Anyone watching the growing emphasis by pot users to get pot fully legalized in Colorado can't be surprised by the latest news that pot proponents have submitted 160,000 signatures to the state of Colorado to get their legalization initiative on the 2012 November ballot. A report in the Denver Post stated that the measure would amend the Colorado Constitution to allow the possession and use of pot by people 21 and older. According to multiple national studies, Colorado's pot use among teens is on the rise and is among the highest in the country - and it has coincided with the introduction of medical pot. If full blown recreational pot use is approved by Colorado voters, you can imagine the impact on teen use? Teens would not be allowed to buy the stuff legally, just as they are not allowed to buy and use it now under the medical pot law. But somehow they just get it anyway. Funny how that works. [continues 83 words]
Pot or Not? Colorado voters will have a decision to make in November, when a constitutional amendment that would regulate marijuana much like alcohol will be on the ballot. At this early stage it would be fair to say it's too close to call, but pot legalization backers are organized, they've shown the ability to raise money and it appears being on the same ballot as a presidential election will benefit the measure. Backers of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol submitted about 160,000 signatures to the secretary of state last week. They only need about half that many to be approved, so it's a near-certainty the measure will make the ballot. [continues 363 words]
I find it very troubling how we disrespect our veterans, in particular those who have been wounded in service to their country, and need our help the most. We trusted them to protect our freedom, and yet when they return injured from military combat, we deny them the very freedom that they fought and sacrificed for. Why is it that we disregard modern science, and more importantly, disregard the observations and opinions of our wounded veterans who tell us that medical marijuana is the best thing for their PTSD and chronic pain? Instead, we give them addictive narcotics that promote depression and then follow that up with antidepressants that promote suicide. I think that the low national public opinion of politicians is higher than they deserve. Dr. Bob Melamede Colorado Springs [end]
It's Not the Federal Government's Issue In the design of America's founders, the states are supposed to be centers of democratic experiment. They're not supposed to be uniform. So it is disturbing to us that the Obama administration has launched a crackdown on medical marijuana, which is legal in Colorado, 15 other states and the District of Columbia. Numerous controversies pit medical marijuana users and dispensaries against state and local authorities. But overall, things have worked fairly well. The dire consequences of critics -- of a state lost in a pot haze -- never happened. The Bush administration, despite cracking down in many areas of the "war on drugs," never seriously challenged state medical marijuana laws. There was great hope that Obama would normalize the matter by formally letting states set their own policies. [continues 530 words]
We have all seen the TV clips of the lady in the coffee shop and the lawman in the jail corridor asking if we should regulate marijuana. America has spent billions trying to enforce marijuana prohibition with no evidence of success and no expectation of success in the future. In essence, under prohibition, we have abdicated the government's primary obligation to regulate and control the production, distribution and sale of marijuana. Prohibition grants these regulatory functions to violent criminals who control the market with "law of the jungle" tactics. Drug dealers and street gangs profit immensely from the production and sale of this drug simply because our laws prohibit legitimate businesses from entering the market. [continues 95 words]
The primary goal of drug legalization advocates has always been to get to full marijuana legalization. Colorado is now targeted by legalizers in an attempt to scam us into legalizing marijuana outright. On Sept. 28th, the United States Department of Justice sent a letter warning pot dispensaries in California that they are in direct violation of federal law and they must close their doors within 45 days. Title 21, United States code, Section 856(a) provides: "It shall be unlawful to knowingly and intentionally rent, lease, or make available for use, with or without compensation, a building, room, or enclosure for the purpose of unlawfully storing, distributing, or using a controlled substance." [continues 184 words]
Issue still divides proponent, council The possibility of a revote on the medical marijuana ban in Fountain appears to have gone up in smoke. Former Fountain City Councilman Al Lender said last week that a family emergency in Connecticut will force him to set aside his efforts to collect nearly 400 signatures from registered voters to place a question on the November ballot to overturn a voter-approved ban. "I'm pretty devastated over this; I've spent so much time and money. But my sister-in-law has terminal cancer, and that's more important," he said. [continues 543 words]
