Robert Chase

Marijuana bills loaded with new amendments -- including one to revive THC driving limit

Yesterday, we noted that the marijuana bills needed to implement Amendment 64, which allows adults 21 and over in Colorado to use and possess small amounts of cannabis, would be facing their first tests. But the exams are far from over. The most high-profile of the bills squeaked out of its first c ... More >>

Marijuana bills to implement Amendment 64 face first tests today: Read them here

Last month, the Amendment 64 Task Force issued its recommendations about how best to implement the measure, which allows adults 21 and over in Colorado to use and possess small amounts of marijuana. The legislature's aptly named A64 joint committee followed suit, and it didn't simply rubber-stamp th ... More >>

Reader: Zombies need to become more familiar with DPD operations

The seventh annual Denver Zombie Crawl this past Saturday was the biggest yet -- but it got an unexpected assist from the third annual March for a World Without Police. The confluence of the two events downtown turned into a giant game of cops and grave robbers. Some zombies were not amused, and co ... More >>

Reader: Mitt Romney volunteer may have broken law, but it's hard to tell

Yesterday, we shared a video of a controversial Mitt Romney volunteer registration video, featuring a young woman claiming to be from the El Paso County clerk's office -- which she wasn't. But did she do anything illegal? One of our readers decided to explore the issue and come up with no definitive ... More >>

Medical marijuana patient-tracking program private meeting set for today at 1 p.m.

Representatives from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Colorado Bureau of Investigations will meet today to discuss linking the medical marijuana patient registry with law enforcement computers. Not that you can hear what they have to say: A spokesman stresses that it is n ... More >>

Reader: B-cycle is taking this city for a ride!

Britt Chester, who sold his car two years ago and relies on his bicycle and public transportation to get around, has been riding around this town's bike trails, stopping to snap pictures. This photos become posts in our "guess where I'm biking" series -- which has a B-cycle card as the prize for the ... More >>

Reader: Josephine Echols' tragic murder reflects poorly on gun laws

The man who allegedly killed Josephine Echols outside her pastor-son's church this past Sunday was himself gunned down by an off-duty Denver Police officer, likely preventing further bloodshed. As such, the story that offers something to gun-rights activists and those who see these weapons as causin ... 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 >>

Reader: Sunflower Market on Colfax an easy call, so why did Denver City Council make it hard?

Patricia Calhoun's item about a Denver City Council food fight over building a new Sunflower Market on Colfax sparked a strong take from one of our most regular commenters after the project was approved. Here's what he had to say.

Reader: While cops clean up Occupy Denver, city does another snow job

​What constitutes an "encumbrance" in this town? The signs at Civic Center Park? Or the piles of snow on streets all over town? Several readers pointed out that while the city seems obsessed with doing a clean sweep of the Occupy Denver camp, it's ignoring the still-icy streets.

Reader: Occupy Denver tent crackdowns should lead to a similar police war on SNIAGRAB

​Patricia Calhoun's post about the ultimately unsuccessful Occupy Denver request for a temporary restraining order against Denver noted that police destroyed occupiers' tents yet allowed bargain hunters to camp out for a week-plus prior to Sports Authority's SNIAGRAB sale. One commenter had so ... More >>

Here are your 2011 Denver #WebAwards news winners

​Here are the winners of the 2011 Denver #WebAwards in the category we're loosely dubbing "news," which means Westword scribes report on the happenings in these beats, right here on Latest Word. These are the winners only; for a complete list of finalists go here: "Here are your 2011 Denver #W ... More >>

2011 Denver #WebAwards winners announced!

Photos: 2011 Denver #WebAwards party

Reader: The city should hire Kenny Be to design Denver International Airport!

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 >>

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: Team 420 rips Michael Hancock, Chris Romer for ignoring cannabis questions

Robert Chase.​Update: Last week, Colorado Coalition for Patients and Caregivers' Robert Chase sent an open letter to mayoral candidates Chris Romer and Michael Hancock, asking them to answer three key questions about marijuana policy in the city; see it below. At this writing, neither camp has ... More >>

Mile High Kush Expo report: more schwag than dank (PHOTOS)

​Mile High Kush Expo, held this past weekend at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, was summed up for me in the ticket line before I went in. "You're charging people $20 to basically go to a big head shop," the dreadlocked dude in front of me told the ticket office manager. "That's horri ... More >>

It smells good in here: High Times Medical Cannabis Cup this weekend

​This will be a weekend to remember, though I doubt I'll remember much of it. The High Times Medical Cannabis Cup is at the Exdo Event Center this weekend. If you have trouble finding it, look for the rising cloud of deliciously fragrant smoke northeast of downtown.

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 >>

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.

