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.
News
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.
LEADership
One of the reasons Colorado has managed to avoid a rise in teen marijuana use post-legalization has to do with aggressive, realistic and age-appropriate education campaigns launched on both the state and local levels. Colorado Public Radio takes a look at one of the efforts, the “Healthy Lifestyles 101” class being offered during summer programs in Denver public schools.
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
Surveys, Half Truths & Myths
The other side of the story
There’s been a flurry of headlines in recent weeks about a new survey of homeless jail inmates in Colorado who said legal marijuana played a role in their decision to move to Colorado.
Dig a little deeper, however, and the study shows that most of the respondents were here before cannabis was legal. And it found no significant difference in cannabis being a draw for homeless vs. non-homeless transplants. Read Westword Story »
As Gov. John Hickenlooper is quoted as saying, “We’re attracting a lot of people, and when you attract a lot of people you get some homeless people.” Read More »
Speaking of half truths
That leads us to another of the opposition’s favorite but unsubstantiated claims: that legal marijuana has caused emergency room visits to skyrocket.
Politifact breaks down that one, noting “it is impossible to say that marijuana is the cause of these visits.” Read the Story »
And, debunking one more myth
A new analysis from the civic data analytics site LiveStories finds that while marijuana legalization has led to higher rates of cannabis consumption in Colorado and other states with similar laws, there’s no evidence it’s leading to higher use of more addictive drugs like heroin and cocaine. Read the Westword Story »
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.
Headlines
Colorado gets new cannabis coordinator
Gov. John Hickenlooper appoints Dominique Mendiola to replace Mark Bolton as director of marijuana coordination.
Educating parents
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has launched two new marijuana education campaigns aimed at parents.
Feds approve CBD drug
The FDA’s approves cannabis-based epilepsy drug, it’s first ever recognition of a medical use for pot.
LEADership
There’s no question the cannabis industry is impacting energy use as it goes mainstream. And no one is probably more aware of that than the city of Denver and the growers themselves, who have been working together to improve energy efficiency and lower waste output.
This month, the industry leaders are also throwing a benefit for the Colorado Carbon Fund and pushing for sustainable practices with the first Annual Green Industry Affair, which will include talks and entertainment July 24 at Cervante’s Masterpiece Ballroom.
All ticket and raffle proceeds will benefit the Colorado Carbon Fund.
Events
July 18
Vangst cannabis career fair
July 19
Quarterly Cannabis caucus
July 24
The Green Industry Affair