This tiny Colorado town wants to rename itself “Kush” — here’s why
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Benzinga recently reported that cannabis tourism is a $17 billion industry. Now Moffat, with 120 residents, wants to seize this opportunity. To that end, the town in southern Colorado’s San Luis Valley is seriously considering changing its name to “Kush” to ride the cannabis tourism wave with a rebrand.
Behind the initiative is Mike Biggio, the co-founder of Area 420, a 420-acre cannabis business park (designated for licensed commercial cultivation). “I want to establish this as a world-renowned cannabis region,” Biggio told the Denver Post.
Photo by Yarygin/Getty Images
What is kush?
The suggested name “Kush” refers to a landrace marijuana strain originating from the Amu Darya river valley on the border of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. According to Weedmaps, this weed strain grew in the wild for centuries and stabilized its genetic profile through continuous natural selection.
In the 1960s and 1970s, when Afghanistan was still part of the “Hippie Trail,” countless pot smokers and fellow travelers would visit the country and enjoy some of the most potent marijuana strains ever seen. Many of them brought these landrace seeds back to their home countries, where they formed the origin of the Kush strains we know today.
‘The Napa Valley for Bud’
According to Biggio, Moffat “could be the next Humboldt County. Napa Valley for buds,” he said. “It would show that the city has both feet on the ground and reflect the new culture here.”
Biggio will meet with the local board of trustees in mid-June to discuss his proposal. The meeting is informative, an “opening salvo” before voting takes place.
build momentum
Moffat Mayor Cassandra Foxx says she would vote for ‘Kush’, noting that ‘change is always good’.
Especially given the tax benefits that Area 420 and the cannabis industry bring to the city. As a cannabis hub, or “cluster,” Area 420 has the potential to attract companies of all sizes that could work, compete, and collaborate to foster cannabis innovation and boost the local economy.
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Photo by Bloomberg Creative Photos/Getty Images
Cannabis income put to good use
Mayor Foxx explained that the city’s revenue has increased from $80,000 to about 80,000 in the last five years since Area 420 started. The money has gone to fund schools, roads and housing.
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“This city could just exist (…) Then Area 420 came along and brought us industry. It’s been exponential growth,” Foxx said.
However, not everyone agrees. Trustee Ken Skoglund said calling the city of Kush was an overstatement. “It’s not about money. It’s about right and wrong and we represent the people,” he said.
This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.
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