Colorado Archives | High Times https://hightimes.com/news/colorado/ The Magazine Of High Society Sat, 31 Dec 2022 00:19:27 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.1 https://i0.wp.com/hightimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/cropped-FAVICON-1-1.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Colorado Archives | High Times https://hightimes.com/news/colorado/ 32 32 174047951 Colorado Psychedelics Decriminalization Takes Effect https://hightimes.com/news/colorado-psychedelics-decriminalization-takes-effect/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=colorado-psychedelics-decriminalization-takes-effect https://hightimes.com/news/colorado-psychedelics-decriminalization-takes-effect/#respond Fri, 30 Dec 2022 13:00:00 +0000 https://hightimes.com/?p=294045 Natural psychedelics including psilocybin were officially decriminalized in Colorado on Tuesday with a proclamation from Gov. Jared Polis that Proposition 122 received a majority of votes in the November election.

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Psychedelics including psilocybin are now officially decriminalized in Colorado, where voters decided last month to end criminal penalties for possessing the drugs. Colorado Governor Jared Polis issued a proclamation on Tuesday declaring that Proposition 122, also known as the Natural Medicine Health Act, had passed muster with the voters in last month’s election. 

“Coloradans voted last November and participated in our democracy,” Polis said in a statement from the governor’s office. “Officially validating the results of the citizen and referred initiatives is the next formal step in our work to follow the will of the voters and implement these voter-approved measures.”

In his proclamation, Polis noted that Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold had certified on December 12 that Proposition 122 “was approved by a majority of the votes cast.” The ballot measure received more than 53% of the vote in the midterm election, garnering the approval of nearly 1.3 million voters on November 8.

The Natural Medicine Health Act creates a state-regulated therapeutic system for adults to access natural psychedelic medicines, such as psilocybin mushrooms, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ibogaine, and mescaline not derived from peyote. The measure decriminalizes the possession, cultivation, and sharing of the naturally occurring psychedelic drugs, and establishes a system for controlled distribution by licensed professionals in a therapeutic setting. 

Psychedelics will be available under the guidance of a licensed and supervised facilitator at designated healing centers and healthcare facilities such as hospice centers. The medicines are prohibited from leaving the facilities, and no retail sales are allowed in any form.

“Prop. 122 puts the wellbeing of patients and communities first, removing harsh criminal penalties for personal possession and employing a multi-phase implementation process that will allow time to develop an appropriate safety and regulatory structure,” Josh Kappel, who co-authored the proposition and led the campaign for the successful ballot measure, said in a statement on Tuesday.

Under Colorado law, ballot measures approved by the voters do not go into effect immediately. The state constitution requires the governor to issue a proclamation declaring the majority vote for the proposition no later than 30 days after the state canvasses the election results. 

Psilocybin And Mental Health

Psychedelics such as psilocybin are receiving renewed interest in the potential of the drugs to treat a wide range of mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders. The Food and Drug Administration has designated psilocybin as a “breakthrough therapy” but has not approved the use of the drug.

Recently, the New England Journal of Medicine released a new study showing that psilocybin can quickly and significantly reduce symptoms of treatment-resistant depression. Prior research from the nation’s top medical research universities including Johns Hopkins University, the University of California-San Francisco School of Medicine, and New York University have shown positive patient outcomes for depression and anxiety. Additionally, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has started offering psychedelics to patients as a part of clinical trials.

With the Natural Medicine Health Act now officially Colorado state law, the governor has until January 31, 2023, to appoint 15 members to a new Natural Medicine Advisory Board, which will advise the state’s Department of Regulatory Agencies on implementing the measure. The board’s first recommendations are due by September 30, 2023. Recommendations on a facilitator training program for the medical use of psilocybin mandated by the measure are due on January 1, 2023. Regulated access to psilocybin should become available from authorized therapists by late 2024.

Kappel said that with the proclamation from Polis, implementation of Proposition 122 can now begin.

“Our goals include creating an accessible and balanced facilitator training system, an effective equity program, a first-of-its-kind ESG screen, and safe access to natural psychedelic therapies,” Kappel said. “In the meantime, adults in Colorado can begin to have more open and honest conversations about these medicines with their doctors. Adults who can benefit from these substances will finally be able to engage in psychedelic therapies without fear of arrest and prosecution.”

