Warren Edson

Marijuana taxes over 30 percent to start and other highlights from (almost) final pot bills

The THC-driving-limits bill, which could have a devastating impact on medical marijuana patients like William Breathes, our pot critic, was only one of several huge cannabis-related bills that passed yesterday. The measures still must go through a procedure or two today, the last of the legislative ... More >>

THC driving bill up for final reading, activist fears passage after previous failed attempts

Yesterday, most of the drama at the State Capitol involved an Amendment 64 repeal proposal that fell short. But while that was happening, a THC driving standard proposal that had apparently been killed by a Senate committee last month not only rose from the dead but passed two readings. It's headed ... More >>

Marijuana: High Times will likely sue if treat-pot-mags-like-porn provision goes forward

Last week, in a post about some of the more unusual aspects of the main bill to regulate Amendment 64, which allows adults 21 and over in Colorado to use and possess small amounts of cannabis, we highlighted a passage that would require marijuana magazines to be kept behind the counter of general re ... More >>

Marijuana: THC driving bill back from the dead, but will it get vote on Senate floor?

In addition to a provision calling for marijuana magazines to be treated like porn at general retail outlets, HB 13-1317, the main bill concerning the implementation of Amendment 64, features about twenty pages devoted to establishing a THC driving standard that was seemingly killed by a Senate comm ... More >>

Marijuana edibles THC limit could put me out of business, says Cheesecake Lady

Yesterday, in a post about some of the weirder aspects of the House-approved marijuana bill, attorney Warren Edson made note of a cap on the THC levels allowable in pot-infused edibles -- limits that he described as "pretty low." Jessica LeRoux, aka the Cheesecake Lady, who owns and operates Twirli ... More >>

Marijuana magazines to be treated like porn, and other oddities of main pot bill

Earlier this week, marijuana attorney Warren Edson gave us his first take on the House-approved draft of HB 13-1317, the main regulatory measure pertaining to the implementation of Amendment 64. Now, after weighing in on issues like vertical integration for retail pot shops and temporary exclusivity ... More >>

Marijuana bill compromise could let current businesses sabotage new ones, activist fears

Last month, as we've reported, the Amendment 64 task force recommended that retailers taking part in the recreational marijuana industry be required to grow 70 percent of their product under the vertical integration business model currently imposed on MMJ outlets. Earlier this month, the legislature ... More >>

Photos: High Times blames owner for now-cleaned-up Cannabis Cup mess

As we reported yesterday, the River North-area site of the High Times Cannabis Cup was left trashed after the event throughout Earth Day, irritating neighbors and putting a black mark on the cannabis community. A group of volunteers and a cleaning crew from the Exdo Center, where the event took plac ... More >>

Marijuana: THC driving bill fails for third year -- but will it rise from the dead again?

Earlier this month, the latest version of a THC driving bill that had failed the past two years seemed to be on a steady march to passage despite e-mail protests and petitions. But no: Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 4-1 to squash the measure again. Why? One advocate believes the l ... More >>

Marijuana Q&A with Warren Edson: "Marijuana needs to be declassified on a federal level"

This week's multi-part cover story about the state of the state of marijuana takes a look at Amendment 64 and how legislators will address implementing the legalization of small amounts of cannabis and the shops that will sell it. Our print edition also features a Q&A with Amendment 64 proponent Mas ... More >>

Marijuana retailers may not have to grow their own -- and that's great, attorney says

Last month, the governor-appointed Amendment 64 task force recommended that retailers taking part in the recreational marijuana industry be required to grow 70 percent of their product under a business model known as vertical integration that's currently imposed on medical marijuana outlets. Yesterd ... More >>

Marijuana: Andrew Walton busted in free-pot delivery scheme

Last month, we reported about the proliferation of free-marijuana giveaways on Craigslist, with respondents getting weed at no charge if they offered a donation or bought something else. Participants insisted that such offers were authorized under Amendment 64, which allows Colorado adults 21 and o ... More >>

Marijuana: A64 task force member says buying limits about diversion, not jacking up prices

Yesterday, in reporting about an Amendment 64 task force recommendation to consider purchase limits on cannabis for in-state residents, a marijuana attorney argued that such a move would result in pot prices going up in a big way. But Christian Sederberg, the A64 task force member who helped push t ... More >>

Marijuana buying limits advised by A64 task force could send prices sky high, attorney says

We're coming down to the wire on the Amendment 64 task force, whose final meeting is slated for Thursday. But big recommendations have already been put forward, including an okay for pot tourism, albeit with potential limits on purchase amounts for out of staters. Now, though, the task force has sug ... More >>

Marijuana: $1K fine, year in jail for possession possible but unlikely, says Lakewood PD

Last week, while examining the claim that passage of Amendment 64, the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act, would eliminate 12,000 Colorado pot arrests per year, we spoke with attorney Warren Edson, who said some communities set a maximum $1,000 fine and a year in jail for petty possession. A police ... More >>

Marijuana: Would Amendment 64 really prevent 12,000 pot arrests?

