Pubdate: Wed, 15 Oct 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 RED CARD GOES PURPLE; GREEN FLOWS IN MANITOU; YELLOW CAB UPDATE Meet the purple card Despite how much you probably love the oversized paper red card denoting your participation in the Colorado medical-marijuana program - - you know, the one that doesn't really fit on your person or resist any kind of damage and actually says "Void if laminated" - its days are numbered. A smaller, credit-card-sized version is now in circulation via a largely unpublicized change made effective Aug. 15, says the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The new version features a purple base fading up into a mountainscape. Users who've received it tell the Indy that, while it's an upgrade, the writing is still easily scratched off. Comments online also reflect dissatisfaction with its girth, with one Redditor writing, "I mean I've had [B]lockbuster cards with more thickness than this thing. But it is plastic none the less. And should be somewhat easier to take care of." CDPHE spokesman Mark Salley says replacement ID cards will still use the current format until supplies run out. See the new version on the IndyBlog at tiny.cc/nqronx. Mountains of green According to owner Bill Conkling, Maggie's Farm will be turning over $223,122 in sales tax collections to the town of Manitou Springs. That's for the two-month period between July 31, when the recreational store opened, and Oct. 7. With a 10.4 percent combined sales-tax rate, rough calculations suggest sales of around $2.15 million at the one store. (Manitou has allowed for a second store; the current occupant of that site, an MMJ dispensary called Reserve 1, had a disconnected phone number. Its Denver location played a "We're temporarily closed" voicemail.) The news was first reported by the Pikes Peak Bulletin - disclosure: a publication co-owned by Indy publisher John Weiss - that quotes Manitou administrator Jason Wells as saying: "Recreational marijuana is a big game changer. Without that revenue stream, we will see a drop-off in our reserves relative to this year. With that revenue stream, that might not be the case." Manitou officials declined to confirm the numbers when contacted by the Indy, citing privacy laws. Should the initial rate of sales hold up, which is somewhat unlikely as the novelty wears off, Manitou would be looking at additional revenue of around $1.3 million. Cab on, folks Though we received a tip saying Yellow Cab Company is reticent to pick people up from locations like Speak Easy Vape Lounge (2508 E. Bijou St., speakeasycannabisclub.com), general manager Fred Hair says that's probably not the case. "I'm not aware of any problem at that address," he says. "I'm not saying you couldn't find a driver or two that doesn't want to pick up there or somewhere else, but we have more than one driver. And generally speaking, they call and we haul." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom