You can be forgiven for thinking this story is right out of a Cheech & Chong movie but it’s true. The city of Los Angeles now has a hotel that caters to weed smokers.
Dennis Perron is a leader of efforts to legalize medical marijuana in California. He was asked by the new owner of the Hôtel Normandie to develop a "pot-tel". The reopening took place, of course, on April 20, or 4/20 which in pot speak is a very unrecognized day to celebrate marijuana.
The hotel will not be selling guests any pot though. Selling marijuana is still illegal in the United States.
Normandie marketer and marijuana rights activist Richard Eastman told the Los Angeles Times about the hotel’s new motto: "Forget Amsterdam… All roads lead to the Normandie."
Eastman added: "You won’t need a passport to come to the Normandie Hotel. You won’t need a plane ticket to come to the Normandie Hotel. On the Metro, the bus, the taxis, we’re centrally located in the middle of the center of the universe right here."
The Hôtel Normandie dates back to the 1920s and is now located in the Korean quarter. Until recently, the LA Times notes, the hotel "catered to budget travelers, long-term tenants and Korean-speaking visitors."
It costs $420 for a two-night stay.