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Mixed Signals

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From the White House

The conflicts between state and federal law over adult cannabis use are confusing at best. Add in an unpredictable presidential administration, and it can be difficult to know who or what to believe. This summer, Buzzfeed reported that the White House had created a special marijuana committee, which had asked agencies to submit “data demonstrating the most significant negative trends” about marijuana and its national “threats.” Add in the recent comments by Colorado U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer about Colorado’s cannabis industry needing more scrutiny and it’s easy to see why some businesses might be getting nervous. The good news is that while the administration has confirmed a special marijuana policy panel has indeed been created, Colorado Sen. Michael Bennett says the White House drug office has assured him it will be objective and dispassionate.

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Let’s Clear the Air

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Colorado Rep. Jonathan Singer, a Democrat from Longmont and chair of the House Public Health Care & Human Services Committee and the House Local Government Committee, responded to U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer’s misleading opinion piece in The Denver Post.

“Marijuana regulation is on the right path in Colorado, yielding benefits for the state while working to set guardrails to protect safety.”

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Interesting Listening

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Colorado Public Radio talks about the culture shift that has put marijuana up with immigration and the economy as a top issue in the midterms.

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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 »

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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Support for legal cannabis at an all-time high

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Nearly two-thirds of American voters now back legalized marijuana, the highest level of support ever recorded by a Quinnipiac poll. Support for medical marijuana is even higher, at 93 percent, with only about 5 percent of respondents opposed.

The poll also found that 74 percent of Americans support Congress passing a bill similar to the one being proposed by Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., to protect states with legalized marijuana from federal interference.

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The evolution of Corey Gardner

Westword takes a look at the transformation of Gardner from marijuana opponent to states-rights cannabis advocate.

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Under the dome

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Another Colorado first?

Lawmakers have sent Gov. John Hickenlooper a first-of-its-kind bill to allow cannabis tasting rooms.

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But forget about marijuana delivery and social clubs

Like the floundering attempts to create marijuana social clubs, efforts to test drive cannabis delivery in Colorado stalled out in the Colorado Legislature.

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Hickenlooper comments renew debate over role of marijuana in crime 

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Gov. John Hickenlooper, intentionally or not, stepped into the contentious debate over whether legal marijuana is behind rising crime rates when he said he would consider recriminalizing recreational marijuana if it were indeed proven to be a driving factor. Beyond the sensational headlines, however, the governor said the connection seems unlikely. And Denver Police Commander James Henning says he doubts that the rise in crime stems from cannabis reform, noting the data is inconclusive.

WTVR Story »

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Upcoming Events

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April 26

Q2 Cannabis Caucus Event Series – Boulder 

 April 26-28

The Institute of Cannabis Research at Colorado State University-Pueblo holds its second annual international cannabis research conference on the CSU-Pueblo campus.

May 21-23

Join NCIA in Washington, D.C., for NCIA’s 8th Annual Cannabis Industry Lobby Days