Pubdate: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 Source: Colorado Springs Independent (CO) Column: Cannabiz Copyright: 2014 Colorado Springs Independent Contact: http://www.csindy.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1536 Author: Bryce Crawford PARTY WITH BEST MEDS, OR VIBRANT HEALTH CLINIC, AND MORE THC trophy time The socially minded Club 710 will celebrate its fourth annual Best Meds contest at 9 p.m. this Thursday, Aug. 14, at Peak 31 (the old Union Station, 2419 N. Union Blvd., 321/626-9469). Over the last few months, some 200 volunteer judges have critiqued unlabeled packages of both medical and recreational bud and concentrate, looking for the best sativa, indica, hybrid, kush and oil. Now comes the party, where vendors like Silver Surfer Vaporizer and The Ganja Group will mix with contestants and fans. "This contest is always very competitive," says organizer Robert Tillery. "Canna Caregivers was the original [champion]. They, like, swept the first year, and they came back and swept the second year, so they've sponsored every year since. Mountain Med Club came in last year and won the sativa trophy with their only entry, so they're back. And this year we also had two newcomers: Rocky Road [Remedies] and High Country Healing." Entry is 21 and up; tickets are $5. A Vibrant party Vibrant Health Clinic (627 N. Weber St., vibranthealthclinic.com ) is also celebrating its fourth year, in addition to a move to a new location, with a fundraiser for the Cerebral Palsy Association of Colorado Springs from 1 to 4 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 17. "It should be a fun afternoon," writes owner Jessica Hogan via email, noting the live music, raffles and caricature paintings, as well as a physician Q-and-A at 2:30 p.m. "We are also raising money at the same time for [CPACS] because we have many children with Cerebral Palsy who are using cannabis and we want to do something to give back to our community. ... "The event is totally free, and everyone gets 2 free raffle tickets just for showing up!" Use down, fear up Preliminary results from the 2013 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey show that teen cannabis use is down, with 20 percent of responding high-schoolers saying they had used marijuana in the preceding 30 days, as opposed to 22 percent in 2011. On the other hand, the percentage of those polled "who perceived a moderate or great risk from marijuana use declined from 58 percent in 2011 to 54 percent in 2013," says a release from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. It's in this environment that the state is launching a new anti-marijuana advertising campaign aimed at teenagers. Called "Don't Be a Lab Rat," the effort, which includes human-sized rat cages being placed around Denver, hopes to scare youth from using pot through the idea that its consequences are relatively untested, reports the Denver Post. Costing around $2 million, ads will feature text like: "Volunteers needed. Must have a developing brain. Must smoke weed. Must not be concerned about schizophrenia." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom