Category Archives: Colorado

Colorado Recreational Marijuana Laws Enter Second Phase

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A big change went into effect for Colorado marijuana businesses yesterday. Effective July 1, 2014, recreational marijuana business licenses are no longer restricted to those with existing medical marijuana licenses. Now, if you are a Colorado resident and meet the other requirements, you can apply for a recreational marijuana business license. Even better, you don’t have to grow in order to be licensed to sell, and vice-versa. As the Denver Post reports:

[W]hen these new businesses begin opening in October, all recreational marijuana companies will be allowed to specialize — as wholesale growers without a storefront, for instance, or as stand-alone stores that don’t grow their supply. The only requirement is that owners be Colorado residents.

Legal recreational marijuana is now at the 6 month mark. It contributed $11 million in retail sales taxes to the state’s coffers in the first four months. According to a study by the Drug Policy Alliance,

According to the state’s department of revenue, the first four months of legal marijuana sales have resulted in $10.8 million in taxes. Governor Hickenlooper estimated sales in all marijuana stores will approach $1 billion for the 2014 fiscal year. Retail store sales are estimated to account for more than $600 million of that, more than 50 percent higher than initially projected

The industry has provided an estimated 10,000 jobs. Even our Governor is pleased. He is quoted in the Drug Policy Alliance report as saying:

“While the rest of the country’s economy is slowly picking back up, we’re thriving here in Colorado.”

Two other benefits: Violent crime is down 5.2 % in Denver, which is home to most of the businesses. And, by the end of 2014, the state will have reaped savings of $12 million to $40 million in law enforcement associated expenses which would have been spent had the old laws criminalizing marijuana still been in effect.

What about the children? Another fear that hasn’t panned out. When the Marijuana Enforcement Division recently conducted undercover operations to see if retailers would sell to minors, they didn’t get a single taker.

Pot Shops Facing Dwindling Supply of Goods

Demand was so brisk at Colorado’s new retail marijuana stores the first two days, that store owners are already worrying about how they will replenish their inventory.

Toni Fox, owner of  3D Cannabis Center in Denver, says she thought she had enough to last until February, but demand has been so high, she is going to run out.  As a medical marijuana dispensary, her store averaged 25 sales a day.  On Wednesday, the store accommodated 450 buyers, and had to turn 60 away..
Fox says other store owners share her predicament.

Now, she said, marijuana store owners will all be scrambling to find wholesale distributors, especially on marijuana-infused products like edibles and beverages.

Replenishing isn’t a simple matter — you can’t grow  marijuana in one  day.  But fortunately for Fox and other store owners, someone had the foresight to  anticipate the need for temporary labor and started a temp agency called Hemp Temps:

Fox has a harvest ready to be trimmed, she said. And she will hire temporary staffers from Hemp Temps, a Denver based staffing company that specializes in growing, trimming and bud-tending.

On their website, Hemp Temps says:

We are the original, first, and only cannabis industry full-staffing company that focuses on meeting *all* staffing needs. Here at Hemp Temps, we combine years of experience and knowledge into a comprehensive understanding of the ins and outs of the MMJ industry. ….We are a Colorado company, based in Denver. We match dispensaries and grow facilities with top notch Hemp Temps to assist with their growing, trimming, bud-tending, and general industry needs.

From Denver to Telluride, Colorado Makes History

Colorado made history yesterday, becoming the first government to allow marijuana to be purchased by adults for recreational use.

From Denver to Telluride, the lines were long. Here’s a look at the day in photos.

The stores are projected to generate a lot of income, as well as jobs.

Colorado projects $578.1 million a year in combined wholesale and retail marijuana sales to yield $67 million in tax revenue, according to the Legislative Council of the Colorado General Assembly.

This is a new blog I’ve set up to keep track of emerging marijuana legal and policy issues, both federal and state.  Take a look around. (It also looks good on mobile devices.)

Colorado: What’s Allowed, What’s Still Illegal

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When retail marijuana stores and bakeries open on January 1, 2014, here’s what Colorado NORML says you should know.Legal: Stores can sell marijuana and marijuana-infused products to adults for recreational use.

  • Age Limit: Adults 21 and older can possess and purchase up to one ounce of marijuana as well as marijuana-infused products at retail marijuana stores.
  • Quantity Limits: Colorado residents can purchase up to one ounce of marijuana at retail marijuana stores. Non-residents can purchase up to a quarter ounce.
  • Stores Require: Valid Photo ID. Many will only accept cash.

Still Illegal:

  • No Resale: You can give away up to one ounce of marijuana but you cannot resell it unless you have a marijuana business license.
  • No Public Use: It is illegal to consume marijuana in public.
  • No Driving: It is illegal to drive under the influence of marijuana
  • No Travel: It is illegal to take marijuana outside of Colorado.
  • No Underage Sharing: It is illegal to provide marijuana to or use marijuana with anyone under 21.

