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Law Colorado

Exclusive: Here’s how Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper really feels about marijuana


Published: Mar 31, 2017, 10:57 am • Updated: about 4 hours ago http://www.thecannabist.co/2017/03/...kenlooper-marijuana-2017/76411/#disqus_thread

By Alicia Wallace, The Cannabist Staff

In 2012, when Colorado voters wanted their state to legalize weed for adult recreational use, Gov. John Hickenlooper was thrust into an interesting predicament.

The moderate Democrat had stood in opposition to Amendment 64, a measure he felt would send the wrong message to kids, create public health risks, detract from Colorado’s desirability, and, not to mention, stoke the ire of the feds.

But voters’ will spoke and Hickenlooper became an extremely reluctant figurehead and participant in one of the most unique social and political experiments in recent years.

Nearly five years after that historic vote and a little more than three years since the regulated adult-use sales began, that experiment is ongoing and Colorado’s regulations are evolving. And on this front, the broader national landscape is flush with activity: While eight states, including Colorado, now have recreational marijuana laws, the federal government may no longer be a sleeping giant.

The experiment is headed toward a crossroads.

Hickenlooper this week sat down briefly with The Cannabist to address topics such as the looming threat of increased federal enforcement, how Colorado has fared thus far, 2017 state legislation to allow for the social use and home delivery of medical marijuana, his views as the parent of a teen and more.

Continued with the actual interview. Please follow link in the article title above to see the full text
 
Colorado set to prohibit marijuana co-op growing operations

DENVER — Colorado was set Monday to outlaw marijuana growing co-ops soon after the state Senate unanimously approved a bill making it a crime to for people to cultivate recreational pot for other people.

The bill supported by the office Gov. John Hickenlooper passed 35-0 but it was unclear when he would sign it.

There are no state estimates on how many collective recreational marijuana growing operations exist in Colorado, though they are popular among users who share the cost of electricity, water and fertilizer to grow their pot.

Colorado legalized recreational marijuana in 2012, but it has a nagging black-market problem. Law enforcement and state lawmakers attribute the black-market problem in part to weak restrictions on who can grow pot. (cont)
 
I just hope that as a tourist in Colorado in may, ill be able to aquire cannabis...
 
I just hope that as a tourist in Colorado in may, ill be able to aquire cannabis...
No reason in any of these articles why you can't. Just go to a dispensary and buy recreationally. Bring CASH as that's the only tender accepted for MJ, yeah?

When are you going and where in the state are you headed?
 
No reason in any of these articles why you can't. Just go to a dispensary and buy recreationally. Bring CASH as that's the only tender accepted for MJ, yeah?

When are you going and where in the state are you headed?

Going mid may for a month.
Will be spending the majority of time in colorada, but also will be travelling from chicago to grand canyon.

Iv been worrying for months that something will change to ruin my holiday...
 
Going mid may for a month.
Will be spending the majority of time in colorada, but also will be travelling from chicago to grand canyon.

Iv been worrying for months that something will change to ruin my holiday...

@Kellya86, you'll be fine. As @Baron23 said, all legal states are cash only.
Be careful crossing state lines with flower and anything cannabis infused. Make sure you know where the state boundaries start and end to avoid any run ins with law enforcement. Non legal states have sued legal states and patrol their state lines looking for rental (hired) vehicles and anyone that 'looks' like they may enjoy cannabis.
 
Colorado advances contingency plan to help recreational marijuana stores in case of a federal crackdown

State Sen. Tim Neville, a Littleton Republican and bill sponsor, called Colorado's move "an orderly transfer" that would protect marijuana business owners and help prevent recreational pot from filtering into the black market

Published: Apr 12, 2017, 12:44 pmhttp://www.thecannabist.co/2017/04/...stores-federal-crackdown/77197/#disqus_thread

By John Frank, The Denver Post

Concerned about a potential crackdown from President Donald Trump’s administration, Colorado lawmakers are advancing a bill that would allow recreational pot to be reclassified as medical marijuana so that it could not be seized by federal authorities.

The legislation would allow a one-time transfer prompted by a change in law or a shift in federal enforcement policy and drew no debate as it won final approval in the state Senate on a 28-7 vote Wednesday.

The effort comes after the White House signaled a tougher stance against states like Colorado that legalized recreational marijuana consumption and tough words from Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

“If Jeff Sessions goes after anything, it’s recreational marijuana,” said state Rep. Jonathan Singer, a Longmont Democrat and sponsor of a bill that he calls “the Sessions safeguard.”

Colorado’s strategy is one of the most direct responses to the new administration’s stance on weed, but other states where marijuana is legal are taking similar steps to protect their dispensaries and consumers.

Singer said Senate Bill 192 ” will hopefully be a model for other states to use.” (cont)
 
Colorado has backed off plans for marijuana clubs

By Kristen Wyatt | AP April 13 at 4:58 PM
DENVER — Colorado lawmakers have backed off plans to regulate marijuana clubs, saying the state could invite a federal crackdown by approving Amsterdam-style pot clubs.

Thursday’s vote in the state House was perhaps the starkest display yet of how pot states are unsure how to proceed regulating the drug under President Donald Trump.

The Colorado bring-your-own club proposal could have been the nation’s first statewide pot club regulation, with Alaska pot regulators recently putting on hold plans there to regulate on-site pot consumption at dispensaries.

Colorado’s bill initially had substantial bipartisan support. But lawmakers ultimately sided with Gov. John Hickenlooper, who has warned that bold changes may anger federal drug enforcers.

“Given the uncertainty in Washington, this is not the time to be . trying to carve off new turf and expand markets and make dramatic statements about marijuana,” Hickenlooper told The Denver Post last month.

Both states have cited federal uncertainty about whether clubs would anger federal drug enforcers. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has criticized the 28 states and Washington, D.C., that do not enforce federal marijuana law.

But with no details yet from the Trump Administration about how a crackdown would look, states are skittish about making national headlines that could be interpreted as thumbing their noses at federal drug law.

So the Colorado club bill was amended to remove club regulations, with the remaining bits of the bill relatively minor. The bill could face yet more changes before a final vote.

“I’d like to see (a club bill) that goes much further, and that does a lot more, but in a year with Jeff Sessions, a small first step is better than no step at all,” Democratic Rep. Jonathan Singer said.

Sponsors of the club bill said that they had little choice but to back off, leaving Colorado with its current spotty club landscape.

Colorado already has about 30 private pot clubs, according to legislative analysts, but they operate under a patchwork of local regulations and are sometimes raided by law enforcement.

Clubs in Colorado frequently operate in a similar manner to pot clubs in states where pot isn’t legal, with small groups meeting up to smoke in a secret location members sometimes call “Dave’s House,” a reference to an old Cheech and Chong skit.

Not everyone agreed with the change, saying Colorado is wimping out.

“It only makes sense to allow people to have a place to where they can (smoke marijuana) where it’s controlled and confined,” said Republican Sen. Tim Neville, who sponsored a separate club bill that failed because it would have allowed clubs to sell the marijuana people would smoke, similar to a bar selling alcohol.

“We have legalized marijuana. Where do we want people to use it if not at home? On the street?”

Alaska pot regulators decided earlier this month to delay action on a measure to allow on-site pot consumption at marijuana dispensaries, or “tasting rooms.”

Ballot measures approved by voters last year in California, Maine and the city of Denver would allow either on-site pot consumption or so-called “social use” clubs, but regulations for how those clubs would work haven’t been settled.
 