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Denver Drops Charges Against Rabbi Ben Gorelick https://hightimes.com/news/denver-drops-charges-against-rabbi-ben-gorelick/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=denver-drops-charges-against-rabbi-ben-gorelick https://hightimes.com/news/denver-drops-charges-against-rabbi-ben-gorelick/#respond Wed, 14 Dec 2022 15:00:00 +0000 https://hightimes.com/?p=293626 The Denver District Attorney’s Office has dropped drug charges against psilocybin advocate Rabbi Ben Gorelick.

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The Denver district attorney’s office has dropped felony drugs charges filed against Rabbi Ben Gorelick, citing voters’ approval of a psilocybin legalization ballot measure in last month’s midterm elections. At a preliminary hearing in the case on December 8, prosecutors moved to dismiss charges against Gorelick and a chemist arrested in a police raid last winter, saying the motion was filed “in the interest of justice.”

Carolyn Tyler, a Denver District Attorney’s Office spokesperson, said that the decision to dismiss the felony charges against the defendants was made “in light of the voters’ decision” to approve Proposition 122. Colorado voters approved the initiative measure, which legalizes psilocybin for therapeutic purposes, in the November 8 election with nearly 54% of ballots cast.

“I don’t know what everything got dismissed on or for,” Gorelick told The Denver Post. “At this point in time, what I can tell you is I’m very, very, very grateful to the DA’s office for dropping the case. It’s been a long year for the community, it’s been a long year for us, and we look forward to getting back to practicing our religion, which is what the whole point of this is.”

Gorelick is the founder of The Sacred Tribe, a religious group based in Denver that uses psilocybin and other methods as paths to spiritual enlightenment. In January, police raided a warehouse in Denver where he was allegedly growing more than 30 varieties of psychedelic mushrooms. Gorelick was arrested the following month and charged with possession with intent to manufacture or distribute a controlled substance, a first-degree felony. In June, he told High Times that he intended to fight the charges, which carried a mandatory minimum sentence of at least eight years, on religious freedom grounds.

Group Ends Psychedelics Services After Raid

After the police raid earlier this year, The Sacred Tribe temporarily suspended its activities. The group has since begun meeting again for religious dinners and other events without the use of psilocybin. Elle Logan, who has been a member of the group since last year, said the case “broke the community in a lot of ways,” but added that she was not surprised when the charges against Gorelick were dropped.

“The psychedelic movement, the plant medicine movement, and with Prop 122 passing, there’s amazing momentum going into a brand new future that looks really different for a lot of people in terms of mental health and spiritual wellness,” Logan said. “Ben’s heart has been in that place from the get-go… I’ve known his heart the whole time, that’s never been in question and I’m glad the court saw it too.”

Gorelick maintains that there is a long tradition of psychedelics in Judaism, although other Jewish leaders who advocate for the use of psychedelics dispute his assertion of their history. One of those advocates, Rabbi Zac Kamenetz, who was ordained by an Orthodox rabbi in Israel, formed the psychedelics advocacy group Shefa and hopes that one day the powerful compounds will become an accepted part of Jewish spirituality. 

Kamenetz took part in a study that researched the effect psilocybin has on religious leaders. He supports the use of psilocybin for spiritual purposes, although he warns that until they are legalized, psychedelics should only be taken as part of approved research.

“I’m one of the very few people who can say they’ve had a legal experience with psychedelics in this country,” Kamenetz said last year. “To be able to speak freely about it without the stigma — because it’s not just people talking about doing illegal things — it’s allowed people to start having a more open conversation about it. When there’s the opportunity to hear from someone who did this in a legal environment, people will listen more.”

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Senator Files Bill To Prep for Federal Cannabis Legalization https://hightimes.com/news/senator-files-bill-to-prep-for-federal-cannabis-legalization/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=senator-files-bill-to-prep-for-federal-cannabis-legalization https://hightimes.com/news/senator-files-bill-to-prep-for-federal-cannabis-legalization/#comments Mon, 05 Dec 2022 15:00:00 +0000 https://hightimes.com/?p=293388 Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado introduced a bill that would lay the groundwork for regulations to govern the eventual legalization of cannabis at the federal level.

