News - Page 8 of 40 - Colorado Leads

I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now

March 10, 2020/in Politics /by Admin

Joe Biden is running to be the Democratic presidential nominee and wants to make sure you know something: He really, really, really doesn’t believe marijuana is a gateway drug. He did once, but he was younger back then (67 years old in 2010 when he said it was).

He does continue to oppose legalization, but supports reforms such as decriminalizing possession, expunging past records, allowing medical cannabis and letting states set their own laws without federal interference.

Complex marijuana laws leave lawyers in legal limbo

March 10, 2020/in Legal Matters /by Admin

The limbo where “legal” cannabis exists is keeping many of the country’s best lawyers and law firms from representing any business that in any way receives income from cannabis sales, no matter how tenuous.

Under the Dome

March 10, 2020/in Education, Legislation /by Admin

Senate Bill 16, which would have required parental notification if a school employee is caught providing marijuana or alcohol to a student, died in the House Judiciary Committee. The concern among some members was that the notification was required when a person was charged, not after the person is tried in court.

Colorado lawmakers advance bill to eliminate the industry’s residency requirement.

UK expedites cannabis imports • Canopy’s bad day • A global cannabis standard? • & more…

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.

Records are meant to be broken . . .

February 25, 2020/in Sales, Tax, Uncategorized /by Admin

Colorado cannabis sales hit nearly $1.75 billion in 2019, setting a new annual sales record for the state. The jump from $1.54 billion the year before is attributed by some to the proliferation of non-flower marijuana products, such as edibles and vape pens.

More »

Tax revenue also surpassed previous years, hitting $302 million.

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And cannabis tax money is funding important programs, like ones that fight back against bullies. Since 2016, marijuana taxes have provided $6 million to 71 schools to fund anti-bullying education. These Bullying Education Prevention Grants have helped teachers and staff train more than 34,400 students.

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Under the Dome

February 25, 2020/in Legislation /by Admin

A bill that aimed to protect employees from being fired for using marijuana on their personal time died in the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee last week. Some committee members said the absence of a test to determine if an employee is intoxicated in the moment — like a breathalyzer does for alcohol — was their reason for shelving the bill, while others said they thought the bill was too broad.

Presidential cannabis round up

February 25, 2020/in People, Politics /by Admin

All seven top-tier candidates support at least decriminalizing marijuana. Bloomberg, Buttigieg, Steyer, Warren and Sanders support vacating past marijuana convictions. Most of the candidates also support efforts to make it easier for marijuana businesses to access financial services. Warren, Sanders and Klobuchar are co-sponsors of the SAFE Banking Act, and Steyer has expressed support.

And only Biden and Bloomberg do not outright support legalization. More »

In the past, Bloomberg has been less than friendly toward cannabis. While Mayor of New York, his stop-and-frisk policy and insistence on arrests for low-level pot possession led to around 440,000 arrests for marijuana possession alone. And five years ago at the Aspen Institute, Bloomberg said he “couldn’t feel more strongly about” opposing legalization. “It is different than alcohol. This is one of the stupider things that’s happening across our country,” he said.

Westword Article »

Where we’re going, we need roads

February 25, 2020/in Charity, Uncategorized /by Admin

Colorado cannabis companies have sponsored more highways for clean up than any other industry. In fact, 51 cannabis companies sponsor 66 percent of roads, or 198 miles, covered by the state’s Clean Colorado program.

“It presents marijuana stores in a positive light,” Harsha Gangadharbatla, an advertising professor, told The Denver Post. “The money made from marijuana is put to something good, like keeping up roads and transportation that everyone uses.”

Secure the bag!

February 25, 2020/in Crime /by Admin

Already in 2020, the cannabis industry has been the subject of several high-profile incidents:

A reported dispensary point-of-sale system hack that potentially exposed the data of 30,000 people;
The US Securities and Exchange Commission charging two men who allegedly used a fake cannabis company as a front for a Ponzi scheme;
And the conviction of a former Colorado cannabis entrepreneur in one of the state’s largest fraud cases.

Experts caution cannabis companies to shore up their security practices and for consumers to be mindful of opportunities that seem too good to be true.

CNN Article »

Sometimes, something worth knowing CAN be taught

February 25, 2020/in Education /by Admin

Colorado State University-Pueblo is offering the state’s first cannabis-focused bachelor’s degree.

Participating students will leave with a science degree focused on chemistry and biology.

They’ll take “rigorous” classes and become educated in a variety of sciences, says David Lehmpuhl, dean of CSU-Pueblo’s College of Science and Mathematics.

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The University of Michigan and the University of North Dakota offer bachelor’s degrees in medicinal plant chemistry, and the University of Maryland has a related master’s program. University of Denver offers cannabis journalism classes, and DU’s Sturm College of Law offers courses tailored to deal with the legalization of cannabis.