News
LEADership
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.
In Pueblo, the city is using cannabis tax revenue to fund scholarships.
Quotable
“I am deeply concerned by this intentional effort to mislead the American people. At a time when we should be investing in objective and peer-reviewed scientific research on marijuana and the effects of legalization, the White House is instead using taxpayer money to spread a politically-driven narrative.”
“The only way to ‘turn the tide’ on any issue with the public is to be a credible voice. By cherry-picking data to support pre-ordained and misinformed conclusions on marijuana, the Trump administration has further eroded any credibility it has on this issue.”
Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet in a letter to the White House
Let Cannabis Companies Operate Like Other Legitimate Businesses
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.
Worth listening to
With age comes desire for cannabis wisdom
Seniors are the fastest growing demographic of marijuana users. But many in Colorado say they want more information about its benefits.
Quotable
“What we have a tendency to do is think if there’s a Mexican involved in Colorado, they’re cartels…Probably not.”
~ Tim Gorman
Director of the federally funded anti-marijuana police organization
Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.
Headlines
Hickenlooper on cannabis and autism
Gov. John Hickenlooper talks to Slate about why he vetoed a bill allowing medical cannabis for autism. Hint: He repeats the claim that “certain people (with autism) that have an inclination to bipolar . . . can take this high THC marijuana and it will trigger a permanent response. In other words, make them almost schizophrenic.”
Cannabis builds new rec center for Aurora
A new $40 million recreation center is being funded entirely by Aurora’s marijuana tax revenue.
Legal cannabis credited for rising home values
New research by Economic Inquiry finds that legalizing retail sales of marijuana in Colorado increased housing values by about 6 percent.
Marijuana use on the rise, but not with kids
New state report shows cannabis consumption increasing in Colorado, but only among adults.
Quotable
“Most of the things I feared most, haven’t occurred. We didn’t see a giant spike in teenage consumption. We didn’t see a spike in any consumption. The only place we’ve seen a slow but consistent increase in consumption is among senior citizens.”
– Gov. John Hickenlooper
Quotable
“Yes, the critics have been loud in their opposition, twisting countless statistics to back their anti-marijuana messages. The reality, however, is most of their talk is just that: talk. The figures thrown around are often inaccurate or based on data that has no historical basis for comparison.
If you look at the solid data that we do have, it’s quite clear that this grand experiment, both responsibly and methodically implemented here in Colorado, has been a resounding success from both an economic and public policy perspective.”
Chuck Smith, CEO of Dixie Brands, Inc., and president of Colorado Leads.
Candidate Speaks with Colorado Leads
State Sen. Owen Hill, a Republican running for U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn’s congressional seat, stopped by to talk to Colorado Leads members about the future of legal marijuana at both the state and federal level.