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Browsing: Legislation

Why Legalizing Social Pot Consumption Led to iBake Pot Club’s Closure

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By on Cannabusiness, Culture, Follow that story, Legislation
ibakeCourtesy of iBake

Colorado’s cannabis community was surprised when iBake Denver, one of the state’s longest-running consumption clubs, announced that it would close at the end of the year because it would not be ready to comply with a new state law that licenses social pot use. Open since 2013, the club started as an Internet radio show hosted by Thurlow “T.L.” Weed, but slowly transformed into a cannabis club under Weed and his wife, LittleTree Oppy, whom he met when she was a weekly caller to his radio show.

Weed and Oppy both fought back tears earlier this month as they announced the impending closure of iBake, which will shut its doors on January 1, 2020. To learn more about iBake’s story, we caught up with the couple behind the club.

Colorado Supreme Court Lessens Restrictions for MMJ on Probation

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By on Follow that story, Legislation, Medical
den_011217_veritas_grow_scottlentz001 (1)Scott Lentz

The Colorado Supreme Court has overruled a district court decision that upheld a county court ruling requiring a doctor’s testimony for medical marijuana patients who want to use their medication while on probation. The Colorado Supreme Court decision, handed down November 18, weakens the restrictions and burdens of proof that Colorado judges can place on medical marijuana patients.

In their decision, the justices said that unless a probationer’s medical marijuana use conflicts with the specified goals of sentencing, cannabis use should be allowed.

Colorado Pot Industry Bans Additive Linked to Vaping Illness

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By on Cannabusiness, Dispensaries, Legislation
mason_jar_winter_collins20180216_049 (1)Jacqueline Collins

Colorado has banned the state’s marijuana industry from adding vitamin E acetate, the chemical additive linked to vaping illnesses by federal health officials, to products meant for inhalation.

On November 8, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a potential culprit behind the recent vaping illnesses: vitamin E acetate. However, Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division had already prohibited the additive as an ingredient days earlier, and also banned two more ingredients with connections to short- and long-term health issues. In addition to vitamin E acetate, polyethylene glycol (PEG) and medium chain triglycerides (MCT oil) are now ruled out for marijuana products meant for inhalation.

State Supreme Court Deciding How Judges Can Restrict MMJ on Probation

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By on Follow that story, Legislation
den_canna_20150717_walkingraven_slentz_05 (1)Scott Lentz

With over 80,000 Coloradans on the state’s MMJ registry, it’s not surprising that this question frequently crops up: Can a medical marijuana patient on probation still use their cannabis medication?

The answer was supposed to be black and white after a 2015 state law approving allowing people on probation to use medical marijuana, but the reality is still gray and murky, with frequent court arguments over the burden of proof and necessity for a convicted patient’s medical marijuana use while on probation. However, a 2016 DUI case could finally push the Colorado Supreme Court to provide more definitive answers.

Stricter Rules Loom Over THC Vape Products in Colorado

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By on Cannabusiness, Follow that story, Legislation, Medical
mason_jar_spring_collins20180426_056 (1)Jacqueline Collins

The recent outbreak of lung illnesses connected to THC vaporization products is pushing the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division to implement new regulations that could include the prohibition of certain vaping additives in the regulated marketplace.

New rules banning the production and sale of cannabis vape products containing polyethylene glycol (PEG), vitamin E acetate and medium chain triglycerides (MCT oil) were proposed by the MED on October 7, according to the agency, with the proposed rules up for public discussion on Tuesday, October 15.

Fresh Off a House Victory, Perlmutter Bullish on Pot Banking Bill

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By on Cannabusiness, Feds 'N Heads, Legalize It, Legislation
ed-perlmutter-house-gove-2019live.house.gov

Days before Congressman Ed Perlmutter was scheduled to speak at a cannabis management conference in Denver this week, he had a defining moment in Washington, D.C. His bill that would allow banking institutions to serve legal cannabis companies became not only the first pot-related proposal to be considered by the full House of Representatives in over fifty years, it actually passed.

“Had we not passed that bill last week, I did not want to talk to you people at all,” Perlmutter jokingly told a room full of cannabis regulators and business owners during the City of Denver’s Marijuana Management Symposium on Thursday, October 3. “The banking piece really is the thing that is the icebreaker in all of this.”

Is Colorado Ready to Accept Marijuana Tourism?

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By on Cannabusiness, Follow that story, Legislation
bongathon_collins2019Jacqueline Collins

Colorado’s tourism industry has had a complicated relationship with cannabis since the state legalized the plant in late 2012. National hospitality businesses remain scared to touch a federally prohibited substance, while a state law banning public pot consumption has kept the majority of out-of-state dispensary shoppers without somewhere to legally light up.

But that tide may finally be turning.

A bill legalizing social pot consumption permits for qualified businesses passed the Colorado Legislature in the 2019 session, opening up new opportunities for cannabis users and entrepreneurs alike; the law will take effect at the beginning of 2020. Meanwhile, Governor Jared Polis appointed Wanda James, a cannabis advocate and dispensary owner, to the state tourism board in August.

House Passes Landmark Marijuana Banking Bill

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By on Cannabusiness, Dispensaries, Feds 'N Heads, Legislation
incredibles_collins20180814_035_1_Jacqueline Collins

The United States House of Representatives just approved a bill that would allow banks and financial institutions to serve marijuana businesses in states where it is legal without risking federal prosecution, marking a landmark step towards marijuana reform.

Introduced by Colorado Representative Ed Perlmutter, the SAFE Banking Act needed approval from two-thirds of the House’s 435 members, or 290 yes votes. It got 321, becoming the first marijuana-centered bill to reach a Congressional floor for a vote — as well as the first to pass.

Colorado Reviews New Social Equity Marijuana Business Licenses

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By on Cannabusiness, Legislation
incredibles_collins20180814_041Jacqueline Collins

New marijuana business licenses reserved for low-income demographics are set to launch in Colorado in 2020, but questions remain about who should receive these licenses and how they should be regulated.

Created by Senate Bill 224, a 2019 law that overhauls the state’s medical and recreational marijuana regulations, the new licenses are intended to add more diversity to Colorado’s cannabis space while providing opportunity to entrepreneurs who don’t have traditional training or funding outlets. Also known as micro licenses, the new permits would require the new businesses to use the facilities of established pot companies as they research and create their own cannabis products.

Senate Committee Hears Testimony on Pot Banking Push

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By on Cannabusiness, Feds 'N Heads, Follow that story, Legislation
den_canna_20150717_colorado-harvest-register_slentz_05 (1)Scott Lentz

The push for federal cannabis banking legalization took another baby step on July 23 when the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs heard a bill that would allow financial institutions to serve companies connected with cannabis, which is still federally illegal.

Introduced by Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, the SAFE Banking Act would protect banks and other financial outfits from federal charges if they provide accounts, loans and other services to pot businesses as well as ancillary enterprises that work with cannabis-focused enterprises, such as real estate agencies, accountants and other business vendors.

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