An explosion in a house Wednesday night in Redford Township seriously injured three people, and police suspect it involved an explosive marijuana processing operation. The three people in the house when the explosion occurred, at 8:15 p.m. on the 20100 block of Woodworth, were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, according to a news release from Redford Police Department. A neighbor told the station she saw three men run out of the house and "their clothes were melted off of them" after the explosion, according to a report from Fox 2 Detroit (WJBK-TV). . [continues 117 words]
Investigators found more than 87 pounds of suspected heroin Monday during a raid at a Novi apartment, according to a federal criminal complaint. DEA agents and the Oakland County Narcotics Investigation Team entered the Brownstones apartment complex unit shortly after 9:30 a.m. on the 42200 block of Joyce Lane to find three men inside, along with eight bricks of a light-brown substance on a table in plain sight, according to the complaint from special agent Michael Reamer in U.S. District Court. [continues 228 words]
A small bag of weed still will cost more than a six-pack of beer, but Colorado voters next month decide whether to tax it more. Proposition AA could mean a difference of $7 for an 1/8-ounce bag of marijuana priced at $32.38 in unincorporated Larimer County. That's a 15 percent excise tax on wholesale marijuana, if passed directly to the consumer, plus a 10 percent sales tax added to existing sales taxes of 3.5 percent. [continues 959 words]
The U.S. Government's Classification of Marijuana Deems It More Dangerous Than Meth and Cocaine, With 'No Currently Accepted Medical Use.' Marijuana proponents gained a new friend recently in a high-profile CNN doctor who retracted his opposition to the drug. And in Northern Colorado, even a drug-addiction specialist admits he's written a few medical-marijuana recommendations for patients suffering from non-addiction-related ailments. But the full spectrum of pot's effects is hazy as federal laws continue to block research. [continues 1226 words]
Private marijuana use is legal, but police aren't ticketing public users because the definition of 'public' hasn't been clarified. Six months after legalized marijuana became official in Colorado, the smoke hasn't quite cleared. Definitions of "public" and "private" remain hazy, so police in Fort Collins aren't ticketing people who smoke weed in the open - even though the law's language forbids "publicly" consuming it. "Everybody's in wait-and-see mode," said Lt. Mike Trombley with Fort Collins Police Services. "We're trying to do public education, asking people to be mindful of that and not smoke in public." [continues 917 words]
A man jurors acquitted of multiple marijuana felonies has sued the Larimer County Sheriff's Office after his 42 plants were destroyed, according to a lawsuit recently filed in 8th Judicial District Court. Denver lawyer Rob Corry said his client expects to receive $5,000 per plant (totaling $210,000), based on what law enforcers have testified a marijuana plant is worth, in addition to attorney fees. Kaleb Young, 34, had been growing the plants in a Wellington home in compliance with Colorado's medical marijuana laws and during a warrant search in September 2010 had shown deputies paperwork authorizing him to do so, according to the lawsuit. [continues 402 words]
A Year After Voters Banned Dispensaries, Safety of Access, Safety of Community at Odds Medical marijuana in Fort Collins has moved from storefronts to shadows. The city's 21 dispensaries, along with many of their advocates, are gone a year after voters approved a ban. A banner for Kind Care of Colorado, formerly located at 6617 S. College Ave., is rolled up, collecting dust in storage along with thousands of dollars worth of security cameras, equipment and furniture. Dave Watson, 42, the store's former owner, said people are finding marijuana underground, like they did before the stores opened. [continues 1354 words]
Fort Collins Man Says He Had Right To Grow Confiscated Plants, Patients Will Suffer Without His Home-grow And His Neighbors Are Now Suspicious. Police Say Operation Is A Felony. Stephen Minardi says he's done nothing wrong. He says the 50 marijuana plants in his west Fort Collins home are there to treat legal patients who can't afford to buy from store-front medical marijuana centers. Minardi, who, along with his wife, is facing felony charges of cultivation and distribution, said the criminal case makes them "look like massive Al Pacino drug dealers." [continues 1145 words]
Dispensary owners jump through hoops for licenses SUMMIT COUNTY, Colorado -- Local medical marijuana dispensary owners were scrambling this week to keep their doors open. Sunday is the deadline for the centers -- as defined by new state laws - -- to apply for a state license. The next opportunity will be summer 2011. "I'm getting ready to deliver a bible of paperwork," said Cory McNeill, owner of the Breckenridge Loft. "The most highly scrutinized license ever given out in American history makes it very nerve wracking." [continues 511 words]
SUMMIT COUNTY -- Local medical marijuana dispensary owners were scrambling this week to keep their doors open. Sunday is the deadline for the centers -- as defined by new state laws - -- to apply for a state license. The next opportunity will be summer 2011. "I'm getting ready to deliver a bible of paperwork," said Cory McNeill, owner of the Breckenridge Loft. "The most highly scrutinized license ever given out in American history makes it very nerve wracking." There's a business application and a personal one. The latter requires a 10-year employment and business association history, detailed personal financial information, fingerprinting, copies of all higher education degrees and more. [continues 481 words]
Dispensary Owners Jump Through Hoops For Licenses SUMMIT COUNTY -- Local medical marijuana dispensary owners were scrambling this week to keep their doors open. Sunday is the deadline for the centers -- as defined by new state laws - -- to apply for a state license. The next opportunity will be summer 2011. "I'm getting ready to deliver a bible of paperwork," said Cory McNeill, owner of the Breckenridge Loft. "The most highly scrutinized license ever given out in American history makes it very nerve wracking." [continues 512 words]
