Cannabis Therapy Institute

Seth Brigham suffers "breakdown," attorney says: Critic won't sue Boulder, plans to move

Just days ago, Seth Brigham, Boulder's most annoying critic, celebrated his first visit to a Boulder City Council meeting since a judge tossed the city's restraining order against him by singing and dancing as irritated officials tried not to watch; see photos and video below. But this highpoint did ... More >>

Video: Seth Brigham sings, dances at Boulder City Council after restraining order lifted

No one anticipated that Seth Brigham's first appearance at a Boulder City Council meeting since a judge threw out the city's restraining order against him would be low-key. But few could have guessed at the weirdness that resulted when the willfully irritating gadfly delivered his testimony in song ... More >>

Medical marijuana superstores possible federal targets in Colorado?

U.S. Attorney John Walsh has sent out two waves of closure-threat letters to medical marijuana dispensaries near schools -- and his spokesman reveals that a third wave is coming. But could Walsh's targets in Colorado expand to so-called marijuana superstores, as has taken place in California? His of ... More >>

THC driving bill: Schedule I and II drug additions broaden rejected measure

Last April, as we've reported, a bill to set THC driving limits was put on hold by a senate committee -- and a DUID-marijuana working group charged with reconsidering the issue deadlocked over the question of per se standards. Nonetheless, Senator Steve King is sponsoring a new version of the bill, ... More >>

Photos: THC driving limits bill approved by Senate committee

In a marathon hearing that stretched from the early afternoon until the late evening, a bill to establish THC driving standards was approved by a Senate committee yesterday in a 4-1 vote. The measure, sponsored by Senator Steve King, right, would set five nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood as ... More >>

Pot Head Ring Pots leave a bad taste for Legalize2012.com's Laura Kriho (VIDEO)

Big pics below.​It's not often Laura Kriho, the driving force behind the Cannabis Therapy Institute and Legalize2012.com, speaks out against something pertaining to marijuana. But there she was, on a Fox station in Colorado Springs, criticizing marijuana-shaped candy marketed under names like ... More >>

THC driving limit: Task Force member says no recommendation wouldn't stop new bill

​Yesterday, the Drug Policy Task Force met to consider THC driving limits. The DUID-marijuana working group studying the subject couldn't agree on a proposal last week, and Task Force member Senator Pat Steadman thinks its inability to do so may prevent THC-driving legislation from being bless ... More >>

Proponents of marijuana legalization know that where there's smoke, there's ire

Marijuana legalization debate preview: Meet the advocates who'll be hashing it out

Free me.​It's fitting that Wednesday night's debate between Colorado cannabis activists has been dubbed "Round One." The event is being advertised as a "lively and friendly" debate -- but if it's as impassioned and fiery as the comments on our marijuana blogs have been, it might be closer to ... More >>

Medical marijuana: Board of Health passes new driving rules, caregiver language (PHOTOS)

​Cannabis Therapy Institute's Laura Kriho raised concern about new regulations to be enacted by the Board of Health at a meeting yesterday. And following the marathon session, she's still worried, especially about what she sees as "a backdoor method to create a new crime: DUI-MM" -- driving un ... More >>

Marijuana legalization: Mason Tvert touts initiative process openness, seeks more input

Mason Tvert.​The filing of eight 2012 marijuana legalization initiatives by a group led by Brian Vicente and Mason Tvert has come in for criticism from Cannabis Therapy Institute's Laura Kriho, who accuses organizers of ignoring local activists. But Tvert says nothing could be further from th ... More >>

THC driving limits bill is back, may have votes to pass despite William Breathes's blood test

Morgan Carroll.​Update: HB 1261, a bill to set THC driving standards, was put on hold by the Senate judiciary committee last month -- and committee chairwoman Senate Morgan Carroll says Westword medical marijuana critic William Breathes's blood test was a factor in the decision. Now, though, ... More >>

Medical marijuana: Ft. Collins PD returns Frank Marzano's seized grow gear (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Corry and Marzano.​Update: Yesterday, the Fort Collins Police Department returned growing equipment and other property seized from medical marijuana grower Frank Marzano way back in 2007, during a hunt for a fugitive that turned into a pot raid. Last year, a Colorado court ruled that the searc ... More >>

THC driving limits: William Breathes is still waiting....

