News

Headlines

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Wipe low-level marijuana convictions clean?

That’s what The Denver Post editorial board proposes, noting that laws have “adapted to meet the realization dawning over America that marijuana is a relatively safe drug.”

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Cause for concern?

What President Trump’s pick for AG could mean for the marijuana industry.

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Cannabis and Alzheimer’s

Harvard’s McLean Psychiatric Hospital is partnering with Spier Family Foundation to research the potential benefits.

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Following the money 

As legalization spreads, the Associated Press looks at which U.S. companies are getting into on the marijuana industry. 

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Looking ahead

Will new legislature be more cannabis friendly?

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Legal cannabis means early retirement for some officers of the K-9 kind

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The legalization of marijuana is forcing some drug-sniffing dogs into early retirement and prompting trainers and law enforcement departments to rethink whether to include cannabis in the list of substances dogs are trained to detect. The move comes on the heels of a Colorado court case that says that a dog’s reaction to what might be legal marijuana jeopardizes a law enforcement officer’s ability to initiate a probable cause search for any illegal substances.

NY Times Article »

Quotable

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“Since Colorado became the first state to legally regulate marijuana, the national conversation has shifted from whether we’ll legalize to how we should do it.”

Art Way
Colorado State Director for the Drug Policy Alliance.

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Let the good times roll …

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Despite predictions that cannabis demand in Colorado would begin to level off,  sales as of August had already topped $1 billion, the earliest point reaching that mark since adult use was legalized four years ago.

That translates to $200 million in tax revenue. It also puts the state on track to to break last year’s record of more than $1.5 billion in sales. 

Denver Post Article »

With the election a week away, please look at The Gazette’s editorial on Amendment 74.  The editorial board reversed its position supporting it after the members realized the unintended consequences would pave the way “for expensive, frivolous and opportunistic litigation.” It also may open the door to suing local government over its zoning laws for retail and industrial operations. 

Gazette Article »

And in the Airports

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The difference in state and federal laws is also creating confusion for air travelers. Can they or can they not carry legal amounts through airports in states where adult use is legal? Well, once again, that depends. While Colorado law makes it illegal to carry at DIA, LAX has made it perfectly clear its passengers are welcome to travel with their legal amounts of personal cannabis.

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LEADership

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Pueblo and Denver are following through on using their marijuana taxes for the public good.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, a legal cannabis opponent turned supporter, has signed into a law a proposal to increase marijuana taxes from 3.5 percent to 5.5 percent to help fund more affordable housing.

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In Pueblo, the city is using cannabis tax revenue to fund scholarships. 

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Headlines

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Denver approves vaping lounge

Despite complaints about too many rules, a second business has been able to win a social consumption license.

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Consumer friendly

Housing prices might be out of control, but a new study from Wikileaf says marijuana is cheaper in Denver than most markets.

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Pesticide tests costly for growers

Falling prices and new testing putting a financial squeeze on some growers.

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Palmer Lake to reconsider legal cannabis

Palmer Lake residents will vote for a third time in November on whether to allow adult use marijuana.

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Let Cannabis Companies Operate Like Other Legitimate Businesses

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That was the clear message delivered from Ron Kammerzell, who oversaw the Marijuana Enforcement Division at the Colorado Department of Revenue, and Nate Bruggeman, an assistant attorney general at the Colorado Department of Law’s Marijuana Enforcement Division. 

“One specific area that warrants serious consideration is the prohibition on publicly traded companies from holding marijuana business licenses or investing in Colorado marijuana companies,” they wrote in The Denver Post. Not only does the prohibition not enhance public safety, they said, it “is depriving Colorado businesses of access to needed investment capital.”

Kammerzell and Bruggeman also suggested that Colorado update, simplify and streamline it’s marijuana laws.  

Denver Post Article »

Headlines

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Colorado cannabis sales exceed $5 billion

May sales figures pushed the overall sales of recreational and medical marijuana to more than $5.1 billion since adult use was legalized in January 2014.

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Bill would protect federal workers in states with legal cannabis

Congressional proposal would bar feds from firing employers for marijuana use in states where cannabis is legal.

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Keeping it green

Cannabis industry looks to minimize its environmental footprint with more sustainable packaging.

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Industry taxes fund program for at-risk youth

New marijuana tax-funded program helps first-time teen offenders find alternatives to substance abuse. 

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The changing politics of marijuana

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Nothing’s ever certain when it comes to politics, a fact that has become increasingly clear in recent weeks both at home and in Washington, D.C.

Here in Colorado Gov. Joh Hickenlooper, long considered supportive of the strictly-regulated marijuana industry, vetoed three industry-backed measures – including one that allowed for increased capital infusions into the state, which is crucial for keeping the industry growing in the state. It was a disappointing veto that not only jeopardizes tens of thousands of jobs but also ignores the professionals that worked tirelessly during his term to build the safest and most respected cannabis industry in the country.

Representatives from the cannabis industry expressed their discontent with the vetoes at a press conference.  Three Colorado Leads members are quoted here. 

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Meanwhile in Washington, D.C., U.S.  Sen.  Cory Gardner, R-Colorado, introduced a bill that would protect the cannabis industry from uncertain federal enforcement policies.

“It’s time that we take this industry out of the shadows,” Gardner said. 

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