Marijuana

On the Fourth of July, it’s time to celebrate our liberties — including the right to possess and consume marijuana in Colorado. Take that, Jeff Sessions!

A decade after dispensaries first appeared on the Colorado scene, they continue to morph. While a few of the original stores remain, homebased chains are growing.

Recent studies show that support for legalization, and appreciation of marijuana in general, crosses party lines. There’s no gender gap, nor is there class warfare: The majority of all Americans favors the end of pot prohibition….except for this reader.

Denver released the city’s final version of social-cannabis consumption permit rules and regulations on Friday, June 30, setting the stage for private consumption lounges as early as fall 2017, according to Denver officials. The social-use ordinance rules, set up in response to the passage of Initiative 300 by Denver voters last fall, will be part of a three-year pilot program set for review by Denver City Council in 2020.

Two new studies on marijuana consumption and acceptance show changing landscapes in public support toward state’s rights and a stark admission on workplace use.

State and federal agencies joined forces at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus on June 28 to teach a full class of cannabis industry employees about health and safety practices in the workplace.

The most prominent anti-marijuana group in the country is touting the absence of language in a key Congressional funding bill that has protected the medical marijuana industry in Colorado and beyond from federal prosecution in recent years. But a cannabis advocate dismisses the suggestion that this development could soon unleash a law-enforcement blitzkrieg against the MMJ biz.

This week, Boulder police found approximately 31 pounds of marijuana in an open space area, not far from where three people were camping in violation of local ordinances. But none of them were hit with charges related to the pot, because officers couldn’t figure out to whom it belonged.

The Green Solution has become one of the largest cannabis retailers in the country, with twelve dispensaries open now and three more expected to debut this summer. And its location in Silver Plume, a town with a population of less than 200 people, is about to become the first of its kind: It will become a marijuana outlet store, something previously unseen in Colorado’s cannabis industry.

A reader asks our Stoner if it’s okay to tip an Uber driver with weed.

Apparently Lucinda Williams was a big deal long before I bought an eighth with her name on it. Lucinda Williams the strain is bred from Cinderella 99 and William’s Wonder, an Afghani phenotype named after Willie Nelson. Despite not yet having a strong reputation outside of Colorado, it has become one of the more steady, attainable strains in Denver.

The MED’s summer stakeholder groups will provide suggestions and input for the agency’s 2017 rulemaking session as it deliberates changes to industry regulations and legislation implementation. Anyone is allowed to apply.

Denver dispensaries have been able to stay open until 10 p.m. since May, but how many are taking advantage? We list every pot shop in the city of Denver that has extended its hours.

A reader wants to know why his cottonmouth lasts so long after smoking. Our Stoner breaks down why.

The city of Thornton has only allowed one dispensary for each of the city’s four geographical quadrants, setting the stage for open recreational dispensaries as early as late summer. Although Thornton city officials say none of the stores are close to finishing construction, the locations and licensees are set, and they’re all familiar brands to consumers used to buying cannabis in Denver or Aurora.

Cannabis event will be busting out all over Colorado in June, with the debut of a new weekly series, a regular Sunday showcase and employee training courses.

The recent arrests and legal actions against a former Marijuana Enforcement Division official and several marijuana industry license-holders here in Colorado has been touted by Attorney General Jeff Sessions as an example of why this industry is not working. In actuality, a regulated system like the one in Colorado has created a boom for us in the areas of job creation, revenue generation and increased law enforcement support.

There’s no question that cannabis prices are going down in Colorado…but what’s happening to quality? Readers disagree about whether lower costs equate to lower quality.

Colorado is used to seeing marijuana sales tax dollars spike in April thanks to the 4/20 holiday on April 20, but that wasn’t the case this year, according to sales tax data from the Colorado Department of Revenue.

When price is definitely an object, there are some go-to spots where you can always count on finding at least two or three decent strains available for $25 an eighth — no shake, no popcorn buds, no coupon required.

Only days after the release of a study saying that collision claim frequencies in Colorado are about 3 percent higher overall than would have been expected without marijuana legalization comes a competing report stating that the crash fatality rates haven’t changed significantly. These seemingly contradictory findings leave one marijuana reformer confused but certain that the sky isn’t falling.