No, Colorado McDonald’s are not converting PlayPlaces into marijuana lounges

DENVER — McDonald’s PlayPlaces aren’t becoming pot places, not even in Colorado, the first state with legal recreational marijuana sales.

The fast-food company said there is no truth to a report on social media that 15 restaurants in the state have transformed or plan to transform play areas into pot-smoking centers.

The Now 8 News site claimed each restaurant would have 15 pods where customers can smoke marijuana-filled joints, bongs or pipes without bothering others.

McDonald’s spokesman Khim Aday says he “can confirm 100 percent that this is not true.”

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He said the false story has circulated since 2015. The story said two Denver restaurants had completed the conversion, while the other 13 were planning completion renovations by the end of 2015. Legal recreational pot sales in Colorado began in 2014.

This is part of The Associated Press’ ongoing effort to fact-check misinformation that is shared widely online, including work with Facebook to identify and reduce the circulation of false stories on the platform.