Once again, government servants have told Americans that marijuana ranks right up there with heroin. The Drug Enforcement Agency ruled last Friday that marijuana has "no accepted medical use" and will continue as a schedule 1 drug - the most forbidden category. The DEA is a law enforcement bureaucracy. The medical opinions of law enforcement bureaucrats should be of little interest. We do not ask cops to make laws; we pay cops to enforce the laws established by constitutions or enacted by the people or the decisions of their representatives. [continues 578 words]
After retiring from nearly 40 years of government service, I think I have the prerogative and as a citizen, the authority to bluntly comment on the rules that may be approved by the city council concerning medical marijuana regulation. The need for regulation is apparent, but the degree, it seems, is not. These are small businesses and cannot match the resources of big business and our municipalities. From my personal interactions with city officials, the lack of knowledge about the state constitution, the subsequent state laws and the rules promulgated by the Colorado departments of revenue and health is significant. [continues 285 words]
Last year, the state Legislature mandated that the Department of Revenue write regulations for the medical marijuana industry, including several provisions specified in the bill that included the mandate. This month, though a clarifying bill to tweak the law was passed by the Legislature, the DOR issued those rules in a 73-page document. The rules aren't - and won't be - universal across the state, however. The state law allows counties and municipalities to regulate dispensaries within their own borders as they see fit, and even ban them if they wish. [continues 273 words]
Gina Akeo doesn't need a bunch of randomized clinical trials to convince her that marijuana can ease pain and alleviate nausea. For several years after a 2004 pancreatic surgery gone bad, the 41-year-old Pueblo resident was taking 14 prescription drugs to combat the lingering symptoms of an ordeal that put her in the hospital for three months. She managed to survive septic shock and the removal of part of her intestines, but the pain, nausea and harsh side effects from the medications were too debilitating for her to live with a capital "l." [continues 1647 words]
A system that mimics daylight illuminates Lono Ho'ala's grow room at the Eagle's Nest Wellness Center in Cascade, where cannabis plants as tall as corn stalks are pampered in a temperature-controlled and specially ventilated environment that's laced with carbon dioxide to accelerate growth. Ho'ala is patient, waiting until leaves start to turn yellow to harvest the sticky, ripe buds, the only part of the plant that's used to make the medicinal products that he sells. [continues 1220 words]
The drumbeat for legalizing or decriminalizing drugs grows louder by the day. Recent headlines in the Gazette proclaim: "Panel: Drug war failed; explore legalization" (June 2), "Cash spent in drug war called wasted" (June 9), "More reasons to end the drug war" (June 10). The latter, an editorial by the Orange County Register, cites the conclusions of several world leaders (whose wisdom or political agendas are not universally accepted) and the widely trumpeted results of Portugal's 2001 drug decriminalization. Readers should be wary of swallowing whole the opinions of the nabobs mentioned in the Register piece or assuming that the results of the Portuguese experiment would be duplicated in the huge and diverse United States: Tiny Portugal has a homogeneous population of about 10.7 million. [continues 270 words]
In response to the June 10 editorial "Our View: More reasons to end the drug war," there are several issues I'd like to address. First, the term "war on drugs" is a misnomer: although that phrase has roots back in the Nixon era over four decades ago, it is no longer used by U.S. government officials, for a variety of reasons. A primary reason is that the problem today is much larger than just drugs: Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) active in our region have expanded their "business" lines of operation into dozens of other illegal activities, including weapons and human trafficking, kidnapping, money laundering, extortion, agricultural/mineral/oil theft, piracy, and even gruesome, medieval-like crimes such as "body parts harvesting." Looking through the sole lens of drug trafficking minimizes the bigger picture. [continues 284 words]
