Kayvan Khalatbari

Early Life & Education

Khalatbari was born August 1, 1983 in Lincoln, Nebraska, the older of two boys in a first-generation Iranian immigrant family. After graduating high school early at 16, Khalatbari earned an associate degree in architectural engineering from the Milford campus of Southeast Community College at the age of 19. He worked at the Lincoln office of M.E. Group, an MEP engineering firm, before being transferred to their Denver office in 2004. After volunteering with a marijuana legalization effort, Khalatbari eventually moved toward a career in cannabis advocacy.

Sexy Pizza

Khalatbari opened the first Sexy Pizza restaurant in April 2008 with Evan Ackerfeld and other investors. Ackerfeld and Khalatbari met while volunteering for a marijuana advocacy group in Denver called SAFER (Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation). In the early years the venture lost money, so Khalatbari worked behind the counter of the shop to make ends meet. At one point, he even rented his Denver home out and lived in a tent for the winter season. Sexy Pizza has now opened three locations around Denver. In 2014, the combined stores were estimated to earn roughly $2.5 million. Khalatbari supports medical cannabis activism through the pizzeria, and donates to non-profit advocacy organizations by giving proceeds of specific menu items to organizations such as Sensible Colorado, SAFER, and LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) each time that item is ordered.

Denver Relief

Khalatbari co-founded Denver Relief, a medical and adult-use marijuana dispensary in May 2009. Denver Relief was the second oldest marijuana dispensary in Colorado and the longest continuously operated cannabis business in the city. The business was founded with a $4,000 dollar investment and a ½ pound of cannabis. Denver Relief served several thousand regular patients and customers in Denver, marijuana dispensary has won numerous High Times Cannabis Cup awards as well as many other cannabis-growing competition awards and carried internationally recognized strains, which the business cultivated from seed to sale. Faced with the strict banking restrictions many other cannabis business owners were familiar with, the founders were unable to receive any traditional financing for their business. Instead, Khalatbari and his business partners looked to family members and friends for financial lending. When they needed more equity, they relied on credit cards. In March 2013, Denver Relief became a debt-free enterprise. Denver Relief later gained such notoriety that its cultivation facility was noticed by, and sold to, country music legend Willie Nelson through CMH Brands in July 2016. Its dispensary licenses were sold to Terrapin Care Station, the largest single cannabis industry contributor to the Amendment 64 campaign in Colorado, at the same time.

Denver Relief Consulting

In 2011, from the financial success of Denver Relief, Khalatbari opened the international consulting arm of Denver Relief—called Denver Relief Consulting—with Denver Relief’s GM, Andy Betts, and a co-owner of Denver Relief, Ean Seeb. Most of the firm's work is with out-of-state entities who are looking to get involved in cannabis-related businesses. In 2012, Khalatbari also served as a media spokesman, speaking about Colorado Amendment 64 (a ballot measure to amend Colorado's constitution, outlining a statewide drug policy for cannabis) to media outlets including CNN's Newsroom. In 2014, Khalatbari worked with client groups in Illinois, Nevada, and Canada, advocating reform and creating business plans and applications for partners to establish operations in each. The first months of 2015 will bring Khalatbari to Alaska and Maryland, working with entrepreneurs pursuing business in the cannabis field who are interested in social responsibility and are looking to open companies similar to Denver Relief.

Sexpot Comedy

Sexpot Comedy is a comedy collective in Denver, producing or sponsoring nine podcasts and more than a dozen weekly or monthly live events. The recently launched website, SexpotComedy.com, also hosts a variety of videos and creative writing pieces. The collective also launched a streaming radio station in 2015, which features Sexpot podcast clips along with standup comedy, with a heavy emphasis on Denver-based comedians. Sexpot-sponsored or -produced shows have been featured at Bridgetown Comedy Festival, South by Southwest (SXSW), and at the Hollywood Improv. In its August 2015 issue, GQ named Sexpot's monthly show one of the "5 Funniest Nights in America."

