Claire Levy

THC driving limit's passage means pot critic William Breathes may never drive legally again

Yesterday, a marijuana activist said that a controversial THC driving bill, a version of which failed each of the past two years, appeared to be a lock for passage -- and he was right. The measure breezed through by a 24-11 vote despite what critics describe as an almost total lack of scientific evi ... More >>

Death penalty battle heats up at the State Capitol

In more than eight hours of emotional testimony that stretched well into the evening, activists and faith groups seeking to abolish the death penalty in Colorado squared off against prosecutors and other backers of the ultimate punishment yesterday -- with family members of homicide victims speaking ... More >>

Marijuana: THC driving bill recommended by A64 task force "95 percent bad," attorney says

As our Melanie Asmar reported, the Amendment 64 Task Force backed passage of a marijuana DUI bill during a meeting earlier this month. The current legislation tweaks a version that's failed each of the past two years, incorporating a suggestion that marijuana attorney Rob Corry floated last year. Do ... More >>

Scott Gessler improperly takes piles of Westwords...so he can autograph their covers?

As if Scott Gessler didn't have enough trouble. The Secretary of State is already being investigated by theIndependent Ethics Commission to determine whether he violated the law by using office funds on a trip to Florida. (Gessler has sued the commission; a hearing is set for Thursday). Meanwhile, ... More >>

Fetal homicide bill defeated by Democrats not a Trojan horse for personhood, sponsor says

Update: As we reported yesterday, a fetal homicide bill sponsored by Republican Representative Janak Joshi was defeated along party lines, with Democrats saying they plan to bring forward a measure that accomplishes similar goals without being a "Trojan horse" for personhood; see our original covera ... More >>

Fetuses aren't people, says Catholic hospital: Does argument contradict church doctrine?

Is a fetus a person? Colorado-based Catholic Health Initiatives, which operates 78 Catholic hospitals in seventeen states, is arguing in court that it's not, as explained in this week's cover story, "The Meaning of Life." Sued for wrongful death by a father whose pregnant wife died at a Catholic hos ... More >>

Gun legislation: Claire Levy's bill would enact real-time data transfer of mental-health records

As the debate around gun policy and mental health heats up in Colorado and across the country, Representative Claire Levy, a Boulder Democrat, is pushing forward with a bill that she says would help keep weapons out of the hands of the wrong people. The legislation would establish real-time data tra ... More >>

Death penalty: Representative Claire Levy says she is confident a repeal could pass

Before Representative Claire Levy proposes legislation to repeal the death penalty in Colorado, she wants to be sure that it can pass. And after more discussions with her fellow lawmakers on the topic, she says it seems like the momentum is right to get rid of the death penalty -- even if one of h ... More >>

Rep. Lois Court: Fees for gun background checks could help fund mental health services

Since the tragic mass shootings in Newtown, Connecticut left twenty children dead, there has been a renewed discussion on gun policy in Colorado as lawmakers prep for the legislative session. And we now have details on one idea that links the debates around gun access and mental health. Representati ... More >>

Death penalty: As legislators consider repeal, John Morse says he's now supportive

With the new year comes a new legislative session, and there's already talk about a potential effort to repeal the death penalty in Colorado. And John Morse, a Democrat and the new president of the Senate, says he is likely to support a repeal. This would be a major shift from his previous stance ... More >>

Gun ban in college buildings?: Boulder rep plans legislation despite court ruling

It just doesn't make sense for lawmakers to allow guns on college campuses, where the risks of suicide or shootings tied to mental health illness can be high. At least that's an argument of Boulder Representative Claire Levy, who is crafting legislation that would add campus buildings to the list of ... More >>

THC driving bill back on the table for 2013 legislative session

For the third year in a row, the Colorado legislature will likely consider a THC driving bill . Late last week, Senator Steve King, a Mesa County Republican, announced that he would sponsor a proposal in the 2013 session to set a per-se limit for how much THC can be in a driver's system before he's ... More >>

Photos: Top five CU Boulder crackdowns before 4/20 visitor ban

Earlier this month, a CU Boulder spokesman denied that the university's approach to the annual 4/20 celebration on campus represented a crackdown. But that was before the announcement that Norlin Quad would be closed and visitors banned on a day that's clearly not among CU president Bruce Benson's f ... More >>

THC driving bill: Marijuana lawyer Rob Corry suggests a compromise

​This afternoon, Senator Steve King's revival of a THC-driving-limits bill will be the focus of a hearing at the State Capitol. In advance of the debate, attorney Rob Corry has released a letter, on view below, in which he argues against the measure. However, he also floats a compromise idea t ... More >>

Make My Day Better bill: Okay to use deadly force at work?