Science behind marijuana empowers teens
Former Colorado teachers have developed fact-based pot curriculum

iEnf2k1.jpg


Stacey Linn, mother of Jack Splitt, 15, of Wheat Ridge High School, prepares a skin patch delivering a cannabis-derived treatment for her son at their house in Lakewood. Jack's Law, House Bill 1373, permit parents or another designated caregiver to administer a non-smokable cannabis treatment on school grounds to a student who is a registered medical marijuana patient.Hyoung Chang/The Denver PostStacey Linn, mother of Jack Splitt, 15, of Wheat Ridge High School, prepares a skin patch delivering a cannabis-derived treatment for her son at their house in Lakewood. Jack’s Law, House Bill 1373, permit parents or another designated caregiver to administer a non-smokable cannabis treatment on school grounds to a student who is a registered medical marijuana patient.

more...
 
Science behind marijuana empowers teens
Former Colorado teachers have developed fact-based pot curriculum

iEnf2k1.jpg


Stacey Linn, mother of Jack Splitt, 15, of Wheat Ridge High School, prepares a skin patch delivering a cannabis-derived treatment for her son at their house in Lakewood. Jack's Law, House Bill 1373, permit parents or another designated caregiver to administer a non-smokable cannabis treatment on school grounds to a student who is a registered medical marijuana patient.Hyoung Chang/The Denver PostStacey Linn, mother of Jack Splitt, 15, of Wheat Ridge High School, prepares a skin patch delivering a cannabis-derived treatment for her son at their house in Lakewood. Jack’s Law, House Bill 1373, permit parents or another designated caregiver to administer a non-smokable cannabis treatment on school grounds to a student who is a registered medical marijuana patient.

more...
Great article, Mom, and I think they are taking the responsible and adult approach to this education. Good for them and good for all of use who advocate for legalization but certainly not suitable for developing brains (outside of special medical conditions such as the young patients discussed). Really good, IMO.
 
Colorado illustrates how special interests and establishment politics threaten cannabis industry

Denver Post op-ed by Kayvan Khalatbari and Emmett Reistroffer

Published: Apr 17, 2017, 7:46 am • Updated: about 2 hours ago


The 2016 election brought watershed changes to the social and political landscape of America, through the election of a new and highly controversial president, and through an even greater show of widespread demand for ending cannabis prohibition. A total of eight states and the District of Columbia have legalized the adult use of cannabis, and 28 have approved some form of medical use. This increasing support is fueled by frustration with failed prohibition policies, and grassroots efforts to reverse the historically damaging effects of the drug war. Yet, regardless of the support of the populous, implementation of these reforms has run into a new set of problems, subjugated by special interests and establishment politics.

In Colorado that primary special interest is the alcohol industry, which is often backed by top leaders, Gov. John Hickenlooper and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, through their steadfast acceptance of alcohol and ongoing reluctance to embrace the burgeoning cannabis industry. Most recently these efforts were applied through various alcohol, restaurant and lodging associations to stymie implementation of I-300 in Denver, a voter-approved initiative that will provide places for adults to socially consume cannabis, as well as opposing similar legislation at the state capitol. An example of this is the Liquor Enforcement Division (“LED”), which passed a rule to ban the consumption of cannabis at any business that holds a liquor license. Even though the Colorado General Assembly Office of Legislative Legal Services determined the LED implemented this ban without any statutory authority, a legislative committee allowed the rule change to stand by just one vote. Noticeably absent from this vote were two members of the legislature who before the meeting had verbally confirmed their votes to overturn the LED rule.

While a lawsuit by businesses and advocates against the Colorado Department of Revenue challenges the LED decision, the City of Denver’s advisory committee for implementing I-300 faced many over-zealous proposals to stifle the intent of the initiative, such as a rule that prohibits cannabis events within 1,000 feet from where alcohol is served, requiring customers to sign consent forms, and setting stringent limitations on where designated consumption areas can be located. However, the committee, comprised of mostly citizens and some city officials, came to a clear consensus to move the program forward, echoed by repetitive and supportive comments from the public. Denver is now drafting the final rules, and nearly ready to issue permits. Resistance from the alcohol industry remains, likely attributed to the fact that cannabis is becoming a popular and safer choice for adults, and these shifting attitudes pose a significant threat to their revenues and profits generated in this very wet state.


