Today, House Bill 1284, Representative Tom Massey’s long-awaited measure intended to regulate the medical marijuana industry in Colorado, will finally get its closeup at the Capitol. And the folks at the Cannabis Therapy Institute are ready to weigh in with their objections. CTI is urging supporters to attend a rally…
Westword has obtained the latest copy of House Bill1284 — the much anticipated medical marijuana measure shaped by Representative Tom Massey, among others. Some highlights: Under the document’s provisions, the state would have licensing authority over “the size, dimensions, and acceptable colors for a medical marijuana center sign;” authorizes counties…
Earlier this week, Colorado Coalition for Patients and Caregivers founder Robert Chase led a protest against the Denver City Council after fewer than half of medical marijuana businesses approved to collect sales taxes applied for official dispensary licenses by March 1. Chase lobbied for the recall of all council members,…
Yesterday, we previewed a Boulder City Council meeting at which new medical marijuana regulations would be presented for the first time. According to Boulder mayor Susan Osborne, “there were a lot of good points made” on both sides of the issue. And she was particularly impressed by the idea of…
Even as protesters complain about the repercussions of Denver’s medical marijuana ordinance, the City of Boulder is on the cusp of making permanent its own procedures. A first reading of proposed regulations will be heard at tonight’s Boulder City Council meeting. The folks at the Cannabis Therapy Institute are encouraging…
And to think that your high-school guidance counselor said you’d never make it to college when he caught you smoking pot in the bathroom. These days, Colorado boasts a number of education programs devoted to medical marijuana. Whether you want to learn how to become a state-certified patient, grow your…
On Friday, Commander Jerry Peters of the North Metro Task Force shared details about busts at two Broomfield-area marijuana grows — and he noted that 23 other cases were being actively investigated. Mere days later, the task force is back in the news thanks to a pair of marijuana-related cases…
The deadline has passed for medical marijuana dispensaries to apply for their official licenses in Denver — and only 235 out of more than 500 did so. Update, 3:22 p.m.: The Colorado Coalition for Patients and Caregivers has released a statement about the protest demanding the recall of city council…
Today, we double your pleasure when it comes to our “Mile Highs and Lows” features. In addition to our regular Thursday review — Altitude Organic Medicine is analyzed by The Wildflower Seed — we’ve just published an essay by fellow critic William Breathes, during which he confesses that, yes, he…
This dispensary has closed. As Colorado’s medical-marijuana industry grows, marijuana dispensaries of all types and sizes are proliferating around the state. Some resemble swanky bars or sterile dentist offices; others feel like a dope dealer’s college dorm room. To help keep them all straight, Westword will be offering a no-holds-barred…
If you’d told me six months ago that I’d have a job with Westword that basically required me to smoke pot and then give readers my take on toking, I would have asked you for a hit of whatever it was you were puffing on. And you would have passed…
Last week, we shared with you a letter medical marijuana advocate Rob Corry sent to the U.S. Inspector General regarding the Drug Enforcement Administration raid on Highlands Ranch medical marijuana grower Chris Bartkowicz. Now, someone’s sent another letter — this one addressed to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and copied…
After years of fizzled efforts, Colorado may be close this year to legislation that could reduce slammer-oriented penalties not only for marijuana possession but small quantities of other drugs. Better yet, as this Denver Post article details, the anticipated savings from the move could fund badly needed rehab programs for…
Medical marijuana advocate Rob Corry has made ripping up proposed medical marijuana legislation a specialty. Back in January, he eviscerated Senator Chris Romer’s first plan line by line — and did likewise to Romer’s bill attempting to codify the relationship between doctors and medical marijuana patients. And in an interview…
Last week, reporter Joel Warner told you about marijuana advocate Mason Tvert’s call for removal from the Denver Marijuana Review Panel of fellow member Lieutenant Ernie Martinez, head of the Colorado Drug Investigators Association. Martinez’s sin? He wrote a 2006 letter comparing marijuana legalization to cancer. Mayor John Hickenlooper, who…
One of the most prominent and controversial aspects of Representative Tom Massey’s medical marijuana bill is that it would require state dispensaries to become nonprofit centers. While it’s hard to say whether this part of the legislation will stick around — even the bill’s co-sponsor isn’t sold on the concept…
Many of the attorneys who specialize in medical marijuana issues in Colorado, including Rob Corry, Lauren Davis and Brian Vicente, speak openly about cases while they’re in progress. Joseph Saint-Veltri, lawyer for Chris Bartkowicz, the medical marijuana grower whose Highlands Ranch home was raided by the Drug Enforcement Administration after…
Last week, we told you how prominent pot advocate Mason Tvert, head of Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER), wanted the mayor-appointed Denver Marijuana Policy Review Panel, on which he sits, to expel one of its members: Lieutenant Ernie Martinez, head of the Colorado Drug Investigators Association (CDIA). Tvert called…
The arrest of Highlands Ranch’s Chris Bartkowicz after he showed off his medical marijuana grow to a reporter at 9News has prompted complaints from the likes of Sensible Colorado’s Brian Vicente, who helped organize a protest prior to yesterday’s appearance by President Barack Obama, as well as comments by U.S…
With medical marijuana legislation still pending at the State Capitol, individual Colorado communities are left to deal with the weed issue as best they can, despite how sticky it can get. Case in point: Windsor, where the town board is fighting to close a dispensary called MediGrow even as two…
Our compendium of “Mile Highs and Lows” dispensary critiques just welcomed a new member to the family: William Breathes’s review of The Greenest Green. Check it out — and then turn your eyes to Westword’s dispensary directory, which has been newly updated for your pleasure and convenience. Learn more by…
This dispensary has closed. As Colorado’s medical-marijuana industry grows, marijuana dispensaries of all types and sizes are proliferating around the state. Some resemble swanky bars or sterile dentist offices; others feel like a dope dealer’s college dorm room. To help keep them all straight, Westword will be offering a no-holds-barred…
