Kathleen Chippi

Marijuana ordinance to make Nederland first U.S. city to regulate pot since its prohibition?

The Amendment 64 Shadow Task Force is made up of activists monitoring a governor-appointed group charged with making recommendations about the implementation of A64, which allows adults 21 and over to possess small amounts of marijuana. Now, the shadow task force is trying to beat the state to the p ... More >>

Marijuana: Activist Rico Colibri on creating Amendment 64 Shadow Task Force

On the day Governor John Hickenlooper signed Amendment 64, he also announced the formation of a task force intended to make recommendations about the measure's implementation. Since then, some observers have complained about the task force's membership. Hence, a number of reformers are announcing to ... More >>

Reader: Amendment 64 allows companies to drug test, and the results could get ugly

Sam Levin's post about business groups urging the federal government to clamp down on Amendment 64 collected plenty of views and comments. Among those weighing in was marijuana advocate and A64 opponent Kathleen Chippi, who warns that the measure doesn't prohibit drug testing -- and predicts terribl ... More >>

Marijuana: Amendment 64 critic on why Boulder DA should take action against backers

Update: A day before passage of Amendment 64, we noted that activist Kathleen Chippi had filed a complaint against the measure with the Boulder District Attorney's Office, which opened an investigation to determine if actions were justified; see our original coverage below. Now, Chippi is sharing a ... More >>

Marijuana initiatives: Why three alternatives to Amendment 64 didn't make ballot

Last February, when Amendment 64, the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act, was approved for the November ballot, backers of several other pot-related measures, including Initiative 70, Legalize2012's proposal and the Relief for the Possession of Cannabis Act, were trying to duplicate this feat. But ... More >>

Medical marijuana patient-tracking database was never publicly discussed?

Update by William Breathes: It is starting to look like there never was an opportunity for public comment on the proposed digital connection between law enforcement and the Colorado medical marijuana patient registry. State officials are only able to point to vague language in state statute for aut ... More >>

Medical marijuana: CO Supreme Court ruling leaves patients unprotected, plaintiffs say

Last year, marijuana activists asked the Colorado Supreme Court to hear the appeal of a precedent-setting case involving MMJ patient Jason Beinor, who was fired from his job for failing a drug test. Now, by a 3-2 vote, the Supremes have declined to take up the matter -- a decision the plaintiffs see ... More >>

Medical marijuana patient-tracking program moving forward

The Colorado Bureau of Investigations and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment are tentatively set to meet next week to discuss a computer system that tracks Colorado medical marijuana patients for law enforcement. The Medical Marijuana Technology Project came to light earlier t ... More >>

Medical marijuana: One Love benefit for Jason Beinor raises funds, hackles

Tonight, Hayter's & Co., at 1920 Blake Street, will host One Love, a benefit for the legal fund of Jason Beinor, a medical marijuana patient whose firing is at the center of a case activists hope will reach the Colorado Supreme Court. The name of the bash frosts Timothy Tipton, who's hosted events u ... 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 >>

Medical marijuana probation ban sentences patients to problems, attorney says

Last week, we told you about a court ruling that bans medical marijuana patients from using cannabis while on probation. The decision was praised in a Denver Post editorial, but George Yingling, the attorney who represented Leonard Charles Watkins, the man at the center of the case, believes it was ... More >>

Medical marijuana card not a license to smoke on probation, court rules

The Colorado Court of Appeals has weighed in on the question of whether a medical marijuana patient can smoke while completing a probationary sentence that specifically nixes drug use. The judges' answer in a decision on view below? A resounding "no" justified in part by references to the case of Ja ... More >>

With Occupy Denver protester Corey Donahue, nothing is ever easy

Marijuana: Remembering "Michigan" Mike Torpie's Nederland legalization campaigner

Backbeat editor Dave Herrera broke the news that Nedfest music festival founder "Michigan" Mike Torpie had died at the age of 43. As Herrera wrote, Tarpie was a "vital, highly esteemed and beloved member of the [music] scene." But his death is also a blow to the Colorado pot community, which lost a ... More >>