Property development presents another major challenge to the cannabis industry. In 2016, Denver city officials promoted a narrative about the concentration of cannabis businesses in some of the city’s most vulnerable neighborhoods, lending council to pass a sweeping moratorium across the city. Though violent crime and teen use is down since legalization, these were two oft-cited concerns for needing the licensing cap in place. This fear-mongering went so far that the mayor’s office released widely disputed stats related to the negative impact of cannabis businesses in those areas to serve that agenda, when what’s really at play is their desire for unimpeded development in RiNo, and the grossly negligent Interstate 70 expansion.

Unfortunately, there are scores of stories from legal cannabis operators across the city that have been zoned out of properties or required to pay exorbitant fines without any due process, and without any rules in place to govern those decisions. The industry today remains cautious of pushing back on these unethical practices out of fear of further retribution from city authorities. Although many stories are known among industry operators, very few come to light because of this. In late 2016 two stories that did make headlines, and resulted in lawsuits against the city, outlined how zoning changes since legalization have forced certain cultivators from their established properties.

Even though voters have approved nearly every cannabis measure on the ballot, elected officials persist with the agendas of special interests. The cannabis movement has made significant advances in recent years, but it has only become more evident that with growing acceptance and shifting attitudes, new and unique challenges will rise, as prohibitionists attempt to make their last stand. The people should demand elected officials implement the will of the voters, treat the legal cannabis industry fairly, and work together to overcome stigma and end the drug war.

And once again the narrative is elected politicians acting counter to the direct democratically expressed views of the electorate. This, once again, prompts my encouragement to citizens in these jurisdictions to vote these bums out of office and make them work for a living (for once). Want to know how a guy like...well, we won't mention any names....got elected? Its at least partially because people are so f'ing sick of watching these pigs gorge at the public trough that almost anyone who was from the outside would get significant support. Colorado citizens....vote early, vote often, vote these bums out of office.
 
Colorado marijuana DUIs down 33 percent from first three months of last year

Published: Apr 17, 2017, 6:20 pm • Updated: about 4 hours ago Comments (1)

By Hayley Sanchez, The Denver Post

The number of citations for driving while under the influence of marijuana dropped by 33.2 percent in the first quarter of 2017 compared with the same period last year, but the number of people using marijuana and then driving continues to be a concern for Colorado officials.

“We’re still troubled by fact that marijuana users are still telling us they routinely drive high,” Colorado Department of Transportation spokesman Sam Cole said Monday. “We’re pleased with the awareness, but we’re not so pleased with the behaviors that are actually happening.”

Related: How to score discounted Lyft and Uber rides during Denver 420 festivities

Cole said that in a survey conducted by CDOT, 55 percent of marijuana users said they believed it was safe to drive while under the influence. So three years ago when recreational marijuana was legalized, according to Cole, CDOT launched the “Drive High, Get a DUI” campaign to raise awareness that driving while stoned was illegal.

“There’s a lot of troubling information we’ve collected and many marijuana users indicate they drive high and they don’t think it’s a danger,” Cole said. He added that among survey respondents who said they used marijuana within the last 30 days, “Fifty percent of marijuana users say they have driven high.”

Despite CDOT’s concerns and what marijuana users might think, the Colorado State Patrol reported that from January to March of 2017, 155 people were cited for marijuana-use-only impairment while driving, compared to 232 cited from January to March of 2016. The number of citations noting combined alcohol and marijuana use also declined, with 50 in the first quarter of 2017 compared with 69 in the first three months of 2016.

