After Coloradans decreed in 2000 that the cannabis plant had medical value, scientific evidence has had to play catch-up with the anecdotal cases.

The list of claims of healing powers of marijuana is long, while the list of full-scale U.S. studies on medicinal benefits is short, largely because pot use is still against federal law and doesn't get many federal research dollars.

Colorado voters approved the medical use of pot in 2000 and recreational use in 2012.

[continues 801 words]

There's no way to put a positive spin on the latest news on marijuana use in Colorado since the passage of Amendment 64. Usage has gone up, and what had been mostly anecdotal evidence just got a serious confirming boost from the federal government's National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

In fact, the percentage of Coloradans over 12 who reported using marijuana in the previous month for the years 2012-13 rose to the second highest in the country- 12.7 percent- after Rhode Island.

[continues 284 words]

No State Stats on Impact From Year of Legalized Marijuana Sales

DENVER (AP) - A year after marijuana sales became legal in Colorado, the impact on tourism is difficult to assess.

At least 18 companies offer bus tours of marijuana facilities, and a Denver bed and breakfast markets itself as a "bud and breakfast," the Denver Post reported.

But state-funded agencies aren't promoting marijuana tourism, and no statistics are available on its impact.

Colorado Tourism Office Director Al White said promoting pot-oriented travel could put the state in danger of violating laws. Marijuana is still illegal under federal statutes.

[continues 182 words]

The arbitrary classification of cannabis as a prohibited drug because it is habit-forming prevents children with ravaging diseases from pursuing the happiness promised by the nation's founders ("Desperate to get pot for ill kids," Dec 22). Isn't it more humane to exchange a child's suffering from dozens of seizures daily for a child almost seizure-free when the only price is having a marijuana habit? The public must demand the national legalization of medical marijuana.

Rod Meyers, Bryn Mawr, rodmeyers@aol.com

[end]

Dispensaries Number 10 Instead of 18 Allowed

Clark County commissioners on Monday rejected dozens of applicants for medical marijuana dispensaries, including eight who already won approval from the state.

The 5-1 action, with Commissioner Tom Collins opposed, sets the county up to have 10 dispensaries in unincorporated areas instead of the 18 allowed under state law. County officials said they are hopeful the state will grant provisional certificates to applicants who already have county permits but currently lack state approval.

[continues 1053 words]

The Ruling Limits the Ability to Seize Family Members' Homes That Were Used by Drug Dealers.

In a potentially precedent-setting decision, a Pennsylvania appellate court has restricted the circumstances under which prosecutors can seize homes used by convicted drug dealers.

The 5-2 majority opinion by Commonwealth Court applies to homeowners who can show they had little or no involvement in the illegal activity. The ruling in the case involving a 69-year-old West Philadelphia widow, and the settlement of two seizure cases in a federal lawsuit Dec. 20, constitute twin setbacks for the city's civil forfeiture program.

[continues 464 words]

Latest Public Hearing Draws Smaller Crowd

A public hearing on the revised version of proposed rule changes for the state Medical Cannabis Program on Monday drew far fewer people than a June hearing on the first version, and it was generally less contentious.

One woman wondered aloud if the hearing was deliberately scheduled during the holidays in order to reduce attendance.

The 50 people who spoke had many of the same criticisms of the proposed rule changes that were voiced last summer, but several also said they were pleased with the revisions.

[continues 608 words]

Re: "Apply due process to forfeiture - Powerful tool has become another government idea gone awry, says David Simpson," Dec. 23, Viewpoints.

Thanks to Rep. David Simpson for calling attention to the most corrupting influence in law enforcement: civil asset forfeiture. According to an analysis of 43,000 state and local reports submitted to the Justice Department Equitable Sharing Program, nearly $2.5 billion was seized. In up to 81 percent of the cases, no indictment was ever filed.

Civil forfeiture laws presume seized property to be tainted. Property owners must prove in court that their money or property was acquired legally in order to get it back. This is almost always more expensive than giving up the legally acquired property.

[continues 109 words]

Delegates to national conventions in Colorado are well aware of legal retail marijuana, and not just because they might have slipped in a visit to a dispensary.

Some conventions have used Colorado's cannabis laws to incorporate working panels on the ways legal pot can affect their business sectors.

"The legality of marijuana certainly impacts our industry," said Stuart Ruff, director of meetings and events for the Risk and Insurance Management Society, which brought 9,700 attendees to Denver in April. "There are a lot of misperceptions about the (Colorado) law, and we want our members to be educated."

[continues 294 words]

Ben Holmes gently lowers the turntable needle onto the album, and Traffic's "Medicated Goo," begins to play.

Steve Winwood's wistful tenor sweeps through the Centennial Seeds laboratory: "My own homegrown recipe'll see you through."

"Everyone stole from Stevie Winwood," Holmes says, his foot tapping as he injects a syringe of dark, syrupy liquid into his gas chromatograph.

No one is stealing from Holmes, a self-taught scientist, engineer, farmer and cannabis seed geek who next month will take a rare step to apply for a patent on a laboriously created cannabis superstrain.

[continues 1862 words]

The year began with one of the nation's biggest ATM sponsors refusing to allow its machines to be in businesses with ties to the marijuana trade, and it ends with the first credit union of its kind at the precipice of opening its doors.

