Colorado Barbers Cash In on Marijuana Harvest

(Not-In-Montrose-You -Don’t) Many Western Slope hair cutters are augmenting their incomes in the agricultural sector this fall by trimming marijuana plants.

The logical, symbiotic progression began last year and has taken off in 2020 due to the burgeoning demand for the product and the presence of an expert workforce needing to earn a few bucks before winter sets in.

The lingering virus and the beleaguered economy have disproportionately hurt barbers who generally welcomed the seasonal labor. Many expect to survive due to tolerance toward what was once seen as the devil’s weed.

“It’s clear that intimate services are not top priority these days,” said Belle Toole, a salon owner in Colona. “We had to do something. Then our Benevolent Brotherhood of Hemp Associates flew into action.”

Toole explained that many of the barbers had ever handled the crop but that after they got used to the stickiness and the aroma they chopped and severed and cut away.

Several stylists in the region can produce 3 pounds of clean bud in an eight-hour shift. Unlike hair on the floor syndrome, this bi-product can be used for cooking and industrial components, gradually replacing lumber, cotton, and even petroleum.

“Their work is of top quality and they bring their own scissors,” said one grower, happy to see the process run smoothly.

– Salvador “The Barber” Calabria

“I once yearned for justice. Now I just want a little mercy.”  – Kris Kristopherson