Amid federal uncertainty over the medical marijuana industry, Gov. John Hickenlooper's somewhat quiet signing of additional regulations Thursday signified a friendly smoke signal for local business owners. "We're excited Colorado is continuing forward to help legitimize the industry," Tanya Garduno, president of the Colorado Springs Medical Cannabis Council, said Friday. "Everyone's been afraid with the federal warnings, so Colorado making sure there are unambiguous questions about our laws gives us a little more of a sure feeling." Among other provisions, House Bill 1043 extends the moratorium on new businesses for another year, until July 1, 2012. The ban took effect July 1, 2010, in order for the state's Department of Revenue to create rules based on legislation that was passed last year and get a handle on what had become an explosion of businesses entering the market. [continues 563 words]
Medical marijuana seems to be a moving target, with new laws, new regulations, new business strategies and new warnings from the federal government all contributing to a confusing playing field. Employers having to deal with employees who may have medical marijuana cards, however, just want to know what they're supposed to do. Grant Butterfield, legal counsel for Pinnacol Assurance, the worker's compensation insurer, attempted to answer that question for local business owners and human resource managers Tuesday morning. The explosion in recent years in both patients and providers has made it an issue for a growing number of employers, he said. [continues 398 words]
Is our federal government on the payroll of Mexican drug cartels? Locally grown medical marijuana generates tax revenue and, more important, takes marijuana distribution out of the hands of organized crime. The No. 1product of Mexican drug cartels is marijuana. An estimated 35,000 Mexicans have died in prohibition-related violence over the past few years. As long as cartels control distribution, marijuana consumers will be exposed to methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin. Marijuana may be relatively harmless, but marijuana prohibition is deadly. Robert Sharpe, MPA, Policy Analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, DC [end]
While the May 5 "Our View" covered many important points regarding medical marijuana and changing regulations by the federal government, it missed one important point. On April 20, 2001 GW Pharmaceutical announced the initiation of Phase III clinical trials for Sativex, a liquefied form of cannabis sativa. For years FDA said there were no medical benefits to marijuana. The pharmaceutical industry is one of the biggest contributors to politicians. This just proves that our government is run by big corporate money and unelected bureaucrats. Our elected officials, state and federal as well as leaders of political parties who give us these candidates, are only interested in job security and not working for small businesses or votes. Otherwise they would put their political careers on the line to represent us, per the U.S. Constitution and fight for states rights. We need to elect honest representatives, if they exist. Colorado fights federal health care; why not fight for our medical marijuana industry? Bill Moss Colorado Springs [end]
When will our elected state officials, governor, attorney general, district attorneys, sheriffs and police standup against the Constitution-ignoring feds and protect the citizens of their states? In 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder's Justice Department (DOJ) issued a memo stating that it would not prosecute medical marijuana patients, suppliers or caregivers in states that have passed voter initiatives to legalize the drug's use -- so long as they were all abiding by that state's laws. Now the DOJ is sending letters to states threatening to jail anyone associated with the medical marijuana business, including state employees. This has been reported in several sources, including an article May 3, in The Gazette. [continues 216 words]
Just a point of clarification to your May 6 editorial: You state that "Colorado voters amended the state constitution in 2000 to allow the buying, selling and use of medical marijuana." The fact is that nothing in Amendment 20 allows for the commercial sale or purchase of marijuana. The 2000 Blue Book underlines this conspicuous fact, stating, "The proposal does not provide any legal means by which a patient may obtain marijuana. Under state criminal law, it will still be illegal to sell marijuana or marijuana plants to another individual, including a patient on the state registry." If there was any uncertainty in spite of the plain text of the Colorado Constitution - which the editorial fails to quote from - the Colorado Court of Appeals underlined the Blue Book's plain reading of Amendment 20 in an October 2009 ruling in People v. Clendenin, 232 P.3d 210 (cert denied by the Colorado Supreme Court). Dispensaries come to us courtesy of the Colorado General Assembly, not the Colorado Constitution. [continues 145 words]
