Aspen and Pitkin County's top lawmen met with federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents on Wednesday in an attempt to shed light on why they weren't notified beforehand of last week's arrests of six local residents on suspicion of alleged cocaine distribution. After meeting for an hour and a half, Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo and Aspen Police Chief Richard Pryor said the relationship with federal drug enforcement officials remains strained. "We don't feel we have taken any great strides forward," Pryor said, adding he is disappointed that no concrete agreement was reached. [continues 883 words]
Since the medical marijuana industry started budding in the Roaring Fork Valley, millions of dollars in weed sales have been realized for dispensaries, according to sales tax receipts in area municipalities. According to the finance directors in Carbondale and Glenwood Springs, in which there are a combined total of 20 dispensaries, $3.1 million in medical marijuana and related products have been sold. That equates to $52,000 generated in sales tax revenue for Glenwood Springs from September 2009 - when the city began tracking the industry - to this past October, according to finance director Mike Harman. During that period, $1.4 million was sold in pot and related products in Glenwood. [continues 329 words]
Legislators Eye New Laws to Regulate Medical Marijuana Dispensaries As Patients Number More Than 30,000 in State ASPEN - I recently became a legal pot smoker in the state of Colorado, and all it took was an hour of my time, $240 and a good excuse. I visited a dispensary in the Roaring Fork Valley and told the proprietors I suffered from back and knee pain. That's all it took to get on the state registry, and then turn around and buy an eighth of an ounce of weed and a marijuana-laced cookie for $50, plus tax. [continues 2115 words]
Two pot dispensaries this week have opened in Aspen, signaling a sign of the times in the state's growing medicinal marijuana industry. But just how much business Aspen L.E.A.F. (Locals Emporium of Alternative Farms) and Cooper Street Apothecary - the city's two pot shops - can generate remains to be seen. Colorado Medical Marijuana Supply Inc., which owns Aspen L.E.A.F., opened its dispensary under that name at 100 Spring St. Tuesday. On Monday, the apothecary announced it was open for business by appointment only and will be fully operational next month at 520 E. Cooper Ave. [continues 624 words]
ASPEN -- It's likely that within weeks there will be more than one medical marijuana dispensary in Aspen, as interest continues to build from local groups hoping to tap an untouched market. Aspen attorney Lauren Maytin, who serves on the board of directors of the Colorado branch of National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), and has been working on the issue for a decade, said she has met with several clients looking to open dispensaries on the Western Slope, including Aspen. [continues 578 words]
ASPEN -- Aspen is about to have its first medical marijuana dispensary. The manager of Aspen L.E.A.F. (Locals Emporium of Alternative Farms), who asked to be identified only as Charlie at the wishes of his family, said Wednesday that a local ownership group plans to open a dispensary in downtown Aspen next week. They are currently looking at a couple of locations to set up shop, and a lease will be signed within days. We're looking at two locations in the center of town," Charlie said. "We've spoken to the landlords, and they are very supportive of it." [continues 567 words]
Two People On Same Night Go Missing And Lose Their Memories ASPEN - Local authorities are investigating two possible incidents of people being unknowingly drugged by what's known as a "roofie." The separate incidents both occurred in late December, and the two alleged victims have no recollection of what happened to them over several hours. One of the victims, Theresa Miller, ended up in police custody after she crashed her car, fled the scene and was found about four hours later hiding in a garage with severe frostbite to her hands as a result of roaming around in sub-zero temperatures. [continues 1206 words]
Santa Monica voters will likely be asked to weigh in on the issue of adult marijuana use this November. On Wednesday, members of a movement called Santa Monicans for Sensible Marijuana Policy (SMSMP) turned in more than 8,000 gathered signatures -- only 5,580 were required -- in efforts to put a proposal on the ballot that would make the enforcement of marijuana use in the home the police department's lowest priority. While voters might be tempted by the wording of the measure "to stick it to the man" in a sense, they might just be cutting off their noses to spite their faces. [continues 640 words]