Colorado NORML has an informative new webpage  devoted to the state’s recreational marijuana law. It’s filled with practical and legal information.  I highly recommend bookmarking it.

Denver Airport Bans Pot Possession

The Denver Post reports that Denver International Airport has announced it will ban marijuana possession throughout the facility.

Amendment 64 which legalized recreational marijuana use in Colorado, gives property owners the right to prohibit marijuana use.

The law specifically allows any entity “who occupies, owns or controls a property” to set its own marijuana rules at that property.

Penalties are steep:  a $999 administrative fine.

TSA and the cops won’t be searching for drugs, and you shouldn’t see drug dogs on patrol throughout the airport, but if you are stopped for some other reason and searched, or go through security and it turns up, airport police will be contacted.

So whether you are flying, dropping someone off or picking someone up, leave your pot outside the terminal.

Colorado Issues 136 Marijuana Business Licenses

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Christmas comes early to Colorado….

The Denver Post reports the state made history yesterday when it became the first state to issue businesses licenses to sell marijuana for recreational use. So far, 136 licenses were issued. The licensed stores can begin selling pot to adults on January 1.

In addition to the retail licenses, the Post reports Colorado issued licenses for “178 marijuana-cultivation facilities” and “31 marijuana-infused products makers.”

Here’s a map of the stores that received licenses. Here’s an article about one Colorado pot bakery whose business is already booming. Meanwhile, tickets for pot consumption are up sharply from 2012.

The new laws do not allow people to smoke pot in public.

List of Marijuana Stores Okayed for Jan. 1 Opening

Will Colorado’s new pot stores have enough weed on hand to handle the demand on Jan. 1? Will there be lines around the block?

The Denver Post has a list of retail marijuana stores approved for the historic January 1 opening. Here are the Denver stores — for those in other parts of the state, check the Post article.  Also, keep in mind this list is of approved stores, and some owners may decide to delay opening. The Post says it will update when more info becomes available.

  • 3D Cannabis Center, 4305 Brighton Blvd.
  •  CitiMed, 1640 E. Evans Ave.
  •  Dank Colorado, 3835 Elm St.
  •  Denver Kush Club, 2615 Welton St.
  •  Evergreen Apothecary, 1568 S. Broadway
  •  The Green Solution, 2601 W. Alameda Ave and 4400 Grape St.
  •  The Grove, 74 Federal Blvd.
  •  The Haven, 777 Canosa Court
  •  The Healing House Denver, 2383 Downing St.
  •  Kindman, 4125 Elati St.
  •  LoDo Wellness, 1617 Wazee St.
  •  Medicine Man Denver, 4750 Nome St.
  •  The Shelter, 4095 Jackson St.

In all, 348 licenses have been granted in [19 municipalities and 7 counties.

If you are wondering why your county or city is missing from the list, it’s most likely because your city council or county commissioners opted out and refused to allow the stores right now. Just another reminder that we get the Government we elect. You can make your disapproval felt at the ballot box in the next election.

To answer the opening question, nobody knows what demand will look like.

Some pot shop owners are planning to install purchasing caps and other limits to try to avoid a run on weed.

Denver Wants You to Know

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The City and County of Denver has a new website on marijuana. Not surprisingly, it concentrates on what is not legal. The six things it wants you to know:

  •   It is illegal to consume marijuana in public.
  •  It is illegal to take marijuana out of state.
  •  Only licensed establishments can sell retail marijuana products.
  •  It is illegal for retail establishments to give or sell marijuana to minors.
  • You must be over 21 to possess or use “retail marijuana
  •  It is illegal to “drive high

Some other things Denver would like you to know:

  •  Colorado residents over age 21 can buy and possess up to 1 ounce of retail marijuana at a time. Non-residents are limited to ¼ ounce.
  • Until 2016,  you must be a currently licensed medical marijuana center, manufacturer or cultivator to apply for recreational retail license.

As for growing marijuana in your home:

  • Colorado residents over age 21 can grow up to 6 marijuana plants. But roommates take note: No more than 12 total plants are allowed per residence regardless of the number of adults living there.
  •  Marijuana plants must be kept in an enclosed, locked area.

As for Brewer and Shipley, 43 years have passed and they’re still performing the song.

Denver City Council Decriminalizes Pot For 18 to 21 Yr Olds

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Why should an 18 year old get stuck with a criminal record for life because she possessed a small amount of pot?

The Denver City Council has voted to decriminalize marijuana possession for those between the ages of 18 and 21 who are caught with up to one ounce of pot.

The City Council didn’t make possession by this age group legal — they just reduced the penalty to the level of a parking ticket.

Denver City Councilmen Albus Brooks,  who sponsored the ordinance, says:

 “It’s still illegal. We just want to make sure we don’t make people pay for the rest of their life.”

The fines are pretty steep — $150 for a first offense, $500 for a second offense and $999 for third offenses and beyond.