“Are the citations going down? Yeah, but is the number of people using marijuana and then driving going down? I don’t know how to quantify that,” said Nate Reid , a CSP spokesman. “This is just after the officer stop. This isn’t post-conviction or after they may have been arrested.” (cont)

Certainly driving while intoxicated, on anything, is a legitimate social issue to be addressed. I also find it somewhat disturbing how many people have defended their ability to drive completely baked in threads on this subject in the past. It certainly seems safer, IME, to drive high than drunk, but arguing the case for driving while impaired is a losing proposition and will not do the legalization efforts any good IMO. I just don't think there will be a lot of sympathy for driving while intoxicated....opiods, alcohol, or MJ.
 
Country’s First “Cannabis Scholarship” Funded By Colorado Pot Tax

he Colorado cannabis industry’s tax dollars have already been directed toward the state’s public school system and homeless population. Now, higher education has become the latest recipient of Colorado’s cannabis capital.

In Pueblo County (Southern Colorado), any graduating high school senior that will attend either Pueblo Community College or Colorado State University-Pueblo is eligible to apply for “the country’s first cannabis-funded college scholarship.” The scholarship’s first full year of funding will provide up to $475,000 gathered from Pueblo’s cannabis tax and give each qualifying student “roughly a $1,000 scholarship.”

The Pueblo County Scholarship fund began accepting applicants in February. Given that 300-400 graduating students typically attend these institutions of higher learning, the scholarship fund will distribute any leftover funds “based on merit and need.”

Applications for the scholarship are due on April 30, 2017. According to a press release from the scholarship program, Pueblo County’s offering is the first of its kind:

We are the first community in the world to provide a cannabis-funded scholarship to every graduating high school senior. It is so critically important to make college affordable for our youth if we want to provide long-term economic opportunity to our community. Too many kids can’t afford to go to college, with this program we are taking cannabis-tax revenue and using it to provide a brighter future in Pueblo.

The fund, created by a 2015 ballot initiative, utilizes at least half of Pueblo County’s cannabis tax dollars; the rest is utilized for “community enhancement projects.”

Let's see what the "oh, but what about the children" anti-MJ's say about this...LOL


Starting Monday, you can shop later at Denver marijuana stores that choose 10 p.m. closing


Denver marijuana licensees on Monday received permission from the city to keep their stores open until 10 p.m. — a move the industry says will help it compete with businesses in some neighboring cities.

Stores that offer recreational or medical marijuana sales (or both) will get the option to adjust their hours beginning May 1. Denver has 218 storefronts, making up the lion’s share of stores in the metro area.

The City Council approved a change to the city’s allowed sales hours — currently 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. — after wrestling with the issue for months, including Monday night. Three floor amendments that would have further restricted the extended hours in some way all failed, including Chris Herndon’s suggestion of tying the later sales cut-off to an hour delay in the earliest-allowed morning opening time, to 9 a.m.

Council members voted 11-2 to approve the new 10 p.m. closing time. Herndon and Debbie Ortega — both of whom had concerns about more access to marijuana — voted no.

Tiny Glendale and Edgewater allow their marijuana stores to stay ope until midnight (the latest allowed by the state), while Aurora and Commerce City cut off sales at 10 p.m.

The Marijuana Industry Group argued that Denver shops were losing evening sales across city lines and to black-market transactions.

For some neighborhood advocates and council members, though, a midnight closing time was too late — especially after they heard concerns from neighbors of pot shops who said traffic and parking problems were a problem under the present hours. But they saw 10 p.m. as a reasonable compromise that would provide more flexibility for store customers.
 
Colorado on the Verge of Adding PTSD to Medical Marijuana Program
After years of trials and tribulations concerning the issue of giving Colorado patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) access to the state’s medical marijuana program, it appears this group may be finally on the verge of getting their hands on the medicine they need.

On Tuesday, the Colorado Senate put its seal of approval on a measure aimed at allowing doctors to dole out medical marijuana recommendations to those people struggling with this severe anxiety disorder. The bill is now on its way to the desk of Governor John Hickenlooper, who has not yet revealed whether he will sign it into law.