​A running gag in the classic comedy Raising Arizona is that just about everybody in the vicinity of Tempe is packing heat -- even the pimple-faced kid at the convenience store, who whips out a Dirty Harry special and starts blasting away at stickup man Nicholas Cage. But it's no joke that sta ... More >>

Medical Marijuana Industry Group comes out against per se THC driving limits

​Earlier this week, the DUID-marijuana working group formed under the auspices of the state Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (CCJJ) decided not to recommend specific THC driving limits, as a bill tabled during the last legislative session attempted to do. Below, the Medical Marijuan ... More >>

Drugged driving campaign targets medical marijuana patients who drive stoned

Posters below.​Update below: Against the backdrop of the Westminster Police's drug enforcement checkpoint and a ten-year reckless homicide sentence for "self-medicating" Joshua Wittig, the Colorado Department of Transportation is today launching a drugged-driving campaign. And a CDOT spokeswom ... More >>

TABOR challenge: John Suthers to vigorously defend amendment against lawsuit

John Suthers.​The Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, which requires tax increases to be okayed by popular vote, was approved in 1992, meaning that it's been in place for nearly two decades -- and a pain in the neck to legislators for the same amount of time. Now, a coalition of lawmakers and notables ... 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 >>

Joshua Wittig convicted of vehicular homicide in death of John Hines, was on pot and much more

Joshua Wittig.​The October arrest of then-eighteen-year-old Joshua Wittig in a fatal accident that killed John Page Hines, 33, was accompanied by allegations that Wittig was high on marijuana that he may have obtained by improperly claiming to be a licensed medical marijuana patient. But evide ... More >>

Letters: Readers thank pot critic William Breathes

THC driving bill on hold: William Breathes blood test results a factor, advocate says

Flickr​Yesterday, shortly before a senate committee took on a bill to set THC driving limits, Westword published the results of medical marijuana reviewer William Breathes's blood test, which showed he was almost three times over the proposed standard when sober. The committee subsequently dec ... More >>

THC blood test: Pot critic William Breathes nearly 3 times over proposed limit when sober

​Last week, in advance of today's Senate debate over a bill that would set THC driving limits, I had blood drawn (for a second time) to see just how much active THC was in my blood even after a night of sleep and not smoking for fifteen hours. As it turns out, I've got a lot. So much that I a ... More >>

THC driving limits could cause more innocent people to spend months in jail, attorney says

Flickr​On Monday, the Colorado Senate will take up HB 1261, a bill that sets THC driving limits at five nanograms per milliliter of blood -- a level to which many critics object. Indeed, even its sponsor, Representative Claire Levy, now thinks this number may be too strict. But attorney M. Col ... More >>

THC driving limits: William Breathes is still (still!) waiting for blood test results

​Two weeks ago, with Rep Claire Levy's marijuana DUI bill headed for debate in the Senate, I went and got poked with needles in hopes of finding out just how much THC is in my blood when I'm sober. Unfortunately, I still don't have an answer. Two weeks ago, I had $300 worth of tests run by An ... More >>

THC driving limits: Will pot critic William Breathes fail DUI blood test even when sober?

Mr. Breathes.​I guess you could classify me as a pretty heavy ganja smoker. To quote Zach Galifianakis, "Sometimes I smoke so much pot that I forget to smoke pot." Seriously though, I medicate at least twice a day and I'm fairly sure I have more than 5 nanograms of THC per milliliters of blood ... More >>

Marijuana & fatal crashes: Joshua Wittig update & man who died with 110 nanogram THC score

Big pic below.​Amid the controversy over a bill to set THC driving limits, and sponsor Claire Levy's views about a 5 nanogram or 8 nanogram standard, we sought out details on two of last year's most reported driving-under-the-influence-of-marijuana stories: crashes involving Joshua Wittig and ... More >>

Colorado Juvenile Equal Protection Act: Should terms be lowered for 48 lifers busted as juvies?