Medical marijuana: Reverend Brandon Baker challenges state MMJ laws in Federal court

Rev. Brandon Baker.​The Reverend Brandon Baker, who's with the ganja-based Greenfaith Ministry, has a lot of titles. He's a farmer, a father, an activist, a religious leader -- and now a self-professed legal scholar who says he's found a way to end Colorado's medical marijuana regulations, wh ... More >>

Medical marijuana: CO Supreme Court asked to review Jason Beinor case about MMJ rights

At first, medical marijuana patient Jason Beinor thought losing a court fight over unemployment benefits withheld from him because he failed a drug test was no big deal. But it now looks as if his case could hold the key to cementing MMJ rights in Colorado -- or not. Which is why Beinor's lawyer is ... More >>

Medical marijuana lawsuit: State says no one in Colorado has fundamental right to MMJ

Kathleen Chippi.​On June 30, Kathleen Chippi and supporters filed a lawsuit claiming that medical marijuana regulations violate the state constitution, which made MMJ legal in Colorado. Now, the state has responded by arguing in part that patients don't have a fundamental right to use medical ... More >>

Marijuana: Great Legalization Debate II will be about unity, not bickering, says organizer

Laura Kriho.​In June, the first Great Legalization Debate, which was intended to seek common ground on the issue of legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana, deteriorated into a snipe-fest, with Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act proponent Mason Tvert pitted against most of the other participa ... More >>

Corey Donahue jailed for disrupting Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act meeting (VIDEO)

Corey Donahue.​Update: We've gotten our hands on a copy of the video shot by marijuana activist Kathleen Chippi of fellow advocate Corey Donahue's arrest at a Boulder library, allegedly for disrupting a volunteer meeting associated with the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act of 2012. The only ... More >>

Medical marijuana: Hard-to-find patient/caregiver rules go into effect July 30

​Alhough new rules for medical marijuana patients and caregivers go into effect in just ten days -- on July 30 -- some activists are saying copies of the regulations are nearly impossible to find.

Medical marijuana lawsuit filed, claims regulations violate state constitution

Kathleen Chippi.​In May, cannabis advocate Kathleen Chippi asked for donations to help her file a lawsuit to challenge Colorado medical marijuana regulations, which went into effect today. And while she didn't collect quite as much as she hoped, the total was enough to make the suit viable. It ... More >>

Medical marijuana lawsuit: Why AIDS patient Damien LaGoy signed on

Damien LaGoy.​Earlier today, we told you about a just-filed lawsuit against Colorado's medical marijuana laws, which officially went into effect today. Plaintiffs in the suit include Kathleen Chippi, the activist behind it, plus the Patient Caregiver Rights Litigation Project, the Colorado Pat ... More >>

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

Marijuana: Great Legalization Debate quickly goes to pot

​If only Ron Paul and Barney Frank had introduced their federal marijuana-legalization proposal one day earlier, the Great Legalization Debate might have turned into a truly great discussion. Instead, last night's "debate" at Casselman's more closely resembled an episode of Family Feud -- whic ... More >>

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 >>

Medical marijuana: Is health board ready to pass THC driving reg like one that died in legislature?

​At 9 a.m., the Board of Health is scheduled to consider a series of new rules pertaining to medical marijuana patients and caregivers -- and the Cannabis Therapy Institute's Laura Kriho has objections to a lot of them. She's particularly incensed by potential changes in the definition of care ... More >>

Medical marijuana: Rob Corry announces intent to sue over MMJ laws (and swears he means it)

Rob Corry.​Last May, medical marijuana attorney Rob Corry was among a group of attorneys threatening to sue if HB 1284 and SB 109, a pair of MMJ measures, became law. Nearly a year after Governor Bill Ritter signed both bills, such a suit has yet to materialize. But Corry swears that one is on ... More >>

Medical marijuana attorney Lauren Davis tells why lawyer group hasn't sued to stop HB 1284

Lauren Davis.​Last week, medical marijuana advocate Kathleen Chippi, who's collecting funds for a lawsuit to stop HB 1284, Colorado's main MMJ regulatory measure, criticized attorneys who'd announced their intention to sue over the bill last year but haven't done so. Why not? Lauren Davis, a l ... More >>