Bait and Switch Will Hurt Colorado A pending federal crackdown on Colorado's medical marijuana patients and wellness providers will destroy livelihoods, hurt the economy and cost Colorado Springs and El Paso County precious new tax revenues. The Obama administration is backing off its principled state's rights approach to medical marijuana, just as it has abandoned other promises of hope and change. Colorado voters amended the state constitution in 2000 to allow the buying, selling and use of medical marijuana. Today's thriving medical marijuana trade, which has freed patients from underground drug dealers, didn't take off until Obama took office and directed Attorney General Eric Holder to announce new formal guidelines for federal prosecutors in medical marijuana states. An Oct. 19, 2009 memo by Deputy Attorney General David Ogden told United States attorneys that they "should not focus federal resources in your States on individuals whose actions are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana." (See full Ogden memo ) [continues 589 words]
Idea for Investment Fund Killed DENVER - As the medical marijuana industry has grown in Colorado, so has confusion among dispensary owners over regulations they're supposed to follow to stay out of trouble. A bill passed Monday by the state House of Representatives is aimed at answering some of the lingering questions, which were created by a regulatory measure passed last year by the Legislature. House Bill 1043, by Rep. Tom Massey, R-Poncha Springs, will do a number of things, such as clarify how many marijuana plants a dispensary owner can grow, gives dispensaries more time to move their businesses if they need to (such as those near schools), and clears up regulation issues for physicians and caregivers. [continues 270 words]
As the Colorado Department of Revenue prepares to enact a slew of new rules for medical marijuana businesses on July 1, ongoing industry policing is weeding out those not meeting current regulations. Top Shelf Alternative of Colorado Springs has closed as a result of non-compliance with the mandate that centers must grow 70 percent of all medical marijuana they sell, according to the state's Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division. The division in December notified 91 centers out of 818 statewide that they were in violation of laws and in danger of being shut down, said Julie Postlethwait, division spokeswoman. [continues 359 words]
Frankly, I do not see how limiting medical marijuana is going to help anything. It is not the only drug that messes with a person's mind and puts them in a state that is not suitable for driving. Many heavy painkillers have the same types of effects, putting a person into a state where driving would not be safe. If a limit is placed on medical marijuana, limits are going to start on all other sorts of drugs. And why do lawmakers feel placing a limit is going to stop anything? If a person takes medical marijuana how are they going to know fully what they are doing? Most likely, they will not be thinking straight and won't give a second thought about driving. They'll look in their fridge see the milk is gone and think, "I need milk!" The next thing you know they are pulled over for taking their meds. Limiting medical marijuana isn't going to change anything. It's just going to make trips to the grocery store that much more interesting. Justin Daniel Packard Colorado Springs [end]
El Paso County Extends Interim Rules A longstanding prohibition on new medical marijuana dispensaries will continue, despite earlier expectations that the moratorium would be lifted March 1. At the earliest, the state moratorium will be lifted April 13, but could last until Sept. 16, depending on how long it takes for the Department of Revenue's Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division to issue new industry regulations. El Paso County, meanwhile, has again extended its interim land-use regulations for dispensaries until June 1. The regulations were adopted in December 2009, and were set to expire next week after being extended several times. The County Commission voted Thursday to keep them in place. The rules cover issues such as hours of operation and location restrictions. [continues 443 words]
The Gazette did a commendable job editorializing about House Bill 11-1250 (Our View: "Bill seeks to outlaw MMJ food," Feb. 12). It's an eye-opener to read the same people who are opposed to using cannabis (marijuana) medicinally, because they believe medicine is not smoked, are wasting resources to eliminate medical use of cannabis which is not smoked. These very same politicians are not doctors and have no right or credentials to decide which kind of medication citizens use anyway. Doctors are qualified to suggest patients use nonsmoked cannabis and politicians should not interfere. Stan White Dillon [end]
Medical marijuana users could no longer buy edibles that contain the drug, if a bill introduced into the Colorado Legislature Wednesday becomes law. Call it the Brownie Bill. Cindy Acree, R-Aurora, introduced House Bill 11-1250, which would enact "a prohibition on ingestible medical marijuana-infused products," including brownies, cookies, candies, and a seemingly endless array of other food and drink products that contain marijuana. It is time for state politicians to stop trying to work around the will of voters, who approved medical marijuana with an amendment to the Colorado Constitution 11 years ago. For the past year, since the Obama administration announced it would respect state medical marijuana laws, the medical marijuana industry has thrived in Colorado. It has not led to mayhem and not one person has died as a result of medical marijuana consumption. Hundreds of Coloradans have died as a result of alcohol consumption in the past year. [continues 340 words]