Khalatbari created Sexpot Comedy in June 2012 as an invite-only live standup show, designed as a marketing tool for Denver Relief and Sexy Pizza. Hosted at one of the Sexy Pizza locations as private events for Denver Relief medical cannabis patients, the shows allowed audience members to freely smoke marijuana, and married Khalatbari's interests in the pizza, cannabis, and comedy realms. Comedians began approaching Khalatbari to sponsor more local shows, and in late 2013, Khalatbari partnered with local producer and comedian Andy Juett to roll out Sexpot on a larger scale. On October 31, 2014, they launched SexpotComedy.com, home to photos, videos, a streaming comedy radio station, and a calendar of Sexpot events, along with all the sponsored podcasts and original written content.

birdy. Magazine

Khalatbari also bankrolls birdy., an alternative culture magazine out of Denver. Designed by local artist Michael King, the magazine is available as a free printed publication, which is distributed to local bookstores, coffee shops, and bars on a monthly edition basis. Conceived and founded by Jonny DeStefano and Christy Thacker in January 2014, the magazine features unique artwork, articles, and creative writing pieces from journalists, comedians, artists, and other local talent. The magazine is meant to be fun, provocative, and accessible: often publishing work other similar magazines will not through dark humor and irony. In 2016, birdy. expanded its print run to 10k copies in cities including Denver, Los Angeles, Seattle, Fort Collins, Boulder, and Manitou Springs.

High Times Media

Kayvan Khalatbari became part owner of High Times media in 2017 as part of Oreva Capital investment group. Oreva Capital now holds the controlling interest with a team additionally made up of Reggae legend Damian Marley and other notable cannabis entrepreneurs. The sale encompassed rights to the popular High Times Magazine, website, books, Cannabis Cup events, and more. Khalatbari hopes to see High Times cover more societal and cultural topics in the future including environmental best practices for the cannabis industry, protection of medical cannabis patient's rights, and expanded minority inclusion in the cannabis industry.

Cresco Labs

Cresco Labs is a medical marijuana business licensed by the state of Illinois, that received the three highest scores in the state's "rigorous" application process and is planning to open three cultivation facilities in Joliet, Kankakee, and Lincoln, Illinois. Khalatbari was a founder of Cresco Labs, and SEC documents list him as an executive officer with the firm.

Cresco Yeltrah

In June of 2017, Cresco Yeltrah Company became one of only four vertically integrated medical cannabis operations in the state of Pennsylvania by earning one grower/processor license by way of the second highest application score in the state, and one dispensary license good for up to three retail locations. Denver Relief Consulting assisted the partnership of Cresco Labs and the Hartley family in completing the successful application, and Kayvan will serve as Cresco Yeltrah's Executive Vice President of Operations on the Mobilization Team.

Silver State Relief

Silver State Relief was the first medical marijuana dispensary in the state of Nevada to open when it launched on July 31, 2015 in Sparks, Nevada. Silver State worked with Khalatbari as a consultant during the development phases, and earned the highest score from the state licensure board.

2019 Denver Mayoral Candidate

On Valentine’s Day 2017, Kayvan Khalatbari officially announced his candidacy for the 2019 Denver Mayoral election. Khalatbari will run on a platform aimed at improving conditions for the homeless, increasing police accountability, halting the I-70 expansion, developing DIY artist spaces, establishing Denver as a sanctuary city, and encouraging increased civic engagement by business coalitions and individuals. "The time is now, especially with all the fervor around national politics, which has shown us two things: One, anybody can win; two, if people stay inactive, bad things happen. Period," says Khalatbari. "“I love this city. It’s given me everything I have in my career, friendships, love life and community organizing — Denver afforded me all of those opportunities,” he explains. “But the longer that I do business and [live] in this city, I realize the detriment this city is placing on the people that I care about. I can’t sit by and watch it anymore. I feel it’s incumbent on me as a business leader and community organizer to engage people and give them hope that they can make a difference.”

Initiative 300

In 2016 Khalatbari was the lead proponent behind Denver’s Initiative 300: a comprehensive measure that allows for the public consumption of Cannabis. The measure was created in response to the city's lack of regulation regarding legal Cannabis, which has left many tourists and residents without legal place to consume for several years. Initiative 300 was endoresed by the Denver Post, the Democratic Party, and a host of local businesses. Passing of the measure during the November 2016 election cycle has established a four-year pilot program, which allows Denver businesses to obtain a license for cannabis consumption by people over the age of 21 on their property pending approval by the local neighborhood association, compliance with the Clean Indoor Air Act, and appropriate placement away from areas where children congregate. Initiative 300 is the first of its kind in America, and is another big step in the direction of removing social stigma concerning Cannabis use. Khalatbari will continue to work on the implementation of the pilot program and encourage the normalization of responsible Cannabis use.