​After a week, I finally got the results from my blood test last Friday -- and unfortunately, the lab didn't give me the information I'd asked for. Fortunately, the state senate's judiciary committee just pushed back discussion of HB1261, also known as the marijuana DUI bill, by a week.

Medical marijuana: Does Melinda Haag's memo foreshadow federal MMJ raids in Colorado?

Melinda Haag.​While medical marijuana is legal in Colorado, it remains against U.S. law -- and the push and pull between the state and the feds continues to concern the local MMJ community. Case in point: The Haag memo, a letter sent in February by California-based U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag p ... More >>

Medical marijuana advocate's call not to disturb legislative process for bill stirs controversy

Greg Goldfogel.​ The Cannabis Therapy Institute sent out an "action alert" to its members regarding today's planned second reading of HB 1260, a bill to set THC driving limits. But after a similar alert last week regarding HB 1250, which originally sought to ban all MMJ edibles, infused-produc ... More >>

Medical marijuana hearing nods to "Drugs are Bad, M'Kay" South Park ep? (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Video below.​Yesterday's judiciary committee hearing about HB 1250, a medical marijuana infused-products bill, took some unexpected twists. The legislation, which initially sought to ban all MMJ edibles, has now evolved into a packaging bill. But in arguing why it's necessary, sponsoring Repre ... More >>

Medical marijuana advocates line up to oppose HB 1261, THC driving limits bill (PHOTOS)

Big pics below.​Earlier today, we shared attorney Rob Corry's objections to HB 1261, a bill to set THC driving limits. The measure passed out of committee 6-2. Now, here's a look inside the hearing, with photos and captions courtesy of the Cannabis Therapy Institute.

Marijuana advocates to argue against Claire Levy bill setting THC driving-impairment limits

Claire Levy.​HB 1261, Representative Claire Levy's bill to establish THC driving limits, comes up for public comment on Thursday afternoon, and marijuana advocates affiliated with the Cannabis Therapy Institute are likely to show up in force to oppose it. Why? Among other reasons, the organiza ... More >>

Medical marijuana: HB 1250 edibles bill hearing stars Cap'n Chronic, Pot Tarts (PHOTOS)

Pot Tarts.​In a Monday interview about HB 1250, co-sponsoring Representative Cindy Acree said the bill would outlaw the medical marijuana edibles business. But between her Westword interview and yesterday's hearing, the focus switched from a total ban to marketing and labeling -- and according ... More >>

Medical marijuana: Rep. Cindy Acree says MMJ edibles ban needed to protect children, patients

Cindy Acree.​We recently told you about HB 1250, a bill that appeared to ban the medical marijuana edibles industry in Colorado. Since then, there's been debate among MMJ community members -- fueled in part by articles like this -- about whether or not that was true. But in advance of today's ... More >>

Medical marijuana: Advocates differ about MMJ cleanup bill HB 1043 hearing (PHOTOS)

Big pics below.​Some very different takes on yesterday's judiciary committee hearing on HB 1043, a medical marijuana bill co-sponsored by Representative Tom Massey and Senator Pat Steadman. Jill Lamoureux, who also weighed in on a contentious health department advisory meeting, doesn't think t ... More >>

Medical marijuana HB 1250 bill would outlaw MMJ edibles: Read it here

​At 1:30 p.m. today, the public can comment on HB 1043, a medical marijuana bill described as a cleanup measure of last year's bill by its co-sponsors, Senator Pat Steadman and Representative Tom Massey. But the Cannabis Therapy Institute's Laura Kriho also plans to address HB 1250, a brand ne ... More >>

Medical marijuana hearing: Advocate says Dept. of Revenue hostile to privacy concerns (PICS)

Big pics below.​Update below: The second day of Department of Revenue public hearings about medical marijuana regulations -- MMJ rules that attorney Rob Corry called death by 1,000 cuts in a preview yesterday -- are about to get underway at this writing. During yesterday's session, representat ... More >>

Medical marijuana: Board of Health rejects Cannabis Therapy Institute's petition (PICS)

​Update: Yesterday, Colorado's board of health rejected an emergency petition from the Cannabis Therapy Institute, on view below in an item first published yesterday morning. The reason? The board didn't believe the concerns outlined in the petition constituted an emergency. However, the topic ... More >>