Colorado Attorney General John Suthers knows all about scam artists. As a passionate defender of the public, he warns us about them routinely. A typical consumer advisory he issued in February of 2008 warned consumers and businesses of an e-mail scam. Suspected criminals pretended they represented the United States Department of Justice and made demands on e-mail recipients. In his warning, Suthers did not draw a nexus between the criminals and the Department of Justice. To do so would have been absurd. [continues 382 words]
Gazette Editor Wayne Laugesen's editorial (Dec. 16, "Council rejects black market pot") is breathtakingly naive. He seems to think that the legal pot shops have driven the black market dealers out of business, and if the City Council would have extended the buffer zone to 1,000 feet (between pot shops and schools) then some legal shops would be put out of business (true) and illegal dealers would again start selling to kids. Illegal dealers are still selling to kids, they haven't stopped. Since the legal shops have taken business away from them, they most likely have targeted kids even more than usual, since some of their customers probably get bogus medical marijuana cards and now buy their junk in legal shops. This whole legalization of pot issue has only endangered kids even more than before since illegal pot dealers need to cultivate new customers to maintain their market share - kids. Steve Sinn Manitou Springs [end]
City Says No To Radical MMJ Restrictions The Colorado Springs City Council deserves enormous accolades for resisting the temptation to politically grandstand by sending a phony anti-drug message and casting votes to "save the children" from that which doesn't threaten them. The council rejected a Byzantine list of proposed medical marijuana retail recommendations that came from its own planning commission. The commission invited special interests - including churches, colleges and preschools - to push for a 1,000-foot buffer zone that would exclude medical marijuana businesses. It was a proposal that made proponents appear anti-drug on the surface, but in truth it was anything but an anti-drug idea. It was a proposal that stood to benefit the images of commission members while jeopardizing those it was purported to protect. [continues 397 words]
In his letter "Impaired is impaired," (Dec. 9), Terrell Faulk makes some good points about driving under the influence. Unfortunately for the politicians, all the studies done on cannabis and driving (even from our own National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) point out that people drive more cautiously while under the influence of cannabis. Caution and driving go hand in hand. Unfortunately for us, politicians rarely care about knowing the facts, especially about cannabis. What I do suggest is that studies be done. [continues 80 words]
We already have a 400-foot restriction between K-12 schools and local dispensaries. Why do we need to add to that? I, along with a lot of other people, believe that we should stop trying to take what is helping our economy away from us. College students are adults with the ability to make their own decisions. And as for preschools, if our concern is to keep them from being around the dispensaries and the lifestyles associated with them, then we need to make sure the preschools keep better track of the children attending their centers. [continues 111 words]
To begin with, there is a limit for everything. So, I completely stand in favor of a proposal to limit the amount of marijuana one may consume before getting behind the wheel of a car. To be clear, I have nothing against those who responsibly use marijuana in moderation. However, much like alcohol, compulsive consumption of marijuana has harmful side effects. For starters, marijuana impairs one's judgment, perception, and coordination. Secondly, it impedes alertness and also reduces reaction time. Depending on one's tolerance, this can ultimately interfere with a person's motor skills and his or her ability to operate a vehicle. Is driving while stoned safer than drunk driving? Furthermore, how can driving under the influence ever be considered safe? [continues 97 words]
El Paso County's temporary land use regulations for medical marijuana businesses will remain in place until March 1, when a new licensing policy and modified zoning regulations will take effect, assistant county attorney Lori Seago said Wednesday. County commissioners in June extended the temporary regulations for "at least six months," which would be this month, or until the board approves "a local regulatory and/or licensing program, which may include associated land development code amendments," according to the resolution approving the extension. [continues 525 words]