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Democratic Senator John Hickenlooper of Colorado on Thursday introduced legislation designed to prepare the country for national cannabis legalization, laying the groundwork for drafting regulations to govern legal marijuana at the federal level. The bill, the Preparing Regulators Effectively for a Post-Prohibition Adult Use Regulated Environment (PREPARE) Act, directs the U.S. attorney general to develop a regulatory framework to be in place for the eventual federal legalization of cannabis by Congress, which is likely inevitable as the popularity of cannabis policy reform continues to grow.

Hickenlooper was the governor of Colorado when voters legalized recreational marijuana with the passage of Amendment 64 in 2012. A month later, he convened the Amendment 64 Task Force to provide recommendations for the establishment of regulations that set the stage for Colorado’s successful legal cannabis industry. Last month, 10 years after Amendment 64 was approved by Colorado voters, Hickenlooper revealed that he planned to introduce the bipartisan PREPARE Act to create a similar commission at the federal level. 

“A decade after Colorado pioneered marijuana legalization, Americans overwhelmingly support the same at the federal level,” Hickenlooper said in a statement from the senator’s office. “This bipartisan, bicameral framework, based on Colorado’s Amendment 64 Task Force, will replicate our success nationally.”

Companion Measure To House Bill

Hickenlooper’s legislation is a companion bill to a House version of the measure sponsored by Representative Dave Joyce, a Republican from Ohio.

“I’m thrilled that the PREPARE Act has been introduced in the Senate, making it not only further bipartisan, but bicameral, and bringing it one step closer to becoming law,” said Joyce. “This legislation gives lawmakers on both sides of the aisle the answers they need to effectively engage on cannabis reform, safely and effectively regulate it, and remedy the harms caused by the failed war on cannabis.” 

“With those answers, Congress can develop a much-needed federal regulatory framework that not only respects the unique needs, rights, and laws of each state, but also ensures a responsible end to prohibition and a safer future for our communities,” he continued. “I was proud to lead the introduction of this commonsense bill in the House and thank Senator Hickenlooper for advancing it in the Senate.”

The bill directs the attorney general to establish a “Commission on the Federal Regulation of Cannabis” to advise on the development of a regulatory framework, which would be modeled after existing federal and state regulations for alcohol. The 24-member commission would consist of representatives from relevant government agencies and offices, individuals nominated by Senate and House leadership and individuals nominated by other government agencies.

The legislation requires the plan developed by the commission to account for the unique needs, rights and laws of each state, and directs the commission to present the plan to Congress within one year of enactment of the PREPARE Act. The commission would not have rulemaking authority. The panel’s only role would be to develop proposals and make policy recommendations.

The regulatory framework developed by the commission would be required to include “ways to remedy the disproportionate impact cannabis prohibition has had on minority, low-income and veteran communities; encourage research and training access by medical professionals; encourage economic opportunity for individuals and small businesses; and develop protections for the hemp industry,” according to Hickenlooper’s office.

Growing Support For Cannabis Policy Reform

Hickenlooper’s bill highlights the growing support for cannabis policy reform in the United States. In October, President Joseph Biden announced he would pardon all federal convictions for simple marijuana possession, and last week a new Pew Research poll found that 90% of Americans favor legalizing cannabis in some form.

“President Biden recently—and correctly—declared the federal government’s categorical criminal ban on cannabis a failure and urged executive leadership at the state and federal levels to take concrete steps to bring about rational reform,” Shane Pennington, an attorney with the cannabis and psychedelics law firm Vicente Sederberg LLP, wrote in an email to High Times. “The PREPARE Act seeks to ready the federal government for the far broader reforms, which are now imminent. Undoing decades of inane cannabis laws and regulations will require a coordinated and concerted effort at every level of government and among countless federal agencies. The PREPARE Act would lay the necessary groundwork to ensure that the federal government carries out legalization in a fair, efficient, and effective manner.”

Khadijah Tribble, the CEO of the trade group the US Cannabis Council, said the “Biden administration’s review of cannabis scheduling, midterm ballot measures, and polling on cannabis decriminalization all signal that the end of cannabis prohibition isn’t just inevitable — it’s imminent. The PREPARE Act would help ensure that the federal government has a plan in place to ensure a smooth and responsible transition to legal cannabis.” 