Medical marijuana database puts patients at risk of federal prosecution, advocate says (VIDEO)

Fern Epstein.​Colorado's Department of Revenue unveiled draft regulations for the medical marijuana industry at a marathon meeting yesterday -- and most concerning for the Cannabis Therapy Institute's Laura Kriho was a plan to phase out the current MMJ registry and replace it with a database s ... More >>

Medical marijuana from the feds? Meet Irvin Rosenfeld, whose MMJ is supplied by U.S. gov't

Irvin Rosenfeld.​The differences between the federal government's marijuana laws and MMJ rules in Colorado are vast. Ask Chris Bartkowicz, who faces years in prison for growing cannabis he said was for medical purposes. So why are the feds supplying Irvin Rosenfeld almost 300 marijuana cigaret ... More >>

Medical marijuana patient collectives: Attorney sees them as tool against caregiver restrictions

Flickr​HB 1284, the medical marijuana regulatory bill signed in June, is a complicated measure that changes many of the ways MMJ caregivers have operated. But attorney Adam Mayo thinks he may have found a work-around: patient collectives. He'll discuss the topic at length during a Monday Canna ... More >>

Medical marijuana: $90 license fee too high for indigent patients & everyone else, advocate says

Laura Kriho.​Back in August, medical marijuana advocates protested when Governor Bill Ritter proposed using $9 million in MMJ fees to help plug a budget hole. No doubt this topic will rise again at 9:30 a.m. this morning, when a board of health public hearing will address the question of lower ... More >>

Medical marijuana committee session has room for all -- especially after a dozen people split

​Roughly 75 people attended the Department of Revenue's Medical Marijuana Advisory committee meeting this morning. Despite fears from the Cannabis Therapy Institute that there wouldn't be enough space in the board room, everyone who wanted a seat had one. But some people gave theirs up early.

Medical marijuana rulemaking meeting room too small to fit all the people wanting to attend?

At the first meeting.​The Department of Revenue's medical marijuana advisory committee has been controversial from the beginning, and not only because meetings weren't open to the public until after advocates complained. Now there are gripes from the likes of Cannabis Therapy Institute that t ... More >>

Medical marijuana working group's Ed Bruder works for patients, and wants to hear from them

Ed Bruder.​The Department of Revenue's 25-member medical marijuana working group stirred controversy due to a plan to hold its first meeting behind closed doors -- a situation rectified when MMJ advocates complained. But after the group's initial sitdown last week, the Cannabis Therapy Institu ... More >>

Cannabis Therapy Institute attacks new regs, declares medical marijuana law unconstitutional

Friday's MMJ meeting.​On Friday, the Colorado Department of Revenue's medical marijuana advisory committee met at a session belatedly opened to the public -- and the folks at the Cannabis Therapy Institute were troubled by the draft regulations released in conjunction with the get-together. S ... More >>

Medical marijuana petition drive this weekend to challenge Broomfield's dispensary ban

​While attorney Sean McAllister is taking on Westminster's medical marijuana dispensary ban in court, the MMJ backers at the Cannabis Therapy Institute is helping those who want to use a petition to challenge a similar prohibition in Broomfield. Advocates have until August 20 to get 1,300 sig ... More >>

Medical marijuana activists want revenue dept. to re-open MMJ committee to public application

Laura Kriho.​Cannabis Therapy Institute's Laura Kriho and Colorado Coalition for Patients and Caregivers' Robert Chase succeeded in getting the Department of Revenue to postpone the first meeting of its new medical marijuana advisory working group because it wasn't open to the public. But they ... More >>

Medical marijuana signings: Bill Ritter holds no pot party

​The announcements kept coming from the governor's office yesterday: Bill Ritter would be signing this bill in front of this group, that bill in front of that group, with his eye on hitting constituencies across the state -- and also hitting the June 11 deadline for action on all bills coming ... More >>

Marijuana lawyers rallying for court battles in wake of HB 1284

Attorney Craig Small blasts HB 1284 at the Monday panel.​A ten-lawyer panel oiled the big guns Monday for its coming fight against sweeping marijuana legislation set to be signed by Governor Bill Ritter, urging an overflow crowd of medical pot entrepreneurs to remain vigilant as the state moun ... More >>

Medical marijuana bill enthusiast Matt Brown: "We did it!"

Matt Brown thinks the MMJ jar is more than half full.​Despite its legislative passage yesterday, HB 1284, the bill to regulate the medical marijuana industry, continues to earn mixed reviews. The Cannabis Therapy Institute's Laura Kriho hates both HB 1284 and the previously approved SB 109, w ... More >>

Medical marijuana hearing sets up fight on the senate floor

Matt Brown sees more weed battles looming.​Yesterday morning, we previewed a senate committee hearing on House Bill 1284, which is intended to regulate the medical marijuana industry, with Sensible Colorado's Brian Vicente maintaining that he's ready to push a ballot initiative if the final re ... More >>

Medical marijuana bill: Current version of HB 1284 would allow city councils to ban dispensaries

Photo by Robert FisherMaybe not coming to a town near you.​During an interview last week, Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation front man Matt Brown wasn't certain that new language inserted into House Bill 1284, a measure designed to regulate the medical marijuana industry, gave city co ... More >>

4/20 brings rallies -- and reporters -- to International Cannabis Day

​Even before today's celebration of International Cannabis Day commences in Civic Center Park at 9 a.m., this city's booming medical marijuana business has already inspired a number of out-of-town journalists to come to Denver to cover the event. And there will be plenty to report on today, b ... More >>

Medical marijuana has its hearing today

​The last time the House judiciary committee considered HB 1284, which would regulate medical marijuana from seed to sale in this state, the March 4 hearing went on for ten hours, and over 800 people signed up to testify. Today, when the committee again takes up HB 1284, there will be no pub ... More >>

Wake-Up Call: Denver goes to pot today!

​Charlie Brown's proposal to regulate the city's medical marijuana dispensaries will be presented to the full Denver City Council at tonight's meeting. Since the council's Safety Committee first started considering his proposed ordinance in November, the number of sales-tax licenses issued to ... More >>

Cannabis Health News Magazine by patients for patients

The cover of Cannabis Health News Magazine's issue number one.​Yesterday, we told you about several folks featured in a Colorado-centric issue of High Times, who'll be autographing copies of the mag at the Cannabis Therapy Institute's Cannabis Holiday Health Fair, slated for Sunday, December 1 ... More >>

Medical-marijuana fight brewing between Senator Chris Romer, weed advocates

Should the number of medical-marijuana dispensaries be cut in half?​Senator Chris Romer has been the state legislator most willing to wade into the medical-marijuana morass -- and an article in yesterday's Boulder Daily Camera provides more information about a proposal he expects to offer in J ... More >>

The new pot biz: Marijuana institutes

Calling Professor Pot!​The explosive growth of Colorado's marijuana dispensary scene is sooo September 2009. The next big thing, it turns out, is marijuana institutes -- organizations designed to help folks makes heads or tails of the heady medical marijuana scene. The development is a no-bra ... More >>

Felony weed charges dropped against "pregnant caregiver" Sherri Versfelt

Sherri Versfelt shows off her baby bump.​Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett says he's "committed to having the most progressive approach to medical marijuana of any DA's office in the state." And yesterday, he took another step toward establishing that reputation by dismissing charges agai ... More >>

Cannabis Therapy Institute offers framework for dispensary regulations

​Last night, city councils at localities throughout the state, including Longmont, Lafayette, Louisville and Thornton, discussed the issue of medical-marijuana dispensaries at city council meetings. In Durango, for instance, officials approved preliminary tweaks in regulations, setting hours o ... More >>

CU to host Cannabis Health Fair

​Colorado's confusing medical-marijuana laws have led to plenty of puffing on all sides of the issue, with the Cannabis Therapy Institute taking a leading role in pushing for greater availability of what it sees as a healing weed. Last week, the organization joined forces with other medical-ma ... More >>

The Cannabis Therapy Institute's open letter to Colorado officials

The logo of the Cannabis Therapy Institute.​The Cannabis Therapy Institute, an organization "dedicated to helping patients achieve a better quality of life with cannabis," may have an Iowa phone number, but it's been very involved of late with pot issues in Colorado. Its "About Us" page notes, ... More >>