The Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act of 2012 continues to be a target more than a year before the November 2012 election for which it’s aiming. First, rival organization Legalize2012 objected to any association with the terms “legalization” and “similar to alcohol.” Now, proponent Brian Vicente says gadfly Douglas Bruce…
Earlier this week, Cannabis University owner Michelle LaMay filed language with the state title review board that would eliminate all punishment for cannabis possession in Colorado. The introduction of her bill marks the second ballot initiative aimed at lessening marijuana punishments in the state behind the Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol…
If medical marijuana reviewer William Breathes looks tired lately, it’s not because he’s been critiquing too much weed. Since being featured on Rupert Murdoch’s iPad-friendly The Daily and National Public Radio, he’s been absolutely inundated with interview requests, many from international outlets. Which is a good thing, since a U.S…
Last week, a spokesman for Representative Jared Polis expressed disappointment with a Justice Department medical marijuana memo that some in the MMJ industry saw as paving the way for DEA raids on dispensaries. Polis doesn’t think such incidents are imminent, and neither does Colorado Dispensary Service’s Jake Browne — although…
Chaz Moore, sixteen, is a Colorado Springs student with a rare medical condition whose flareups are radically improved by medical marijuana. However, his high school won’t allow Chaz (originally known by the pseudonym “Bill Smith”) to medicate on campus. So now, after months of fighting, Shan Moore, Chaz’s father, is…
This week, medical marijuana critic William Breathes gives Boulder’s High Grade Alternatives a, well, high grade in his latest review. But if it’s not in your neighborhood, you can find a dispensary that is in our just-updated MMJ listings. Click to access our medical-marijuana dispensary directory…
This dispensary has closed. High Grade Alternatives has been around since October 2009, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about the place. Owner Adam Mahon said HGA developed a strong following from the start by buying small-batch herb from caregivers. Laws have changed, but Mahon says the shop’s been…
An Aspen judge ruled against Nathan Benner regarding his request to use medical marijuana while on probation — but that may not be the final word on the subject. Attorney Joseph Saint-Veltri says he’s discussing a possible appeal with Benner and family. And even if they don’t decide to move…
As noted in our Toke of the Town newsletter, Cannabis University’s Michelle LaMay received a Department of Higher Education letter saying her school might qualify for vocational school regulations. But LaMay insisted her classes don’t require any regulation by the state, noting her instruction is for everyone rather than qualifying…
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 as further…
A few weeks ago, in an interview for Ruper Murdoch’s iPad newspaper, The Daily, I casually mentioned that Denver has more dispensaries than Starbucks — a fact Denver Post’s Chris Osher first pointed out back in January. I had no clue then that paraphrasing that quote would re-ignite a national…
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 says new fees for business…
The firestorm of invective at the Great Legalization Debate suggested that parties behind competing marijuana-reform measures for the 2012 ballot might not be exactly rooting for each other. More evidence: Legalize2012.com has created a guideline for reporters that objects to the press using the name Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act…
For medical marijuana critic William Breathes, Grass Roots Organica, the subject of his latest dispensary review, proved to be a mixed-bag experience. But there are lots of other options available in our just-updated MMJ listings. Click to access our medical-marijuana dispensary directory…
This dispensary has closed. Grass Roots Organica sounds like the name of a noodle-dancing hippie jam band out of Boulder — and as such, I’ve avoided it. But they were still around on July 1, so I figured it wasn’t just another fly-by-night dispensary hoping to cash in before regulations…
Update below: At 2 p.m. today, backers of the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act of 2012 will stage a press conference formally launching a petition drive to land the measure on next year’s ballot. Read it below and get more details from Mason Tvert, part of a group hoping to…
You know your favorite medical marijuana strain by look, smell and taste, and you could pick it out of a lineup without fail. But aesthetics aside, do you understand what really makes up that cut of Ft. Collins Cough or Sour Kush? Through August, Full Spectrum Labs will do two…
Westword medical marijuana critic William Breathes has gotten blurry-face time on loads of media outlets, from CNN to The Daily Show. But the latest profile can be found in an unusual place: The Daily, an iPad-specific venture launched by Fox-y titan Rupert Murdoch. In the video, Breathes samples hash, reads…
Last week, Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole sent a memo to U.S. attorneys about medical marijuana — and rather than diminishing the paranoia of MMJ industry types in the wake of an earlier memo by U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag hinting at possible dispensary raids, it amplified them. Time to…
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 Patients’ Alliance, the Rocky Mountain Caregivers Cooperative, Greenfaith Ministry and…
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 was filed in…
It’s a crazy time for Wanda James, co-owner of Simply Pure Products, a medicated edibles company. Not only is she in the midst of introducing a bold new initiative — Simply Home Cooking, for people who want to make their own edibles — but she’s readying for tomorrow, when Colorado’s…