“We commend Sen. Hickenlooper and his counterparts in the House for the forethought and attention reflected in the PREPARE Act’s robust legislative framework, which wisely aims to also address the unjust consequences of the War on Drugs by developing recommendations on social equity and policies that create economic opportunity for minority entrepreneurs who want to operate in the legal marketplace,” she continued. “The US Cannabis Council will continue to work with Congress to help the nation get ready for the day legal cannabis is the law of the land.” 

The PREPARE ACT is supported by a range of stakeholders and cannabis policy reform advocates including the US Cannabis Council (USCC), the City of Denver, the National Hispanic Cannabis Council, Black Cannabis Equity Initiative, VS Strategies, Vicente Sederberg LLP, Metric, National Cannabis Industry Association, and Better Organizing to Win Legalization.

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Colorado Voters Approve Psychedelics Decriminalization Measure https://hightimes.com/news/colorado-voters-approve-psychedelics-decriminalization-measure/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=colorado-voters-approve-psychedelics-decriminalization-measure https://hightimes.com/news/colorado-voters-approve-psychedelics-decriminalization-measure/#respond Thu, 10 Nov 2022 19:13:27 +0000 https://hightimes.com/?p=292744 Colorado voters have passed Proposition 122, a ballot measure to decriminalize and regulate psilocybin and other natural psychedelics for therapeutic use.

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Voters in Colorado on Tuesday approved a ballot measure to decriminalize the therapeutic use of natural psychedelics including psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms. With 88% of the vote counted as of Wednesday evening, Proposition 122, the Natural Medicine Health Act, had garnered more than one million voters, representing 51.4% of the votes cast.

“This is a historic moment for both the people of Colorado and our country,” Kevin Matthews, coalition director for Natural Medicine Colorado, said in a statement after the approval of Prop 122 became apparent on Wednesday. “I think this demonstrates that voters here in Colorado are ready for new options and another choice for healing, especially when it comes to their mental and behavioral health.”

The Natural Medicine Health Act creates a state-regulated therapeutic system for adults to access natural psychedelic medicines, such as psilocybin mushrooms, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ibogaine and mescaline not derived from peyote. The psychedelics will be available under the guidance of a licensed and supervised facilitator at designated healing centers and healthcare facilities such as hospice centers. The medicines are prohibited from leaving the facilities, and no retail sales are allowed in any form. 

Psychedelics As Therapy

Psychedelics including psilocybin have seen a resurgence of interest in the potential of the drugs to treat a wide range of mental health conditions. The Food and Drug Administration has designated psilocybin as a “breakthrough therapy” but has not approved the use of the drug.

Last week, the New England Journal of Medicine released a new study showing that psilocybin can quickly and significantly reduce symptoms of treatment-resistant depression. Prior research from the nation’s top medical research universities including Johns Hopkins University, the University of California-San Francisco School of Medicine, and New York University have shown positive patient outcomes for depression and anxiety. Additionally, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has started offering psychedelics to patients as a part of clinical trials.

Psychedelics such as psilocybin, mescaline, and DMT have also been used for centuries by indigenous American cultures for medicinal and spiritual purposes. Matthew X. Lowe Ph.D., research director at psychedelic research nonprofit Unlimited Sciences, says that there are numerous health and wellness benefits “that come from consuming psilocybin.”

“Preindustrial Mesoamerican cultures have consumed psilocybin for thousands of years in ritualized contexts to enhance psychotherapeutic healing, religious insight, and self-exploration,” he told Forbes. “In recent years, there has been renewed interest in the therapeutic potential of psilocybin in treating a range of different psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety, suicidality, substance use disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, among others.”

“Psilocybin consumption has now been consistently associated with antidepressant and anxiolytic effects and is being considered for the treatment of depression and anxiety,” Lowe continued. “In fact, a recent study determined that decreased brain modularity following psilocybin therapy was correlated with improvements in depressive symptomatology and outcomes when compared with a commonly prescribed” anti-depressant.

Natural Medicines Advisory Board To Be Named

With the passage of Prop 122, Colorado Governor Jared Polis has until January 31, 2023, to appoint 15 members to a new Natural Medicine Advisory Board, which will advise the state’s Department of Regulatory Agencies on implementing the measure. The board’s first recommendations are due by September 30, 2023. Recommendations on a facilitator training program for the medical use of psilocybin mandated by the measure are due on January 1, 2023. Regulated access to psilocybin would become available in late 2024.