Nevertheless, supporters of this reform seem hopeful that it is a done deal.

“I’m really excited to see this option being afforded to veterans because they really need this,” former Fort Carson soldier and founder of the Veteran Farmers Association Steve DeFino told KOAA News 5.

Although the primary focus of Colorado’s PTSD debate was giving veterans the availability of cannabis medicine; last week, the discussions over this issue were largely centered on the notion that the bill might somehow give kids increased access to pot.

That’s when a lawmaker introduced an amendment intended to impose a stricter set of rules with respect to underage PTSD sufferers. The change now requires anyone under 18 to get permission from a pediatrician, a licensed family doctor or child psychiatrist before participating in the program. This was the best compromise they could come up with after some of the more conservative legislative forces suggested amending the bill in such a way that bans minors with PTSD from using the program altogether.

While marijuana is fully legal in Colorado, making a variety of pot products available to anyone 21 and older, patient advocates argue that the high costs associated with the recreational sector prevent a lot of people with PTSD from going this route. (cont)
 
Colorado on the Verge of Adding PTSD to Medical Marijuana Program
After years of trials and tribulations concerning the issue of giving Colorado patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) access to the state’s medical marijuana program, it appears this group may be finally on the verge of getting their hands on the medicine they need.

On Tuesday, the Colorado Senate put its seal of approval on a measure aimed at allowing doctors to dole out medical marijuana recommendations to those people struggling with this severe anxiety disorder. The bill is now on its way to the desk of Governor John Hickenlooper, who has not yet revealed whether he will sign it into law.

Nevertheless, supporters of this reform seem hopeful that it is a done deal.

“I’m really excited to see this option being afforded to veterans because they really need this,” former Fort Carson soldier and founder of the Veteran Farmers Association Steve DeFino told KOAA News 5.

Although the primary focus of Colorado’s PTSD debate was giving veterans the availability of cannabis medicine; last week, the discussions over this issue were largely centered on the notion that the bill might somehow give kids increased access to pot.

That’s when a lawmaker introduced an amendment intended to impose a stricter set of rules with respect to underage PTSD sufferers. The change now requires anyone under 18 to get permission from a pediatrician, a licensed family doctor or child psychiatrist before participating in the program. This was the best compromise they could come up with after some of the more conservative legislative forces suggested amending the bill in such a way that bans minors with PTSD from using the program altogether.

While marijuana is fully legal in Colorado, making a variety of pot products available to anyone 21 and older, patient advocates argue that the high costs associated with the recreational sector prevent a lot of people with PTSD from going this route. (cont)

If Colorado is a recreational state too, why not just use it anyway? Why wait for it to be put on the medical list if you know it works right now?
 
If Colorado is a recreational state too, why not just use it anyway? Why wait for it to be put on the medical list if you know it works right now?
I think taxes and hence cost are lower for medical and I know from my one experience out there that the medical menus were often much more extensive in dispensaries than rec menu. Maybe that's it??
 
I think taxes and hence cost are lower for medical and I know from my one experience out there that the medical menus were often much more extensive in dispensaries than rec menu. Maybe that's it??

Possibly, but being sick as I am. I know I would have taken advantage of recreational laws to get relief. I sure wouldn't wait and suffer.
 
Possibly, but being sick as I am. I know I would have taken advantage of recreational laws to get relief. I sure wouldn't wait and suffer.
I don't know if it's a matter of waiting and suffering as much as finally having PTSD recognized as something that cannabis may help. You look at the difference between how Canada views MMJ for veterans with PTSD and the way the U.S. views it and the difference is staggering. I'm sure @Killick can lend some voice to this as well.

Personally, I feel the Veteran's Administration should be on board with using cannabis to treat PTSD and if it is a qualifying condition it's one step towards that happening.
 

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