Marijuana legalization: Laura Kriho accuses Brian Vicente ballot group of ignoring grassroots

Laura Kriho.​Not every marijuana activist was thrilled by news that Brian Vicente has filed eight pot-legalization initiatives with the state. Indeed, Cannabis Therapy Institute's Laura Kriho, one of the main figures behind the separate Legalization2012.com group, is unhappy with what she see ... More >>

Marijuana advocate seeks $ for HB 1284 suit, chides lawyers who pledged to sue but didn't

Kathleen Chippi.​Kathleen Chippi is among the area's most active medical marijuana activists; see a video of her below going after both current Denver mayoral candidate Chris Romer and Colorado Attorney General John Suthers. Her latest mission: to raise funds for a lawsuit to stop official imp ... More >>

Medical marijuana lobbyists out in force during HB 1043 committee hearing (PHOTOS)

Nancy Spence.​With medical marijuana clean-up bill HB 1043 under scrutiny from U.S. Attorney John Walsh, it's no surprise that the medical marijuana lobbyists were out in force when the measure went before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday. Representatives of the Medical Marijuana Indus ... More >>

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: Last-minute MMJ meeting time change causes public comments fight

Robert Chase.​Why is there an adversarial relationship between some medical marijuana backers and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment? An incident this morning demonstrates why. Because the start time for an MMJ advisory committee meeting underwent a last-minute switch fro ... More >>

Medical marijuana: Colorado Supreme Court rejects petition challenging MMJ laws

​That was fast. Last week, MMJ advocates represented by attorney Andrew Reid petitioned the Colorado Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of the state's medical marijuana laws. But the Supremes have already rejected this bid, forcing Reid and his clients to take a much slower path t ... More >>

Medical marijuana: Petition asks CO Supreme Court to rule state's MMJ laws unconstitutional

​Governor Bill Ritter signed Colorado's medical marijuana bills into law this past June -- and ever since then, advocacy organizations such as the Cannabis Therapy Institute have challenged many of the legislation's provisions and the regulations being written for them. Now, such arguments hav ... More >>

Medical marijuana records found in alley: Did Apothecary of Colorado throw away forms?

A still from 9News' report.​In this state, patient medical marijuana records are protected by medical privacy rules and the state constitution. When patients fill out their MMJ applications, it's assumed they will be locked securely away, not even accessible by law enforcement. The last place ... More >>

Medical marijuana: Does using $9 million in fees for budget shortfall screw MMJ patients?

​Although Governor Bill Ritter signed medical marijuana bills earlier this year, he's never been a big fan of the stuff. Still, he hopes to use $9 million in MMJ fees to help fill a $60 million budget hole -- a decision that angers advocates upset by the tremendous backlog of unprocessed licen ... More >>

Medical marijuana dispensary owner won't sign license application, calls it "downright evil"

Kathleen Chippi.​Earlier today, we shared the thoughts of attorney Danyel Joffe about the medical marijuana business license application. Joffe has problems with the application, which must be filed by Sunday -- but dispensary owner Kathleen Chippi goes much further. She's refusing to file the ... More >>

Letters: Not everyone has forgotten the legacy of pot activist Ken Gorman

Joyce Foster audio clip about missing children not Joyce Foster

A photo from Kathleen Chippi's Facebook page -- not Joyce Foster's.​Update, 1:58 p.m.: We've now received a statement from Joyce Foster and interviewed Kathleen Chippi, who was identified as the senator on KHOW -- and since our 12:05 p.m. update, Chippi has tracked down figures to back up her ... 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 >>

Mile Highs and Lows: One Brown Mouse/Cannabis Healing Arts

​As Colorado's medical-marijuana industry grows, marijuana dispensaries of all types and sizes are proliferating around the state. Some resemble swanky bars or sterile dentist offices; others feel like a dope dealer's college dorm room. To help keep them all straight, Westword will be offering ... More >>

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Hemp Burns Out

Hemp Takes a Hit

The feds just might drive this growing industry out of its head.