I am writing in regard to the recent decision by the Planning Commission to restrict public input regarding zoning parameters for medical marijuana dispensaries. This is a case of blatant misuse of commissioner power and disregard for the needs of the public to be heard and know the facts. In your article of Nov. 23, it was pointed out by Councilman Tom Gallagher that it was wrong for the Planning Commission to move ahead without further public input. Councilman Gallagher also says, "It's about public process." Mayor Lionel Rivera and Vice Mayor Larry Small also regarded the move as inappropriate. [continues 126 words]
I'm so sick of hearing from sore losers like Father Bill Carmody (Letters, Nov. 23) and Steve Wind ("Springs residents tilted vote", Nov. 21) over their loss in banning medical marijuana dispensaries. Yes, there are going to be incidents like Carmody talks about, but most MMJ patients are honest people who deserve their medication per the Colorado constitution. Besides that, people buy alcohol for minors all the time, and no one is suggesting outlawing alcohol. As to Carmody's claim that the ban would have passed had people heard about this before the election, I think that is ridiculous. [continues 51 words]
I read with interest the sad situation of a person getting robbed because he was willing to sell his medicial marijuana. Call me shocked, I thought everyone who got medical marijuana used it for legitimate purposes and it was only to be used by the patient. Yet, this person was willing to sell his medical marijuana to teenagers, if there had not been a robbery, this never would have hit the news. I have no doubt that many people get their so-called medical marijuana from pot shops and turn around and sell it to people for recreational use. Likewise, the police did not arrest and/or give a citation for the criminal activity of selling an illegal substance. What are we teaching our children? I only wish this situation would have happened before the election. I believe this would have changed the results of 1A on the ballot. Fr. Bill Carmody Diocese of Colorado Springs [end]
Do I understand correctly that there are in excess of 160 registered dispensaries in our fair city? (I saw that figure quoted by the representatives of the "industry" following the City Council meeting on Nov. 18). I hazard a guess that there are not that many regular drug stores, liquor stores, gas stations, convenience stores or stores of any other such ilk in town. Are there truly so many "addicts", excuse me, "patients" in need of medical marijuana in the Springs? As with any other business, no one goes into it without some thought of profit. Why can these entrepreneurs assume success? Simple questions from a simple man who is naturally losing his thought faculties without the aid of drugs. Howard A. Wilson Colorado Springs [end]
Voters who live within Colorado Springs city limits made the difference in the Nov. 2 election when it came to staving off a ban on medical marijuana dispensaries in unincorporated El Paso County. Voters outside city limits wanted to put a ban in place, according to a Gazette analysis of precinct-by-precinct results released last week. While ballot measure 1A failed by a razor-thin margin county-wide, the proposed ban lost by a much higher rate in city limits. In the city, 61 percent of precincts voted against the ban. [continues 449 words]
3 Caught in Dispensary Had Excuse Three Fort Carson soldiers had a perfectly good explanation for allegedly breaking into a pot dispensary in Colorado Springs early Saturday. It was a public service. "We were just trying to get rid of all the marijuana," Pfc. Ramone Hollins told officers after the trio were arrested inside Rocky Road Remedies at 2489 S. Academy Blvd. on the city's southeast side, according to an arrest affidavit. Hollins, 22, Pfc. Darius Thomas, 23, and Pvt. Cory Young, 22, were arrested on suspicion of second-degree burglary after police say they accidentally locked themselves inside the dispensary during a burglary-gone-bad. [continues 325 words]
Dispensary Regs to Be Heard Dec. 13 Restrictive zoning rules intended to keep medical marijuana businesses farther from all types of schools were booted Thursday by the Planning Commission to the Colorado Springs City Council, where they are expected to run into stiff opposition. The commission recommended a 1,000-foot buffer zone between dispensaries and schools, including preschools, colleges and universities. An early version of the proposed land-use regulations had a shorter setback and included only kindergarten through 12th grade schools. [continues 623 words]
Thanks for printing Jim Flynn's detailed analyses ("Marijuana laws rife with complexities, Nov. 13) on how medical use of cannabis (marijuana) works in Colorado. Hopefully, when cannabis is finally legalized (and it will be legalized) the problems associated with Amendment 20 will be alleviated. The whole use of Amendment 20 to allow citizens to use the relatively safe, God-given plant for medical reasons exists only because the plant is prohibited. Legalizing cannabis will likely mean citizens who wish to use the superplant for medical purposes will not need to pay extortion money to government for protection from police. Stan White Dillon [end]