Dispensary Owners May Resort To Front Range Warehouse Sites SUMMIT COUNTY - Local dispensaries could be trucking medical marijuana from the Front Range by September as they struggle to comply with new state laws. Summit County commissioners voted 2-1 Tuesday to continue a freeze on medical pot-growing operations, meaning it will be a year before any more start in unincorporated areas. "It's completely ridiculous," said Jerry Olson, owner of Medical Marijuana of the Rockies in Frisco. "They're not concerned about Summit County businesses, jobs or landowners with vacant rental property." [continues 587 words]
Community Forum Raises Questions on Pot at School FRISCO -- Local high school students face suspension or expulsion for possessing marijuana at school, but medical pot on campus hasn't been addressed. "It's something our school is working on. It could be becoming a growing issue," said Brett Tomlinson, assistant principal at Summit High School. He and Summit County undersheriff Derek Woodman addressed such issues during a Summit Prevention Alliance-sponsored community forum Tuesday at the Summit County Community and Senior Center. [continues 149 words]
New Rules and Regulations Could Drive Out the Little Guys, Some Say SUMMIT COUNTY, Colorado -- Legislation to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries statewide could lead to closure of local businesses unable to afford compliance, but many people with a stake in the outcome appear optimistic. "It's really going to kill most of the small-time operators -- mom and pop stores -- because fees and the application process are so expensive," said Sean McAllister, an attorney in Breckenridge who's been active in medical marijuana issues. [continues 542 words]
SUMMIT COUNTY - Legislation to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries statewide could lead to closure of local businesses unable to afford compliance, but many people with a stake in the outcome appear optimistic. "It's really going to kill most of the small-time operators - mom and pop stores - because fees and the application process are so expensive," said Sean McAllister, an attorney in Breckenridge who's been active in medical marijuana issues. He said "longer-established" dispensaries such as High Country Healing in Silverthorne and Medical Marijuana of the Rockies in Frisco have the patient base to sustain business once the regulations become effective. [continues 510 words]
Town Officials Frown on Club 420 BRECKENRIDGE - Folks over 21 can get high at a private club on Main Street - but town officials are considering a law to prohibit cannabis consumption at such venues. For a monthly fee, members of Club 420 in Towne Square Mall can use vaporizers for rent or sale in an exclusive lounge. Cannabis is not made available at the club, which neither permits nor prohibits use of the drug. "I don't think that was the intention of any of the local ordinances," town Councilman Jeffrey Bergeron said. "And I don't think it's particularly good for neighbors of that business and just the perception of the town." [continues 434 words]
State, Local Funding Drying Up For Centralized Effort SUMMIT COUNTY - Financial shortages this year will likely bring an end to the Summit County Drug Task Force, an organization that has existed in some form for more than 20 years. "It's gonna go bye-bye," Summit County Sheriff John Minor said. "I don't know how we'll have the capacity to conduct undercover operations, but we're still going to have to figure that out." He said the task force will probably be dissolved some time between June and September. Its roughly $200,000 annual budget - split among local municipalities and state grants - has taken significant funding hits and is down to one agent. [continues 430 words]
DA To Start Local Drug Court With Similar Aim SUMMIT COUNTY - Legislation introduced last week at the state Capitol aims to reduce drug offense sentences while improving rehabilitation programs; meanwhile, local District Attorney Mark Hurlbert is making progress toward starting a drug court this year. Hurlbert was part of a criminal justice group that helped frame House Bill 1352, which also stiffens penalties for people who deal drugs to children. Advocates say the bill would save the state money by emptying prison beds, and the savings could be used for rehabilitation programs. [continues 410 words]
Cops, Docs, Residents Weigh In On Cannabis Concept FRISCO - A lively public discussion on medical marijuana recently reflected the belief that, regardless of personal opinion, society is becoming more accepting of the drug - and statewide legalization is no pipe dream. "We kind of follow the trends of the state of California," Summit County Sheriff John Minor said. California has a ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana set for this fall. Minor said that if it passes, Colorado could follow. About 35 local residents including doctors, marijuana dispensary owners, law enforcement and more attended Thursday's Our Future Summit roundtable conversation on medical marijuana at the Summit County Community and Senior Center in Frisco. [continues 657 words]
Commissioners Extend Moratorium On Businesses BRECKENRIDGE -- Medical marijuana dispensaries won't be opening in unincorporated Summit County until at least June, since Summit County Commissioners on Tuesday voted to extend a moratorium on the businesses. The decision came after opposing viewpoints were presented to the commissioners from local law enforcement officials and real estate professionals. Summit County Sheriff John Minor said that with a variety of bills before the state Legislature -- some of which could quash dispensaries across the state -- it wouldn't be fair to the business community if the county drafted a set of regulations, then change them a few months later to comply with state law. [continues 205 words]
