United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memo rescinding the Cole Memorandum and other federal pot protections dating back to 2009 on January 4. Colorado’s elected officials — from Governor John Hickenlooper to Mayor Michael Hancock to the entire congressional delegation — were quick to condemn the move and vow to fight any attempt to prosecute law-abiding businesses in this state. But in the meantime, how does the Sessions memo affect you?
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Retail cannabis industries across the country are reeling after United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memo rescinding the Cole Memorandum, a 2013 policy that offered protection from federal prosecution for the cultivation, distribution and possession of pot in states where it is legal. In Colorado, the first state to authorize the legal sale of retail cannabis, the response has been quick…and, in many cases, furious
Four states legalized recreational marijuana in the 2016 election, following in the footsteps of Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C. But in the year since, only Nevada made retail pot sales a reality. While California and Massachusetts are moving forward to enact permanent legislation and issue licenses for pot establishments, the future of weed in Maine, the fourth state where residents voted in favor of legalization, is at a standstill after a veto by the Republican governor.
A Boulder potrepreneur wants to share both his wealth and his interest in cannabis: Matt Kind, host of the podcast CannaInsider, is starting a scholarship fund to encourage students to consider a job in legal pot.
The legal-marijuana industry in the United States is projected to reach nearly $10 billion in sales in 2017, a 33 percent rise over 2016, according to Arcview Market Research and BDS Analytics.
Approved by Colorado voters in November 2012, legal marijuana is now becoming mainstream in Colorado – but not without its fair share of controversy. New laws and regulations surrounding medical and recreational pot, a recent rise in legalization opponents thanks to United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s fear-mongering actions, and consolidation in Denver’s dispensary scene have all generated plenty of buzz.
For a rundown of what cannabis issues people have been talking about most this year, check out our ten most-read pot stories of 2017:
While touting data in a federal report showing that marijuana use among Colorado teens is falling, attorney Brian Vicente, who co-authored Amendment 64, the measure that legalized limited recreational cannabis sales in the state, predicted that weed haters would try to twist the numbers to their advantage, and he was right. Days later, Colorado’s most prominent anti-pot organization is acknowledging the stats regarding teen use but raising alarm about the level of consumption among young adults.
The World Health Organization, the health agency of the United Nations, has officially recommended that cannabidiol (CBD) not be internationally scheduled as a controlled substance. WHO research on CBD’s therapeutic use and side effects found that the cannabinoid was not a public danger.
A new federal study shows that marijuana use among teens in Colorado has fallen below levels seen prior to the implementation of Amendment 64, the measure that legalized limited recreational cannabis sales in the state. Given the report’s origins, attorney and activist Brian Vicente, who co-authored Amendment 64, says haters of progressive marijuana laws, such as Attorney General Jeff Sessions, will find it more difficult than ever to suggest that these statistics are flawed.
The City of Denver has received its first official application for a cannabis consumption area inside a business. The Coffee Joint, a planned coffee shop and pot lounge at 1130 Yuma Court, just off Interstate 25 and West Eleventh Avenue, submitted its application on Friday, December 8, according to Daniel Rowland, director of public affairs for the Denver Department of Excise and Licenses.