High There! launched 10 months ago and has 150,000 active users. MassRoots, which launched in 2013, models itself as a Facebook (FB, Tech30) for pot users and expects to cross 1 million users by 4/20.
Both startups allow weed at work.
"Being in Denver, we're in the heart of the cannabis industry," said
Darren Roberts, cofounder of High There! "Cannabis is part of our
culture."
Still, Roberts said it's not like his employees are
constantly stoned at work. Similar to Flowhub, he said consumption
typically happens later in the day or at brainstorming sessions.
"It has led us to breakthrough moments for our business," he said. "So yes, it's been very effective for us."
MassRoots cofounder Isaac Dietrich schedules weekly rooftop smoke
sessions at his apartment building. They're meant for strategic planning
and employee bonding.
"I thought up MassRoots when I was
smoking weed in my college friend's apartment," said Dietrich, whose
firm has 30 employees and has raised $4.4 million in funding.
"Our general philosophy is that we need to be as productive and creative
as possible, everyday," he said. "If cannabis facilitates that, then
we're allowing it."
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