Stop for gas and pick up grass at these spots

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These Colorado gas stations are also dispensaries

Native Roots has operated three “gas and grass” dispensary-gas station hybrid locations in Colorado Springs since 2015. But until recently, they could only sell to medical patients. PROVIDED BY SARAH SMITH

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By Tiney Ricciardi

cricciardi@denverpost.com

This week, Colorado Springs began allowing recreational cannabis sales for the first time since they were permitted in Colorado in 2014, and consumers there have access to some of the most unique dispensaries in the state.

Native Roots cannabis company operates three pot shops that double as gas stations, so Springs shoppers can fill up both their car and their stash in one stop. The so-called Gas & Grass stores sell all the usual products, from edibles and flower to vapes and other concentrates.

The dispensaries have been open since 2015, but were previously only allowed to sell to medical patients, said Native Roots spokeswoman Liz Zukowski. Now, anyone 21 and up can shop there.

Native Roots is excited to offer recreational sales, Zukowski said, because the number of medical cannabis consumers has steadily decreased over the last decade. Though the locations will still serve medical patients, the age for entry has been raised to 21 from 18, Zukowski added. There is no age limit to use the gas pumps, however.

Colorado first legalized medical marijuana in 2000, when patients needed a doctor’s approval and a “caregiver” to grow the plants for them. That paved the way for medical dispensaries, but as recreational cannabis became more available, fewer people needed the formal approval from a doctor to get access to the substance.

In response, the number of stores licensed as medical cannabis providers has also been on the decline. In January 2017, there were 524 active medical marijuana dispensary licenses in Colorado. As of December 2024, there were 312, according to the Marijuana Enforcement Division.

Despite the trends, Native Roots’ unique business model has proved worthwhile as the market has fallen on hard times post-pandemic, since having gasoline means access to a secondary revenue stream.

“In the last few years, the gas has really been the more utilized part of those stores,” Zukowski said.

Dispensaries can now also sell non-infused food products and drinks, thanks to legislation passed in 2024, so Zukowski expects the Gas & Grass locations to offer snacks like traditional convenience stores soon.

Native Roots’ Gas & Grass stores in Colorado Springs are located at 1003 N. Academy Blvd., 1705 W. Uintah St., and 1433 S. Tejon St. The company also runs a dispensary without gas at 3660 Austin Bluffs Parkway.