“Colorado voters saw the benefit of regulated access to natural medicines, including psilocybin, so people with PTSD, terminal illness, depression, anxiety and other mental health issues can heal,” Matthews and Veronica Lightening Horse Perez, the measure’s co-proponents, said in a statement on Wednesday. “We look forward to working with the regulatory and medical experts and other stakeholders to implement this new law.”

Joshua Kappel, chair of Natural Medicine Colorado and a founding partner of the psychedelics and cannabis law firm Vicente Sederberg LLC, said “it’s a relief to know that the people of Colorado believe in Prop 122 and the hope of healing these natural psychedelics can provide for those with PTSD, treatment-resistant depression, trauma and other mental conditions.” 

“History has been made this week. We proved to the world it’s possible to pass a ballot measure that not only provides access to natural psychedelic-assisted therapy in a responsible state-regulated setting but also protects individual and community-based healing modalities from arrest and many civil offenses,” Kappel, the author of Prop 122, said in an email to High Times. “Many told us that this dual approach was not wise or possible. Tonight, we showed that inclusive and equitable policies are not only necessary but politically viable.”

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Cooking With Cannabis Class in Colorado Fights Stigma, Promotes Education https://hightimes.com/news/cooking-with-cannabis-class-in-colorado-fights-stigma-promotes-education/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cooking-with-cannabis-class-in-colorado-fights-stigma-promotes-education https://hightimes.com/news/cooking-with-cannabis-class-in-colorado-fights-stigma-promotes-education/#comments Wed, 09 Nov 2022 15:00:00 +0000 https://hightimes.com/?p=292649 One Denver professor shares insight regarding her cannabis class at Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU), with the hope that it will help normalize careers in cannabis.

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At MSU Denver, Affiliate Professor Shannon Donnelly teaches the class “Cannabis 101.” The course was only offered in Spring 2021, but began again on Nov. 8, 2022 according to the university’s class description.

Among learning about medical and recreational cannabis industries, the inner workings of a dispensary, various products being sold, and the legal aspects of cultivation, distribution, and possession are among the main topics of discussion.

In addition to this, students are taught about cannabis and CBD in a kitchen setting as well. According to Donnelly, who also holds the position of Cannabis Process Navigator for the city and county of Denver, explained that students will experiment with cooking using CBD. “We start with federally compliant CBD isolate which has no THC in it whatsoever,” Donnelly said.

While the class is a legitimate exploration of one of the nation’s most robust cannabis markets, Donnelly shared that not everyone agrees. “Most of the feedback when I tell people I’m cooking with cannabis is ‘no, that’s not actually happening,'” she said. “‘That’s not a real class for a college,’ and it’s like yes, it is, and your students can take it.”

Students are taught how to infuse vegetable oil with CBD, and after mastering that, they begin to experiment with different recipes. Donnelly told 9News that last week, they made barbecue shrimp and cornbread puree with a local chef.

The news outlet also spoke with one of the students, Liad Sherer who is pursuing a cybersecurity major, about why he chose to take the elective course. “I’m trying to just improve both as a cook as well as someone who enjoys cannabis and wants to know how to use it,” Sherer said. “I’d love to do this as a hobby, and I’d love to do this maybe as a part-time job.”

The class is an introduction to the many facets of the industry, which could help build early knowledge for possible careers. Roles such as a private chef, edibles creator, or budtending, are just a few of the many jobs that cannabis can create, and normalizing these jobs helps break down the stigma too. “That’s kind of this fun thing that I get to kind of help the students figure out,” she said. “Classes like this allow me and our students to realize there’s a pathway for them in this industry, which is what we need.”

Voters in Colorado approved recreational cannabis 10 years ago in November 2012. Since then, new data shows that the state has collected more than $2.2 billion in cannabis taxes and $13.4 billion in legal cannabis sales. According to the 2022 Leafly Jobs Report, Colorado offers 38,337 jobs (second only to California, which offers 83,607). The job market is thriving, and educated individuals are in high demand.

Colorado also recently saw a dip in its usual cannabis sales growth, month-by-month, according to data published in September 2022 for the month of June 2022. Medical marijuana sales sat at $19,235,656, which is a $34,534,293 decrease from numbers recorded for June 2021. Likewise, recreational cannabis sales only reached $127,157,358 in June, which is a decrease from $152,719,813 collected in June 2021. This downward trend is concerning to some industry members, who believe that it could lead to lay-offs, small shop closures, and the end of brands that can’t keep up.