In our recent post about cannabis community division over Amendment 64, the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act, Mason Tvert, among the measure's main proponents, said passage of the initiative would prevent as many as 12,000 pot-related arrests per year. Is this estimate reasonable? A report on vie ... More >>

Medical marijuana outdoor advertising ban moving forward at Denver City Council

For the past several months, the Denver City Council has been debating outdoor medical marijuana advertising. The main question: Should it be prohibited near schools or banned entirely? Now, a ban seems to have the momentum, and could be approved in the next several weeks.

Hash ruling in Montana unlikely to fly in Colorado, attorney says

Last week, a Montana court ruled that hash and concentrates are not legally defined in that state's medical marijuana laws and are therefore illegal for MMJ patients there to possess. According to Denver marijuana attorney Warren Edson, a similar situation isn't likely to occur in Colorado -- but th ... More >>

Medical marijuana businesses collecting donations for wildfire firefighters

While some of us were at home lighting up last night, firefighters across the state were working to extinguish some of the most frightening blazes in the state's history. To help support firefighters on the front lines near Fort Collins, Colorado Springs and Boulder, several medical marijuana busin ... More >>

Medical marijuana: Most MMCs targeted by feds moved rather than closing

This week, the 25 medical marijuana dispensaries targeted in a second round of shut-down letters from the U.S. Attorney's office closed their doors, bringing the total number of shops that have done so to 47. But according to marijuana attorney Warren Edson, the majority of those MMCs have simply re ... More >>

Medical marijuana "Doomsday Map" shows possible fed targets, MMC closures

In January, U.S. Attorney John Walsh sent seizure-threat letters to 23 medical marijuana dispensaries within 1,000 feet of schools -- and his office promises that a second wave of missives will follow shortly. No new targets have been named yet, but clues about possible future actions can be found ... More >>

Medical marijuana patients who share a joint are breaking the law -- really

​For some MMJ patients, medicating with others is a chance to hang out and talk about what ails them with people going through similar problems. For others, it's a way to explore new strains they might not have tried on their own. But while this kind of socializing/sharing among patients is ve ... More >>

Medical marijuana v. recreational use: NORML controversy, Colorado connection

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) is the country's most powerful cannabis advocacy organization, and it's long had a close link to Colorado, which hosted its 40th anniversary conference last year. But relations between NORML and Colorado's medical marijuana community ... More >>

Denver marijuana centers targeted by U.S. Attorney can move, but to where?

Letters from U.S. Attorney John Walsh tell owners of 23 medical marijuana centers that they must stop doing business within 45 days at their present location. MMJ lawyer Warren Edson says shops targeted in Denver will be able to move, but strict federal rules governing distances from schools will ma ... More >>

Marijuana attorney says dispensaries near schools could survive scrutiny from feds

Although no letters have been sent by the U.S. Attorney's Office, the rumor that the feds are going to be shutting down dispensaries in violation of the Drug Free School Zone laws has been enough to create a paranoid buzz in the medical marijuana community. But while it's anybody's guess as to if o ... More >>

Warren Edson on High Times Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam, 2012 Denver cup (VIDEO)

Warren Edson​For 24 years, counterculture magazine High Times has put on the Cannabis Cup in marijuana-tolerant Amsterdam to award the best in an admittedly underground community. A lot of Colorado folks made the trek this year, some even taking home awards. Local marijuana attorney Warren Ed ... More >>

High Times Cannabis Cup: Colorado companies win big in Amsterdam

The number one spots in the 2011 High Times Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam last week for Best Seed Company indica, hybrid and sativa were all taken by Colorado-based companies. Even in Amsterdam, long known as the Mecca for cannabis cultivation and use, Colorado herb comes out on top.

Medical marijuana: Run on Grass promotes pot as an athletic performance enhancer

"Most people think someone who wants to end marijuana prohibition sits on the couch eating Cheetos and watching bad TV all day -- someone who isn't necessarily a motivated person," says Georgia Edson. "And that's so untrue." This message helps power Run on Grass, Edson's new organization, which aim ... More >>

Medical marijuana: Patients who only need caretaker for pot can't have one, new rules say

​The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's new rules about the "Medical Use of Marijuana" went into effect on July 31 and have caused few gripes thus far. But attorney Warren Edson sees several problems with the regs on view below, including contradictions with HB 1043, the so ... More >>

Reader: Colorado's current stance on dispensaries sucks donkey balls

​While Michael Roberts takes a break, William Breathes will be in the house, ready to answer your questions. And just in time, because all the new regulations that are taking effect this month have people plenty confused -- and many patients very mad. Consider this from a patient inspired to w ... More >>

Marijuana: DEA proposal, new Colorado law could lead to Big Pharma boom, attorney says

​Last month, we told you about a loophole in HB 1043, the medical marijuana cleanup bill, that could let Big Pharma firms get involved in the Colorado MMJ industry. Now, the Drug Enforcement Administration has made a new proposal involving marijuana extracts, and attorney Warren Edson sees it ... More >>

Medical marijuana: State fees for MMJ business licensing too high, says attorney Warren Edson

​Attorney Warren Edson didn't see anything too strange about the state fees for medical marijuana employee licensing when the Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division announced them in March. He noted then that they were equal-to, if not less-than, similar costs in the gaming industry. But he sa ... More >>

Medical marijuana license application process begins tomorrow: How does it work?

