Arizona bartenders, 'budtenders' mark Black Wednesday and Green Wednesday

PHOENIX - For the cannabis industry and bars, the day before Thanksgiving is known as Green Wednesday and Black Wednesday, respectively.

For both industries, Wednesday is a big day for business.

"The doors have been slammed since we opened up around [8:00 a.m.]," said Raul Molina, the Chief Operating Officer of a chain of dispensaries named Mint. "We had lines around the building."

"It’s kind of like our Super Bowl for bartenders!" said bartender Kristin Golden. "A lot of people think, like, St. Patrick’s Day or Cinco de Mayo, but no. It’s the night before Thanksgiving."

As for why Thanksgiving means a busy time for bars and marijuana dispensaries, it has to do with people who are in town wanting to catch up with friends the night before the holiday, and stressed to see family members the day of.

"Everybody is getting ready to have to deal with grandma, auntie, and all those people tomorrow," said Molina. "Today is going to double up. Not only will it double up for today and the amount of people we normally see on a Wednesday, tomorrow is also going to be busy."

"Everybody is back home. Everybody knows that they are going to sit down tomorrow and have a big meal and do nothing, so they all go out, they all imbibe, meeting up with friends and family," said Golden.

Golden said on a typical Wednesday, they have about 150 customers throughout the night. In a span of a few hours on Nov. 22, Golden said her bar is expecting 400 to 600.