Students for Sensible Drug Policy

Kayvan Khalatbari sits on the Board of Trustees for Students for Sensible Drug Policy [1]. Students for Sensible Drug Policy is an international grassroots network of thousands of students from many universities who work to create sensible drug policies, minimize drug abuse, and fight back against the failing War on Drugs.

Minority Cannabis Business Association

Khalatbari has been appointed to the Minority Cannabis Business Association's (MCBA)[2] Board of Directors. The MCBA is the first non-profit organization created to strengthen the Cannabis industry via increasing diversity. The MCBA serves as a voice for the minority community and works to provide economic empowerment and equal access for entrepreneurs, workers, patients, and consumers. As one of the few minority Cannabis business owners in the United States, Kayvan has been disheartened by the lack of access and involvement opportunities for minorities and is actively striving to generate care and support for this topic. Most recently, MCBA led the development of model legislation inclusive of every aspect of marijuana legalization. The model legislation will provide a guide for policy makers across the country to reform marijuana laws in a way that makes cannabis business ownership accessible to minorities, provides drug war reparations via marijuana tax revenue to communities of color, calls for stronger legal protections for those who use cannabis and allows for expungement of marijuana related convictions that are no longer illegal under new laws.

Environmental Sustainability in Cannabis

Kayvan Khalatbari is a Board Member of the Resource Innovations Institute [3], where their mission is to promote and quantify energy and water conservation in order to create a sustainable and responsible Cannabis industry. Khalatbari is also the Co-Chair of the Denver Environmental Health Committee on Cannabis Sustainability, which organized the inaugural Cannabis Sustainability Symposium on October 26, 2016. The symposium included over 200 people gathered at the Colorado Convention Center to discuss energy efficiency, water conservation, waste management, integrated pest management, community engagement, and design for efficiency. Khalatbari continues to encourage the development of cutting edge sustainability practices and technologies to improve the Cannabis industry.

SAFER

When Khalatbari moved to Denver in 2004, he was looking to find a way to get involved and meet people. His brother Hassan found a group online called SAFER (Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation), a marijuana legalization group that had just passed initiatives on CU and CSU campuses to equalize cannabis possession with alcohol possession. The group centers on educating the public about cannabis benefits and the harmful consequences to consumers and society of alcohol, while encouraging policy reform. Colorado Amendment 44 was placed on the voting ballet after SAFER volunteers received over 129,000 signatures to put the act in place (only 68,000 were required by the Secretary of State in Colorado). Khalatbari started volunteering for the organization, collecting petition signatures and staging political protests in an effort to pass Initiated Question 100 (I-100). I-100 was a City of Denver ballot initiative, to legalize adult marijuana possession. The measure passed in the fall of 2005, making Denver the first U.S. city to vote to remove all penalties for adult marijuana possession.

Chickenlooper

In 2006, SAFER's leader, Mason Tvert, encouraged Khalatbari to dress up in a chicken suit and "harass" then-Denver mayor John Hickenlooper at town hall meetings. He even challenged Hickenlooper to a debate as the chicken, which had by then been named "Chickenlooper."

Khalatbari recently revived the Chickenlooper costume and character to protest Hickenlooper's bid for re-election in the 2014 Colorado gubernatorial race. Chickenlooper also took part in a photo opp to protest Colorado's controversial "Don't Be a Lab Rat" campaign, aimed at curbing underage marijuana use.

Sensible Colorado

Khalatbari has been an active participant at Sensible Colorado since moving to the state, volunteering for patients’ rights and proactive regulation over cannabis. While volunteering at Sensible Colorado, Khalatbari met other industry activists and met his future business partners for Sexy Pizza, Denver Relief, and Denver Relief Consulting.

MMAPA

Khalatbari was a founding member of the Board of Directors for the Medical Marijuana Assistance Program of America (MMAPA), an organization that worked to raise awareness of the positive attributes of medical cannabis use, decrease the negative social stigma correlated with cannabis, and provide aid to patients who are unable to afford access to cannabis medicine. The organization shut down in 2012.