Warren Edson.​In March, the Department of Revenue's Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division published its final rules. Now, one important requirement is about to be made flesh. Beginning tomorrow, employees can begin applying for licenses to work at MMJ centers and other businesses (see the for ... More >>

Warren Edson, District 8 candidate, says he's 1st politician born of medical marijuana movement

Warren Edson.​The list of candidates hoping to win the District 8 City Council seat that opened up due to councilwoman Carla Madison's death is a long one -- more than twenty to date. Among the more noteworthy? Warren Edson, who's best known for his advocacy of medical marijuana. Although he s ... More >>

Pot schools close: Is CO's medical marijuana education industry suffering a brain drain?

​Last year, one of the many new enterprises to spring up from the medical marijuana deluge were pot classes. So-called institutes, colleges and universities opened their doors to help newbies understand complicated marijuana regulations, open their own MMJ businesses and learn how to properly ... More >>

Medical marijuana final rules published: Big Brother video regs improved, says attorney

​At 6 a.m., the Department of Revenue published the final version of the Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division's rules. The document is 77 pages long, and attorney Warren Edson hasn't had time to study them at length. However, a number of elements jump out at him -- particularly the eliminati ... 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: Council's new grow rules will push ops out of Denver, attorney predicts

​Despite a threatened lawsuit aimed at councilwoman Judy Montero and developer Mickey Zeppelin, the Denver City Council approved new medical marijuana grow operation regulations last night with no changes. But MMJ attorney Warren Edson predicts that the bill on view below will backfire, with b ... More >>

Medical marijuana: More than 52 grows could still be at risk from city council, attorney says

​Yesterday, the Denver City Council attempted to tackle medical marijuana regulations that MMJ attorney Warren Edson initially feared could close 137 of 150 MMJ grows in the city. The current measure, which will be voted upon by council a week from today, is no longer so draconian. But Edson s ... More >>

Medical marijuana code proposed by Denver City Council contradictory?: Read bill here

​Last month, attorney Warren Edson shared his concern that language in a Denver City Council bill could close 137 of 150 medical marijuana grows -- and even after a committee came up with a compromise agreement, he feared the closure threat had not been eliminated. Now that the document has be ... More >>

Medical marijuana: Lawsuits likely if new Denver regs shut down grows, attorney says

​Could a compromise agreement about medical marijuana grows that passed through the Denver City Council's special issues committee this week still close a huge number of MMJ operations? Looks that way, says attorney Christian Sederberg -- and if the measure is enacted as presently written, he' ... More >>

Medical marijuana: City council compromise could still close most grows, attorney says

​A medical-marijuana-grows compromise proposal passed through Denver City Council's special issues committee yesterday, with public input on the measure slated for February 14. At this point, however, attorney Warren Edson is uncertain if the tweaked proposal might still doom as many as 90 per ... More >>

Medical marijuana: Would 137 of 150 grows close by July 1 under new Denver proposal?

​Since last year, we've been reporting about various Denver City Council proposals to update zoning rules for medical marijuana grows, with attorney Christian Sederberg warning weeks ago about huge repercussions if there's no MMJ grandfathering. Now, lawyer Warren Edson says more than 90 perce ... More >>

Denver City Council committee moves forward with medical marijuana zoning proposal

​A revised version of a proposed Denver city ordinance that, according to attorney Warren Edson, would have closed 137 of Denver's 150 medical marijuana grow operations, and potentially dispensaries associated with them, passed through Denver City Council's Special Issues Committee this aftern ... More >>

Medical marijuana lawyers would love Stan Garnett to beat Attorney General John Suthers

Stan Garnett.​Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett once said he wanted to be the state's most progressive DA when it comes to medical marijuana. In contrast, Attorney General John Suthers thinks MMJ dispensaries suck. It's no surprise, then, that lawyers/medical marijuana advocates Rob Corry ... More >>

Medical marijuana attorney Warren Edson on new law firm, new MMJ bill and new lawsuits to come

Warren Edson's booming business is about to boom even louder.​Attorney Warren Edson was practicing medical marijuana-related law before doing so was cool. And now, with the industry growing in Colorado like never before, he's expanding his operations by merging his practice with Kumin Sommers ... 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 >>

The Beauvallon is bitter grounds for Aviano Coffee

Live blog: The Colorado Health Department's medical marijuana hearing

The Latest Word is at a Colorado Board of Health's hearing, where the board will consider new medical marijuana regulations that some believe will jeopardize the newly booming industry, as Joel Warner reported last week ("Will Monday be judgment day for Colorado's medical marijuana industry?"). We'l ... More >>

Medical marijuana has become a growth industry in Colorado