As HIGH TIMES prepares to invade Colorado on 4/20 for our third Denver-based cannabis event, we caught up with Colorado’s premier cannabis critic. William Breathes is the nom-de-fume of the Westword’s medical marijuana dispensary critic and marijuana beat reporter. He’s been reviewing dispensaries in the Mile High City for the newspaper since 2009. Follow him on twitter – @williambreathes.
 
How did you become the "medical marijuana critic" for Westword?
I just showed up and started smoking herb in my editor’s office until she hired me. No, seriously the Westword decided to hire a medical marijuana dispensary critic in 2009 in response to the hundreds of legal medical marijuana shops opening up around the state. The paper is already known as the source for culture, restaurant, and music reviews, so it was a natural step for them. They put an ad up for the job on their site and took in more than 300 applications including mine.
 
What are your qualifications?
I have a degree in journalism and I’m a medical marijuana patient who uses cannabis for chronic stomach issues including nausea and severe cramping. I’ve been using cannabis since I was a teenager. I grew enough in my time to realize that other people are way better at it than I am. But most of all, I think my biggest qualification is that I’m curious about what is going on and constantly learning more about this fascinating plant.
 
Why do you wear a disguise?
We approached reviewing much like our restaurant critics do: anonymously. But unlike a restaurant critic who can book a reservation under a fake name and pay in cash without ever disclosing who they really are, medical marijuana centers require patients to show an ID and state license before you can enter. Having a disguise keeps me incognito, and my pen name allows me to, hopefully, keep my identity secret.
 
I’m sure that there are a few shops out there that put two and two together to figure out who I am by what I’ve purchased in their shop and later wrote about. I’ve also introduced myself to a few people around the industry over the last three years. But for the most part, I’ve been able to keep things under wraps.
 
Does the industry put stock in your opinion?
I think they do. I’ve received feedback from a number of dispensaries that appreciate the honest approach and criticism. I’ve had a few owners tell me that all they ever hear from patients is good things, and that having someone like me point out that they could have spent more time curing buds or that plants weren’t finished flowering before harvest helps them provide a better customer experience. That said, I’m sure there’s plenty of people who could care less what I have to say about their shop.
 
But, without sounding like some egocentric asshole, I do think my critiques have significance, not only to our readers – who write and thank us often for helping them find new shops and strains – but also for medical marijuana as a whole. The more that marijuana is talked about in our culture, the more it will be accepted as the norm. That’s what cannabis use is for millions of people: normal.
 
What makes Colorado such a pot powerhouse?
Like the cannabis plant, everything starts with the roots. While we haven’t been as out-front about it in the past as other states, there’s been a strong culture of growers and smokers in the mountains and down here on the Front Range that goes back to the 60s and 70s. Schools like the University of Colorado and Colorado State University became known as hippie havens in beautiful mountain towns with great live music scenes and amazing herb to go along with it. But along with enjoying good ganja, we’ve also got amazingly tenacious advocates and activists fighting for our rights at all levels of government going back just as far. Today, we’ve got a regulated medical marijuana industry that – despite its flaws – has shown to the general population that legal cannabis can exist without the world coming to an end.