For the recreational marijuana trade, the roads into and out of 2014 are a study in contrasts, where the initial lockdown against access to banking services appears to be cracking, even as the drug remains illegal under federal law.

[continues 1105 words]

Even moderate marijuana use among teens and young people was shown in a study this year to cause abnormalities in the developing brain. Yet as Colorado and other states legalize recreational pot use, the public perception is that it is generally safe.

A nationwide NBC/Wall Street Journal poll in March found that most people thought that alcohol, tobacco and sugar are more harmful to a person's health than smoking pot. The survey echoed results finding more teens think it's safe to use marijuana - although so far, it hasn't shown up in rising usage in Colorado.

[continues 586 words]

One year after retail marijuana joined medical pot as a legal product, the number of marijuana-related arrests in Denver public schools has grown by 6 percent.

Opponents predicted that legalizing the drug would encourage more teens to use it. But statistical data showing what change, if any, there has been in the number of teenagers using pot are so far spotty, at best.

"Ultimately, we should be looking at rates of use, not rates of enforcement," Mason Tvert, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, said of the arrest data provided by Denver police.

[continues 928 words]

Tom Rael's first epiphany came two years ago when he looked up from his drink and caught his reflection in the bar mirror.

His eyes were red and dull because he was perpetually stoned, toking every hour or so to maintain a constant high. His face was slack and prematurely lined. He looked too old for someone barely 30.

"What have you become?" he asked himself.

He stopped drinking, but he kept smoking. Cannabis was natural, he figured, so it was harmless, right? But two years later, he went to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and listened to someone describe a dry drunk, resentful and constantly simmering with anger and frustration. Rael felt a jolt of recognition.

[continues 1314 words]

The City of Rochester recently passed a medical marijuana ordinance to regulate the activity in the city of nearly 4 square miles. City Council unanimously adopted the measure at its Dec. 15 meeting after roughly three months of drafting. The measure designates industrial areas on the south side of the city for any potential licensed medical marijuana growing operations. "We're required to provide a place for the legal use of medical marijuana," City Manager Jaymes Vettraino said. "We've been diligent to make sure it's the right place and the right use for our community." The ordinance was modeled after other communities' efforts to regulate medicinal marijuana, such as nearby Auburn Hills and a handful of other municipalities, Vettraino added.

[continues 120 words]

The Sun Sentinel article, "Marijuana-Friendly States to Get a Break from DEA" (Dec. 16), indicates that with the passage of the latest federal spending bill, the Feds will no longer enforce the anti-sales laws of marijuana in those 32 states (and D.C.) that have legalized it. This marijuana approval occurred despite the fact that no valid scientific proof exists of the positive, long-term medical effect of marijuana.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse has documented a host of negative effects, including impaired intelligence, altered moods, increased risk for leukemia, increased susceptibility to bronchitis, transmittance of birth defects, impairment of brain functions, as well as impaired bodily coordination. They further report that the chances for a heart attack are 5 times greater after smoking pot and the chances for a car accident doubles.

Has our government lost its mind by foisting increased risks of health issues and automobile accidents on the American public? Has the thirst for more tax money from marijuana sales overwhelmed the need of the public for better safety and health?

James Derr, Deerfield Beach

[end]

Having just read about I-STOP/PMP (Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing/Prescription Monitoring Program) in New York State, I thought I would share my view on the very similar system we have in Ontario called the Ontario Narcotics Control Act. This act was implemented sneakily by our provincial government, and has made many people's lives much more difficult than need be.

I don't deny that there are those who abuse certain prescription drugs, and they will always be with us no matter how many bills are passed, but the government is now treating pretty much everyone as an addict through this act, and getting and renewing certain opiate painkillers has become an odyssey. If one wishes to go on vacation for a few weeks, getting the required amount of meds can be likened to going through the inquisition.

[continues 100 words]

Mountain towns dependent on tourists are reaping the rewards of legal marijuana. As the towns swell with visitors-skiers in February and March, summer vacationers in July and August-so do their sales-tax coffers.

"Most of our sales seem to be to our visitors," said John Warner, a dentist and the mayor of Breckenridge, which is tracking toward $8.8 million in marijuana sales in 2014. "Some people might think of it as a sin tax, and a lot of people don't like sin taxes. But it's certainly helpful to our community."

[continues 421 words]

That harried, Friday-evening moment when you're switching gears from work brain to party mode, gathering what you'll need for a fun night out - keys, phone, bottle of wine for the dinner party you're attending - has changed quite a bit in post-legalization Colorado.

Some are adding a vape pen or infused tincture to their date-night clutches. Others will pre-pack a bowl or one-hitter before heading out - or they'll chew on a 10-milligram edible on their way to the party. And those running low on supplies can swing by the pot shop on their way to the dinner and maybe grab a pre-rolled joint as a gift to the evening's hosts.

[continues 1515 words]

Melissa Vitale had never considered a career in marijuana when she moved her family to Colorado from Austin, Texas, a little over a year ago.

An accountant and former fifth-grade teacher, she long thought marijuana should be legalized but had no designs on working in the industry.

"When you're a mom, it's not the easiest thing to manage in your life," the 41-year-old said of her occasional cannabis use. "I do not and would not smoke in front of my children."

[continues 1349 words]