Research Archives - Colorado Leads

Dazed and Confused

October 21, 2020/in Crime, Research /by Admin

First the good news. The total number of people arrested in the U.S. for breaking cannabis laws declined for the first time in four years.

Now the really bad news. Arrests for marijuana violations outpaced arrests for ALL violent crimes put together, according to data from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI’s report showed police arrested 545,602 people for cannabis-related crimes in 2019, which is 9 percent higher than the 495,871 people arrested for violent crimes. And the charges? Well, 92 percent of the cannabis arrests were for simple possession.

A recent report from the ACLU found that black people were 3.6 times more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession than white people. And in Montana, which is voting on legalization in less than two weeks, Black people were about 9.5 percent more likely to be arrested.

The Maturity of the Market

October 21, 2020/in Economy, Research, Sales /by Admin

Colorado cannabis users have spent about $1.42 billion on cannabis through August, positioning the industry to exceed $2 billion in 2020 sales – four years earlier than industry experts’ predictions.

These numbers come as the Marijuana Enforcement Division released an in-depth report on the Colorado cannabis market, which was prepared by MPG Consulting (formerly the Marijuana Policy Group) and Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business. The key themes include:

The regulated market is nearing maturity as evidenced by price trends, supply patterns and consolidation.
A larger and more compliant market has emerged and includes accurate reporting, better internal controls, better use of the inventory tracking system by state and industry, and an effective regulatory and enforcement system.
Most all regulated marijuana products have continued to decline due to improvements in production efficiencies and competition.
Adult use marijuana sales are still increasing, medical sales, not so much.
Shifting demand to Concentrates continues.
Average potency continues a steady increase while price per dose is decreasing.
Consumption is increasing among Colorado adults.

More Data Shows Less Crime

July 9, 2020/in Crime, Research /by Admin

A new study finds that Colorado’s legal cannabis industry
has decreased crime in neighboring states.

“Border counties in the Colorado region saw substantial decreases in overall property crime rate and larceny rate relative to non-border counties following Colorado’s legalization,” according to the study. “This finding suggests that recreational marijuana legalization in a state (e.g., Colorado) may not bring about negative consequences on crime in neighboring states, which challenges the assertions made by public officials in these neighboring states arguing a crime-inducing effect of legalization.”

Read more here.

Colorado’s First Licensed Cannabis Research Facility

July 9, 2020/in Research, Science /by Admin

The City of Denver issued its first license specifically for medical marijuana research and development. Med Pharm received the license to begin examining the effects of marijuana on Alzheimer’s disease.

“We are excited for the possibilities for this type of medical research to find effective research for a whole host of illnesses,” said Ashley Kilroy, the City of Denver’s Executive Director of Excise and Licenses. “Also we really see this license-type in particular, a license that could attract some of the best and brightest to Denver to attract this type of work.”

Med Pharm, a phytopharmaceutical and intellectual property holding company, was created to develop innovative cannabis products, using accepted pharmaceutical formulation techniques, to reliably produce identifiable and replicable dosage forms for human use. And Colorado Leads member, Andy Williams, is on its board.

In the News

March 10, 2020/in Businesses, Legislation, Research, Science, Tax, Uncategorized /by Admin

Member in the News:

Bob DeGabrielle, CEO of Los Sueños Farms, talked to Westword about the problems cannabis growers face when hit with severe and unpredictable weather. Growers aren’t allowed under Colorado law to move plants off the property during a weather emergency.

“From a bud product prospective, we felt like we lost about $7 million last year,” he said.

There is a bill in the state House of Representatives that would require the MED to create regulations allowing outdoor marijuana growers to make contingency plans when extreme weather threatens their plants.

Amen

Cannabis entrepreneurs are flocking to the Bible Belt because of its low taxes.

More taxes?

Newly elected Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman supports a cannabis tax increase to fund city programs.

Another first for Colorado

The state’s first licensed cannabis R&D firm is set to study marijuana’s effect on Alzheimer’s disease. MedPharm Holdings is the only company in the state that holds a marijuana research and development license.

Move to overturn the will of the voters

Initiative 282 would repeal Amendment 64 and remove language permitting recreational use of cannabis in the state constitution. Title Board hears the case today.

The fight against opioid addiction continues

February 25, 2020/in Health, Medicinal, Research, Science /by Admin

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore have announced a new study to determine if CBD can help minimize opioid withdrawal symptoms. More than 130 people a day lose their lives from opioid-connected drug overdoses, and CBD is a “promising pharmacotherapy for the treatment of opioid withdrawal.”

Read More »

The first known case of a cannabis-associated, 12-hour erection

February 25, 2020/in Health, Research, Science /by Admin

“Clinicians in a recently published case study have concluded that cannabis was the likely culprit behind a 32-year-old man’s persistent, painful erections. It’s a rare and curious example of marijuana being associated with what’s known in medical jargon as priapism—an erection lasting more than four hours that’s not related to sexual activity.”

Colorado cannabis: All grown up

January 29, 2020/in Local, Research /by Admin

Colorado State University is launching a cannabinoid research center with a $1.5 million gift from an alumna who is the head of a CBD company.

The money will fund research, cover operating expenses and purchase equipment, and students and faculty will study the formulation of cannabinoids, separation efficiencies, and efficacy testing, among other things.

You want to go where everybody knows your name

Bloomberg looks at the Colorado’s new law permitting cannabis lounges, how local governments may regulate them and how entrepreneurs grapple with making them profitable.

“This takes it out of back alleys and parks,” said state Rep. Jonathan Singer, chief sponsor of a law (H.B. 1230) that took effect Jan. 1. “Whether you are a novice, a tourist, or an established resident, you should have a public place where it’s safe to consume.”

More »

Related: Silverthorne opts out of cannabis hospitality and delivery.

More »

Cannabis Research

October 17, 2019/in Research, Science /by Admin

The University of California San Diego School of Medicine’s Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research announced $3 million in grants to study medical cannabis as a supplementary or alternative treatment for schizophrenia, rheumatoid arthritis, insomnia, alcohol dependence and anxiety linked to anorexia.