Medical marijuana advocate: CDPHE meeting helps caregivers despite comments snafu

​Yesterday, the meeting of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's MMJ advisory committee got off to a rocky start, when a time change nearly prevented advocates from commenting. But Jill Lamoureux, an advisory committee member and owner of Boulder County Caregivers, feels s ... 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 >>

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 limits in Denver will likely top out at 12 plants, omit mention of caretakers

​Tonight's the final reading of Denver City Councilwoman Jeanne Robb's measure to impose medical marijuana grow restrictions in residential areas. At this point, she says they're likely to omit all mention of caretakers and restrict patients to six plants apiece or twelve plants at a single lo ... More >>

Chris Bartkowicz, Highlands Ranch marijuana grower, not allowed to use medical defense

Chris Bartkowicz.​High profile medical marijuana grower Chris Bartkowicz won't be able to use the state's medical marijuana laws as part of his defense in federal court, a judge ruled yesterday. Bartkowicz was arrested last February after showing off his grow operation to a local television n ... More >>

Medical marijuana grow limits: Denver city council moves them ahead to advocate's chagrin

Robert Chase.​Yesterday, a special issues meeting of the Denver City Council considered medical marijuana grow limits in residential areas. And as Colorado Coalition for Patients and Caregivers' Robert Chase predicted, the proposal moved forward. Now, the full council is likely to consider the ... More >>

Medical marijuana grow limits go before Denver City Council: MMJ advocate predicts fix is in

Robert Chase.​At 3:30 p.m. today, the Denver City Council will consider zoning language to limit the amount of medical marijuana grown in residential locations. Some advocates believe this measure would severely restrict the rights of MMJ caregivers in Denver -- among them Colorado Coalition f ... More >>

Letters: Readers give the LoDown on LoDo

Medical morning advisory meeting postponed after complaints it was closed to the public

Robert Chase.​Update below: It only took a day for the Department of Revenue to blink. The DOR had planned for this morning's first meeting of its new medical marijuana advisory working group to be closed to the public. But thanks to complaints from two notable MMJ advocates, Cannabis Therapy ... 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 >>

Channel 12 travels back to 1935

​Channel 12, once an upstart public television station, has turned a respectable thirty, with a respectable new brand, Colorado Public Television, replacing the old KBDI. But tonight's installment of Colorado Inside Out, the weekly current events show, will feature a completely disresputable l ... More >>

Marijuana advocate files police report against Joel Judd for jabbing him during Pridefest

Proof Joel Judd talks to constituents.​Update, 2:34 p.m.: Another response from Joel Judd below. Update, 12:17 p.m.: State senatorial candidate Joel Judd has responded to questions about a Pride Fest incident this weekend, when he allegedly jabbed marijuana advocate Robert Chase in the chest ... More >>

Medical marijuana community fights health department's PTSD policy

Courtesy of US Defense Dept.Approved PTSD simulator treatment.​Colorado Springs dispensary owner Drew Milburn, a veteran, doesn't like the state health department's opposition to using medical marijuana to treat post-traumatic stress disorder -- and he's not alone. Team 420 has scheduled a pr ... More >>

Medical marijuana patients, chihuahua protest application backlog

​Exactly six people and a chihuahua showed up at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment this afternoon to protest what they say is an extraordinary wait time to receive their medical marijuana cards. Some patients are waiting so long for their applications to be processed, t ... 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 in Colorado Springs: Does conservatism in the Springs stop at the bong?

Jessica Hogan, fourth from left, and the rest of the Colorado Springs Medical Cannabis Council.​Given the controversy over Denver's medical marijuana regulations, typified by advocate Robert Chase's campaign to recall the entire city council, it'd be easy to assume that the divide between offi ... More >>

Pot protesters pick the wrong target, Denver officials say

​I was on the phone with a city official late Monday, and could hear the protest outside City Hall, organized by Robert Chase, founder of the Colorado Coalition for Patients and Caregivers, who's asking for a recall of the Denver City Council members who voted for the ordinance regulating medi ... More >>

Medical marijuana protest against Denver City Council: "Closing half of the businesses in a particular sector is a sweeping action without any justification," activist says

Photo by Robert FisherThere are fewer of these displays accessible in Denver today...​The deadline has passed for medical marijuana dispensaries to apply for their official licenses in Denver -- and only 235 out of more than 500 did so. Update, 3:22 p.m.: The Colorado Coalition for Patients a ... More >>

Transcript of last week's Board of Health pot hearing reaches new heights of unintentional hilarity

"Shut up about your fucking mango!"​What happens when the state Board of Health decides to hold a last-minute meeting on a controversial topic like medical marijuana, and then tries to hold it via conference call using technology that apparently no one knows how to work? Comic genius. Hat tip ... More >>

ROCKIN' TO RUSSIA

A COLORADO PUNK ROCKER HEADS FOR A CLASSICAL GIG ON THE VOLGA.