Claire Levy.​Although Representative Claire Levy has gotten plenty of attention for her sponsorship of THC driving limits, and her change of heart over the best possible standard, she's equally passionate about the Colorado Juvenile Equal Protection Act, which is slated to go before the judici ... More >>

Medical marijuana: THC driving limits sponsor voted for one standard, prefers different one

Claire Levy.​Update: Last week, we spoke to Representative Claire Levy, sponsor of a bill to set THC driving limits. She had originally set the standard at 5 nanograms per milliliter of blood; then, after listening to the concerns of medical marijuana community members, she backed an amendment ... More >>

Reader: THC driving limits might be based on science if Rockies played in Kush Field

Claire Levy.​Our latest item about THC driving limits, and co-sponsoring Representative Claire Levy's short-lived change of heart about a 5 nanogram standard, spurred plenty of conversation. Here's a post in which a reader suggests that the lack of scientific proof about a reasonable limit wou ... 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 Industry Group's Michael Elliott on the organization, THC driving limits

​The Medical Marijuana Industry Group is acknowledged as a powerful organization in the MMJ community -- but until now, its reps have declined to speak with Westword. Below, executive director Michael Elliott breaks the ice by providing basic info and weighing in on HB 1261, a bill to establis ... More >>

Marijuana: Rob Corry thinks THC driving limits may violate constitution, disabilities act

Rob Corry.​Yesterday, HB 1261, Representative Claire Levy's bill to set THC driving limits, survived its first legislative test, passing out of committee by a 6-2 vote. But medical marijuana attorney Rob Corry continues to argue against the bill -- see his letter to legislators below. In his v ... More >>

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 >>

Mentally ill prisoners in solitary confinement: New bill seeks to stop the madness

​Roughly four out of every ten prisoners in solitary confinement in Colorado is either developmentally disabled or mentally ill, a figure that's been rising steadily over the past decade. Senate Bill 176, headed for a statehouse committee review later this week, seeks to drastically reduce tha ... More >>

Reader: THC impairment limit needed to save us from low-speed drivers eating Funions

Claire Levy.​Our recent interview with Representative Claire Levy about a bill to impose a THC driving-impairment limit prompted another hilariously sarcastic post from a previous Comment of the Day awardee (for a response to our conversation with Representative Tom Massey about a medical mari ... More >>

Medical marijuana: Rep. Claire Levy talks about HB 1261, which sets driving limits for THC

Claire Levy.​Last December, Representative Claire Levy floated the idea of a bill setting a marijuana-impairment standard for Colorado drivers. This notion has coalesced into HB 1261, which establishes an impairment limit of 5 nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood; read it below. Levy's al ... More >>

Marijuana: Colorado Coalition for Patients and Caregivers takes on THC and driving

Robert Chase.​Last week, Representative Claire Levy talked about introducing legislation to establish standards for driving under the influence of marijuana. Colorado Coalition for Patients and Caregivers' Robert Chase, a well-known local marijuana advocate, opposes this notion, and in a lette ... 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 >>

Marijuana and driving impairment: Rep. Claire Levy on setting a standard in Colorado

Claire Levy.​Over the past year, we've intermittently heard about arrests for allegedly driving under the influence of medical marijuana, with the most sensational being Joshua Wittig's involvement in a crash that took the life of John Paul Hines in October. Against this backdrop, Boulder Repr ... More >>

Medical marijuana fight: Health department lobbies against MMJ use in treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder

Photo by John J. Kruzel, courtesy of the U.S. Defense DepartmentThe use of the lifelike simulator shown here has been approved for PTSD treatment.​Update, 4:00 p.m.: Representative Sal Pace's amendment relating to medical marijuana and post-traumatic stress disorder has been defeated, and the ... More >>

Congratulations, Jordyn Lucas: You just received Aurora's first texting-while-driving ticket

A Flickr photoLittle does he realize, he ran over a group of baby chicks a couple of blocks back.​On December 1, Colorado's ban against texting while driving went into effect, and in an interview with Westword, Representative Claire Levy, who co-sponsored the original bill, defended the measur ... More >>

Texting while driving: a passionate defense of the new ban

A Flickr photo"Look, ma! I'm breakin' the law!"​Today, a ban against texting while driving takes effect in Colorado -- not that Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle expects it to have an enormous impact. In widely quoted comments, he called the measure a "feel good" law that would be tough to enfo ... More >>

For Colorado's largest power co-op, going green will mean taking down the King of Coal

Tower Failure

Community groups and broadcasters widen their battle over proposed tower construction.