ILCIA

Khalatbari sits on the Board of Directors for the Illinois Cannabis Industry Association (ILCIA), an Illinois cannabis trade association that aims to initiate policy change and reforms to provide responsible and professional cannabis industry operations within the state.

National Cannabis Industry Association

Khalatbari was elected in June 2015 to sit on the Board of Directors for the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA). NCIA was founded in late 2010 to address the challenges many cannabis-based companies face when entering the burgeoning industry—specifically finding legitimate bank funding, and Internal Revenue Service codes that do not allow them to deduct business expenses. Today, it exists as the "only national trade association advancing the interests of the legitimate and responsible cannabis industry."

CRCR

Khalatbari was a founding Council Member for (and still sits on) the Council on Responsible Cannabis Regulation (CRCR), which is composed of "cannabis business leaders who are committed to seeing the industry grow in a responsible manner."

Denver City Council Campaign

In January 2015, Khalatbari announced that he would enter the Denver City Council race as an At-Large candidate. His platform included initiatives in the cannabis and hemp industries; law enforcement reform; children's services; and affordable housing. The election was held May 5, 2015 and he came in fifth place.

Art&

Khalatbari was the creator and organizer of Art& [4]; a novel event which provided a stage for the voices of artists, academics, entrepreneurs, and civic leaders to discuss how art plays a vital role in every aspect of life including solving Denver’s homelessness and discrimination struggles. Art& was in partnership with Denver Arts & Venues [5] and is in-part funded by entrepreneurial endeavors birdy., Denver Relief Consulting, Sexpot Comedy, Sexy Pizza. Art& also provided a space for collective leadership to take place within the local community as it took an incredible amount of cooperation and collaboration with community leaders to make an event such as this possible.

Homelessness

Kayvan Khalatbari has become a vocal leader concerning the topic of homelessness in Denver. A live video he posted to his social media account of Denver Police Department Officers confiscating blankets from homeless people in freezing conditions [6] went viral. Kayvan's video made the front page of the Huffington Post and prompted civil rights organizations such as the ACLU and NAACP to write letters and threaten lawsuits against Mayor Michael Hancock and the City of Denver. Facing pressure, Mayor Hancock lifted the "urban camping ban" until April 2017 to get the homeless population through cold winter months. Khalatbari continues to work on the issue of homelessness via encouraging public dialogues such Art& and Move Along to Where? A Public Dialog and Call to Action [7], as well as call for donations to help those in need [8]. In March 2017, he found success as a principal member of the Alternative Solutions Advocacy Project (ASAP) by helping to get the first tiny-home village for the homeless approved in Denver. Beloved Community Village will be established as a 180-day pilot program for individuals experiencing homelessness to create a democratically self-governed community aimed at self-empowerment and reestablishing lives. The village will consist of 11 houses, showers, restrooms, and a yurt for cooking and village events.

Denver Kids

Denver Kids Inc. is a nonprofit that works with Denver Public Schools to pair at-risk students with educational counselors and community mentors. Khalatbari has been a “big brother” mentor for Denver Kids Inc. since 2007, and has been guiding his current “little brother” since 2009.

Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestra

The Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1984 to provide orchestral experience for school-age musicians. The Orchestra now offers four ensembles and plays regular concerts around Denver. Khalatbari serves on the CYSO board of directors.

Denver Relief Green Team

The Denver Relief Green Team is the volunteer wing of Denver Relief co-founded by Khalatbari and Seeb. Starting its mission for social action in the cannabis industry in 2009, the Denver Relief Green Team focuses on the ethical framework of cannabis business professionals working towards the overall benefit of society. Often referred to as simply the “Green Team,” Khalatbari began his volunteer work with the philanthropy wing by cleaning up after public cannabis rallies and events, raising money for charitable causes, repairing wheelchairs and bikes, and donating harvest food for the less fortunate at a local organic urban farm—EKAR: Jewish Urban and Garden Farm—in Denver. As of 2014, Khalatbari and Seeb have helped the Denver Relief Green Team to collect over 250 active volunteers in Colorado that help the organization through community service to improve the once very negative public perception of medical cannabis. In 2013 alone, these two co-founders worked to bring in approximately 900 hours of logged volunteer time spent helping to improve the community.