Pubdate: Thu, 05 May 2016
Source: Westword (Denver, CO)
Column: Ask a Stoner
Copyright: 2016 Village Voice Media
Contact: http://www.westword.com/feedback/EmailAnEmployee?department=letters
Website: http://www.westword.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1616
Author: Herbert Fuego

DEAR STONER: WHY DOESN'T COLORADO HAVE CANNABIS CAFES?

Dear Stoner: Why doesn't Colorado have Amsterdam-style cafes? I 
remember reading about pot clubs trying to come to Denver.

Cole

Dear Cole: Colorado doesn't have cafes like the cannabis coffee shops 
in Amsterdam because of this state's stance on public consumption. 
Although it's legal to smoke pot in private areas in Colorado, public 
spots and businesses are still off limits. And while technically it's 
also illegal to consume marijuana in public in Amsterdam, Dutch law 
enforcement looks the other way when it comes to designated coffee 
shops. Sadly, our local cops aren't as cool: There are a few pot 
clubs in the Denver metro area that operate as private establishments 
and only allow members in to consume, but they still face regular 
harassment by law enforcement and other officials. Rigs 4 Us, a 
Denver smoke shop located in a private residence, was shut down on 
4/20 when it tried to give out free dabs, and multiple pot clubs in 
Denver were shut down in 2015.

Colorado municipalities, including Denver, are allowed to craft their 
own regulations that would allow pot consumption in public areas or 
businesses where only adults are allowed. In fact, last year a group 
was ready to get a public-consumption proposal on the 2015 Denver 
ballot; the petition drive had collected more than double the 
required signatures to make the cut, but supporters withdrew it after 
agreeing with city officials and business owners that the language 
needed to be reshaped. Marijuana lobbying group NORML got sick of 
waiting, though, and submitted a similar measure in hopes of putting 
it on the ballot this November. As of last week, NORML was waiting 
for the city to approve the initiative's language before the 
organization starts collecting signatures.

Dear Stoner: I have a freezer bag full of stems under my bed, and I'm 
hoping you can tell me something to do with them so I can tell my 
friends that I haven't been wasting my time.

BobRom

Dear BobRom: Saving stems used to be popular back in the day, when 
marijuana was a little harder to come by, but I haven't seen it done 
for years - though I hear some tenured potheads still do it when 
money is tight. And you can take pride in being resourceful: Those 
stems should still have some THC in them, if only a little. Your 
friends might see saving stems as trivial because of how easy it is 
to find pot products out here, but if you save enough, stems can help 
supplement infused recipes such as butter, oils, teas and more. The 
only hard part: You have to grind them up first.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom