Articles Posted in Colorado marijuana lawyers

Medical marijuana use among American seniors has soared in recent years, with a new study from the University of Colorado revealing baby boomer pot use has spiked 10-fold in as many years. Most seek cannabis to help treat aches and pains, anxiety, depression and other conditions. baby boomer cannabis law

Researchers reported that just in the last year, some 3.7 percent of Americans older than 65 used marijuana, compared to 0.3 percent that had reported doing so a decade ago. Study authors combed data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health to reach their conclusions, which included finding higher rates of use among adults between 60 and 64 (9.4 percent, compared to 1.9 percent back in 2007).

Medical cannabis lawyers in California fully believe that as more states approve access to the drug for health woes and recreational use (33 and 11, respectively), this tend of pot-friendly baby boomers is likely to continue trending upward – especially as the body of research showing pot’s full medicinal potential expands.

Seniors and Sativa: What the Science Says

The research on marijuana as a treatment for the ailments of aging is thin, primarily because the classification of marijuana as a Schedule I narcotic per the U.S. Controlled Substances Act has severely limited peer-reviewed research. Researchers are still significantly restricted in terms of clinical analysis, but as the drug becomes more widely available to test in laboratories and in general population data sets, the more we’re learning. Continue reading

More than four years after recreational marijuana became legal in Colorado, the state is continuing to post bigmarijuana business numbers as a result of the blossoming cannabis economy. According to The Denver Post, Denver’s dispensaries recorded $587 million in sales in 2017, a record high, with sales continuing to rise into 2018. This was an increase of 16 percent over 2016. Sales throughout the state totaled $150.8 billion during the same time period, a 15 percent increase over 2016.

When broken down by recreational and medical marijuana, both the city of Denver and Colorado as a whole actually saw a decrease in medical cannabis sales, but the increase in recreational sales made up for the losses and then some. In Denver, medical sales dropped from $212 million to $206.4 million, while recreational retail sales spiked from $291.5 million to $377.5 million. Statewide, medical sales were $445 million in 2016 and $416.5 million in 2017, while recreational sales jumped from $861.6 million to $1.09 billion. When examined by location, while sales in Denver continue to climb, other regions in the state are starting to take a bigger percentage of the overall pie, which good news for those who live outside the big city. Continue reading

Marijuana legalization has been a decades-long battle that is finally paying off, with states all over the country legalizing medical and/or recreational marijuana legalizationcannabis. But in addition to fighting for your rights on the legal front, our experienced lawyers know there is another fight that must be won: the battle of public perception.

Nowhere is that struggle better illustrated than in Texas, where a college baseball coach blew off an athlete interested in attending the school over the issue of marijuana. You might be wondering what the connection is. Did the student fail a drug test? Did he have a criminal record involving marijuana? Had he been penalized by his high school for coming to school under the influence?

All of these would be excellent guesses. But the answer to all three is “no.” According to an email to the athlete, which has since gone viral, it appears the coach deemed the student guilty by association of the entire state of Colorado, according to a report from The Washington Post.

The email claimed the school was not considering students from Colorado because in the past, recruits from the state had difficulty passing the drug test. “We have made a decision not to take a chance on student-athletes from your state. You can thank your liberal politicians,” the message went on to say.

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Marijuana has become legal in many states across the country, for both medical and recreational use. California is the latest states to pave the way for recreationalcannabis businesses cannabis businesses through the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2018.

But just because a state has legalized cannabis does not mean there is a marijuana free-for-all with no rules or consequences.

For example, Colorado voters passed Amendment 64 in 2012, allowing for personal recreational use of marijuana for adults over 21. Sales began in the state in 2014. But recently 26 legal cannabis businesses were shut down by authorities in Denver.

All of the operations were either store fronts or growing facilities operating under the Sweet Leaf name. While the operations were licensed and legal, they had been under investigation for the past year on suspicion the businesses were exceeding individual sales limits set by the state. Colorado regulations restrict possession to one ounce or less of marijuana per adult. Continue reading

The recreational use of marijuana is now legal within the State of California. However, this does not mean that all dangers associated with marijuana have been eliminated. In an effort to ensure the safe use of recreational marijuana, the California Department of Public Health has launched a campaign to educate the public about the dangers of marijuana and its safe use. The goal of this program is for all Californians to be prepared for safe marijuana use when business licenses are issued for recreational marijuana sales in January 2018.cannabis defense attorneys

The Public Information Campaign

State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith reports to the Los Angeles Times that the goal of this campaign – largely centered around the Department’s “Let’s Talk Cannabis” website – is to provide Californians with scientific evidence in order to ensure safe and informed decisions are made about marijuana use. For example: one major focus of the campaign is to highlight the fact that marijuana use is illegal for persons under twenty-one years of age. The campaign supplements this simple legal fact with the scientific reasons for its existence: namely, marijuana use in the late teens and early twenties can lead to physical changes in the brain, which are found less frequently in older users. Continue reading

A Colorado Springs resident lost his bid to recover the marijuana that was seized from him by police – even though he’d been acquitted of crimes related to that possession – because, as Colorado Supreme Court justices ruled: Doing so would require that police officers become distributors of marijuana. As such, they would be violating state law to do so. police

This precedent-setting ruling, which overturned the Colorado Court of Appeals, has the potential to influence sister courts in other states, and in the event there is conflict, the possibility that it will require input from the U.S. Supreme Court. The state-level appellate court had held that police officers were required to return marijuana to defendants who won their court cases alleging illegal possession.

But now, the Colorado Supreme Court justices say that to do so would require police to become complicit in violating the Controlled Substances Act.  Continue reading

Although a handful of states have given the green light for legal marijuana for recreational use, none so far have granted explicit permission to allow the drug to be used in public.

That may soon change in Denver. restaurant

Back in November, Denver became the first city in the country to allow people to use marijuana at certain restaurants and other venues that want to allow it. That was Proposition 300, and it was approved at the same time eight other states – including California – passed laws to legalize marijuana for either recreational or medicinal purposes. The city measure allows bars and restaurants to apply to allow marijuana to be used by their patrons – so long as the drug isn’t smoked, although there could be some cases in which outside smoking areas could be designated.

Now, the city is working on implementing that provision, and it appears it will extend to places like yoga studios, art galleries and coffee shops. The law doesn’t offer up any guidelines for how marijuana can be consumed other than it can’t be smoked indoors and patrons have to be at least 21-years-old. Additionally, the state’s liquor control board has forbidden any company that has a liquor license from allowing patrons to use marijuana. That means bars would be excluded, as would restaurants that serve alcohol. WYFF4 reported a group of stakeholders – marijuana business owners, city regulators and opponents of legalized marijuana – are all meeting to begin hammering out suggestions of what this new law is going to look like.  Continue reading

Of all the industries to crop up around marijuana legalization, surveillance systems are among those that are growing the fastest. surveillance

You have probably taken note if you have moseyed on into a marijuana grow operation in Colorado an array of colored bar codes. Every single plant is tagged with either a blue or a yellow bar code, either stuck in the soil or tied to the stalk. Each tag has a bar code and a Radio Frequency ID chip. Then, if you take a glance around, you’ll probably notice there are security cameras watching your every move at all times. The badges worn by workers allow the company to follow them from room-to-room. Inspectors may drop by without prior notice, just to make sure the amount being produced matches the records on file with the state, which tracks it all in real time.

All of these security systems are high-tech – and costly. It’s budding into a multi-million dollar industry, and it’s one of the only reasons we’re able to safely shift this plant from the black market to a major commodity sold to the over-21 public on store shelves.  Continue reading

California was one of the first states to approve recreational marijuana and now, it will be the location of the first “social marijuana” allowances. That is, marijuana is going to be allowed in bars, restaurants and other venues, per Proposition 300. This was approved by voters in Denver the same day California and two other states legalized pot for all adults. (Five other states approved marijuana for sick patients.) restaurant

This measure will make Denver the first in the nation to allow bars and restaurants the option of offering patrons the chance to use marijuana while they’re drinking a cocktail or enjoying a meal. However, there is a big catch: Patrons will not be allowed to imbibe indoors. Only outdoor smoking will be allowed, and even then, businesses will have to first get the green light from their neighbors. Patrons could still use cannabis or derivative products inside the establishment, but only if it wasn’t smoked.

The measure is just one of an increasing number of indications that our society’s tolerance of the drug is growing. Supporters are calling the move “sensible,” and an effort to allow adults to enjoy – but responsibly. Continue reading

It’s been more than two years since Colorado began allowing the sale of recreational marijuana. Now, according to a new report by CNN, consumers in that state have access to some of the most potent pot in the country. marijuana

As of right now, there are no regulations in Colorado that limit the amount of THC there can be in the drug’s plant form or in edibles. There was proposed amendment on the table, filed by state lawmakers, that would cap the amount of allowable THC in any given marijuana product to 16 percent. According to one state study, the average potency for marijuana products in Colorado is more than 17 percent for cannabis flowers and 62 percent for marijuana extracts.

Supporters of these potency limits say more research needs to be conducted in order to determine what is a “safe” level of the drug, as the health impacts of consuming high concentrations of the drug are largely unknown. However, opponents say the 17 percent figure is arbitrary, and perhaps even “unconstitutional.” The proposal failed to garner enough support to pass this most recent session, though it is certainly not considered a dead issue, by any means.  Continue reading

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