A Phony Attempt To Save The Children The Springs Planning Commission may decide Thursday to recommend destruction of roughly 70 businesses. The demise of medical marijuana stores would result in the failure of their grow centers, which are licensed by the city and state to contract with the stores. If the commission recommends destroying the new businesses, it recommends forcing more than 700 full-time employees out of their jobs. The commission would recommend the vacation of about 130 commercial leases. It would recommend financial hardship for property owners who depend on commercial leases. [continues 433 words]
Medical marijuana businesses in Colorado Springs are facing stricter zoning regulations under a revamped proposal the city's Planning Commission will consider Thursday. The city is trying to determine how many medical marijuana businesses would violate the city's land-use code under the new proposal. But an industry advocate estimates that up to 40 businesses could be forced to close their doors. The proposed zoning regulations, which the Planning Department revised at the request of commissioners, expands the definition of school to include preschools, colleges, universities and seminaries. [continues 312 words]
As you might expect, the legal profession covets the opportunity to develop a new specialty. And, thanks to medical marijuana, it has recently been able to do so. It all began in 2000 with voter approval of Amendment 20. Amendment 20 added a new Section 14 to Article XVIII of the Colorado Constitution. As constitutional amendments go, Section 14 is quite detailed. It describes a regime whereby individuals suffering from a "debilitating medical condition" can have access to marijuana as a medication, without anyone involved in the process going to jail. "Debilitating medical condition" means cancer, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), glaucoma and any other condition that involves severe pain, severe nausea, seizures or muscle spasms. [continues 380 words]
A medical marijuana group has no plans to drop a lawsuit against El Paso County after the narrow defeat of a proposed ban on pot businesses outside Colorado Springs, an attorney said. Denver-based attorney Jessica Corry said her clients have asked her to fight to make sure they will be protected from future attempts to ban the businesses in unincorporated El Paso County - either from potential ballot measures or action taken by the commissioners. "Our analysis is: Will the county do this again?" Corry said. [continues 297 words]
Disappointed in the lack of enrollment in its voluntary drug testing program, the Cheyenne Mountain School District 12 board said Monday it will make a concerted push to get more parents to sign up their children for the program that is to begin this fall. So far only about 35 have agreed to participate in the voluntary pilot program at the high school; to make the random testing viable the district's goal is at least 100. The district particularly wants to reach parents of athletes and will give presentations at events, such as the upcoming winter sports open house. [continues 489 words]
The ski communities of Summit County, San Miguel County and Pitkin County are some of the youngest, fittest and healthiest counties in Colorado. So it would stand to reason that those counties would have the lowest rates of registered medical marijuana users. After all, use of medical marijuana, approved by voters in 2000, is limited to patients with debilitating medical conditions, including cancer, HIV and glaucoma. And yet medical marijuana use in these mountain communities is twice the state average, as measured by per capita number of medical marijuana cardholders in each county. [continues 972 words]
RAMAH - For more than 100 years, the only weed that posed an issue to this town was tumbleweed. But the sudden growth of medical marijuana has changed that. Ramah is the smallest town in El Paso County. The tidy clutch of houses anchored in the windswept prairie by mature, shady cottonwoods is home to between 119 and 125 people, depending whom you ask. There are no cafes or gas stations. There are no businesses at all. Except, potentially, one. A resident went to a Ramah town board meeting last fall saying he wanted to lease the old general store down by the Rock Island railroad tracks to a marijuana grower from Denver. The five board members were uncertain what to do, so they decided to ask the town. [continues 1190 words]
A $7 million surveillance plane equipped to detect air, land and sea threats was flown from the Canadian border to Colorado Springs in April to assist in an investigation of marijuana growing operations that apparently resulted in charges against six people. The Department of Homeland Security plane, a Swiss-built Pilatus PC-12 Spectre, was requested on April 9 as the Metro Vice, Narcotics and Intelligence task force prepared to launch a series of searches of buildings where investigators suspected marijuana was being grown illegally. [continues 655 words]
