DENVER - Early in the morning on New Year's Day, someone in Colorado probably in Denver will purchase the world's first government-approved, over-the-counter recreational marijuana. Not even in Amsterdam, where people have been buying pot in "coffee shops" for three decades, is the retail sale of marijuana fully legal and licensed. Washington State and Uruguay also have legalized marijuana, but their first retail sales will not happen until later next year. "It'll actually be fully legal in Colorado, at least under state law, whereas in the Netherlands, it's just tolerated," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, which advocates for marijuana legalization. [continues 500 words]
Difference Is No National Money Like 2012 DENVER - Marijuana businesses pledged to lawmakers this year that they would be there to support a tax initiative in order to fund enough inspectors and regulators to keep the pot industry clean. But until Wednesday night, the industry had contributed just $100 to the Proposition AA campaign. That compares with the $1.8 million raised in 2012 to legalize marijuana in Colorado. The fundraising will change dramatically thanks to a $1,000-a-head event headlined by Gov. John Hickenlooper on Wednesday evening. At least 40 people - including many marijuana trade group lobbyists - appeared to be in attendance. [continues 417 words]
Marijuana Business Owners Still Have Problems Working With Banks U.S. Justice Department leaders doubted that a lawsuit to overturn marijuana legalization in Colorado and Washington state would succeed, so they felt they had little choice than to accept the laws, a senior official told the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. Also at the hearing, Deputy Attorney General James Cole said his department is working on a solution to the banking problem that is plaguing marijuana businesses around the country. Because the drug is still illegal under federal law, banks won't deal with pot shops, forcing them to keep tens of thousands of dollars of cash on hand. [continues 397 words]
DENVER - Forget about yuppie coffee shops. Colorado's new growth industry is marijuana, with a workforce of at least 1,800 people. Hundreds of medical marijuana shops have opened their doors since 2009, yet it has been difficult to figure out how lucrative the business truly is. Advocates frequently tout the economic boost from the medical marijuana industry, but no study exists to show how much money legal marijuana brings into the state economy. "If I had the time, I'd do that study myself," said Rob Corry, a lawyer who specializes in marijuana law. [continues 915 words]
State Lawmakers Struggle at Least 10 Years to Clarify Legal Medical Uses DENVER - State Sen. Chris Romer attempted a little drug humor just before the Senate passed his bill on marijuana dispensaries in May. "For six months, this has been a long, strange trip," said Romer, D-Denver, quoting a Grateful Dead song. Actually, the long, strange trip has lasted for 10 years, and it's not over yet. It began with a voter-approved constitutional amendment and has taken Colorado to today's state of affairs, where a conservative town like Cortez has half a dozen businesses selling medical marijuana. [continues 1017 words]
DENVER - The Colorado Legislature this year passed its first two significant medical marijuana bills since voters legalized medical pot in 2000. Here is a look at the bills: House Bill 1284 - Until this year, marijuana dispensaries operated in a legal gray area because they weren't mentioned specifically in the 2000 voter-approved amendment. HB 1284 puts the dispensaries on solid legal footing by granting them state licenses. But it also imposes heavy fees and strict rules - so strict that one of the bill's sponsors, Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, thinks it might put half the dispensaries out of business. [continues 422 words]
LAKEWOOD - Medical marijuana dispensaries would have to fire employees who have not lived in Colorado for two years, under a potential new rule that state regulators considered Monday. Marijuana retailers oppose the plan, saying it interferes with their right to hire employees, and some are threatening a lawsuit. The dispute stems from the marijuana regulation bill the Legislature passed this spring, House Bill 1284. The bill set up a system for licensing marijuana shops and cultivation operations, but it left the job of working out details to the Department of Revenue. [continues 251 words]
Proposal Would Require Employees To Have Lived In State For 2 Years LAKEWOOD - Medical marijuana dispensaries would have to fire employees who have not lived in Colorado for two years under a potential new rule that state regulators considered Monday. Marijuana retailers oppose the plan, saying it interferes with their right to hire employees, and some are threatening a lawsuit. The dispute stems from the marijuana regulation bill the Legislature passed this spring, House Bill 1284. The bill set up a system for licensing marijuana shops and cultivation operations, but it left the job of working out details to the Department of Revenue. [continues 279 words]
Ruling Will Help Activist Efforts On Ballot Initiatives DENVER - Conservative activists convinced a federal judge Friday to block a state law that makes it harder to put initiatives on the ballot. U.S. District Judge Philip Brimmer's ruling opens the door for Jon Caldara to pursue a ballot initiative that opposes the federal health care reform bill that President Barack Obama championed this year. "At this point, it's full steam ahead," Caldara said. "I'm sorry the wheels of justice turn so slowly. We started this lawsuit months ago." [continues 440 words]
Longmont Provider Plans To Appeal To State Supreme Court DENVER - The state appeals court upheld the conviction of a medical marijuana grower Thursday in a ruling that did little to clarify the legal situation for marijuana dispensaries. Stacy Clendenin of Longmont had appealed her 2006 conviction for marijuana growing, arguing that a Boulder County judge never let her present evidence that she qualified as a "primary caregiver" under the medical marijuana law Colorado voters adopted in 2000. The Colorado Court of Appeals rejected that argument Thursday. [continues 571 words]
Amendment Would Make It Legal to Possess an Ounce or Less of Pot DENVER - Mason Tvert is standing in front of City Hall with a whole lot of beer. The leader of the marijuana-legalization initiative says he's ready to go "hit-for-chug" against two of the state's most prominent people to prove that marijuana is safer than alcohol. His targets are Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper - a Democrat who founded the Wynkoop Brewery - and Pete Coors, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate and serves on the board of his family's brewery. [continues 816 words]
State agencies aim to cooperate in fight against 'drug of choice' DENVER - A new task force met Tuesday to tackle what the state's attorney general calls the "drug of choice" in Colorado - methamphetamine. The group brought together police officers, social workers, health specialists and lawmakers to find out what works for local governments. "What are we doing right? Is there anything we're doing right? How do we break the cycle of addiction for families?" asked Commander Lori Moriarty with the Thornton Police Department. [continues 290 words]