Although Colorado is experiencing a downward trend in sales overall, newer cannabis markets are showing evidence of rapid growth. New Mexico adult-use sales went live in April 2022, and as of Nov. 7, the state has topped cannabis sales records for the last four months, through October, which netted $40 million. New Jersey’s adult-use sales also went into effect in April this year, and sold $80 million in cannabis within the first 10 weeks. In 2022 fiscal year earnings, the state of Nevada collected nearly $1 billion in sales.

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Senator Introduces Bill To Set Up Framework for Federal Cannabis Legalization https://hightimes.com/news/senator-introduces-bill-to-set-up-framework-for-federal-cannabis-legalization/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=senator-introduces-bill-to-set-up-framework-for-federal-cannabis-legalization https://hightimes.com/news/senator-introduces-bill-to-set-up-framework-for-federal-cannabis-legalization/#respond Fri, 04 Nov 2022 17:32:22 +0000 https://hightimes.com/?p=292512 The bill from Senator John Hickenlooper—the PREPARE Act—would be implemented when the federal government legalizes marijuana.

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Sen. John Hickenlooper on Thursday introduced a bill that would set up the regulatory framework in the event that the federal government legalizes marijuana. 

Hickenlooper, a Democrat from Colorado, said the Preparing Regulators Effectively for a Post-Prohibition Adult Use Regulated Environment (PREPARE) Act would help the government ready itself for such a dramatic shift in policy. 

The bill’s introduction comes ten years after Colorado became the first state in the country to legalize recreational pot when voters there approved Amendment 64, which happened when Hickenlooper served as governor of the state. 

Hickenlooper set up a task force a month following that vote in 2012, which provided recommendations for the state’s cannabis regulations. 

With the PREPARE Act, Hickenlooper said he is drawing from the same playbook. 

“Colorado successfully pioneered marijuana legalization a decade ago, thanks in part to the Amendment 64 Task Force,” Hickenlooper said in a statement on Thursday. “Federal legalization doesn’t need to start from scratch, and we should prepare for when it arrives.”

The senator’s office said that the bill “would establish a fair, honest, and publicly transparent process for the development of regulations at the federal level that incorporates many of the lessons learned by these states,” and that the legislation is “a Senate companion to Republican Congressman Dave Joyce’s bipartisan bill in the House.”

“I’m thrilled that the PREPARE Act will be introduced in the Senate, making it not only further bipartisan, but bicameral, and bringing it one step closer to becoming law,” Joyce in the press release on Thursday. “This legislation gives lawmakers on both sides of the aisle the answers they need to effectively engage on cannabis reform, safely and effectively regulate it, and remedy the harms caused by the failed war on cannabis. With those answers, Congress can develop a much-needed federal regulatory framework that not only respects the unique needs, rights, and laws of each state, but also ensures a responsible end to prohibition and a safer future for our communities. I was proud to lead the introduction of this commonsense bill in the House and thank Senator Hickenlooper for advancing it in the Senate. I look forward to continuing to work together to pave the way for more comprehensive reform.”

Despite having control of Congress and the White House, Democrats were unable to get a federal legalization bill over the finish line before next week’s midterm election.

The House of Representatives in April passed the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act, which would have removed pot from the Controlled Substances Act.

But the Democratic-led Senate has yet to introduce its own version of a legalization bill. 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said last weekend that the Senate is “very close” to passing a bill that would allow state-legal cannabis retailers to receive financial services from banks. The legislation would also include expungements for marijuana convictions, although it would not legalize pot. 

President Joe Biden last month announced pardons to everyone with federal convictions for marijuana possession, while also expressing his intention to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act.

“Federal law currently classifies marijuana in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, the classification meant for the most dangerous substances.  This is the same schedule as for heroin and LSD, and even higher than the classification of fentanyl and methamphetamine – the drugs that are driving our overdose epidemic,” Biden said at the time.

“Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana,” the president added. “It’s time that we right these wrongs.”

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Colorado Regulators Issue Recall for Moldy Weed https://hightimes.com/news/colorado-regulators-issue-recall-for-moldy-weed/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=colorado-regulators-issue-recall-for-moldy-weed https://hightimes.com/news/colorado-regulators-issue-recall-for-moldy-weed/#comments Thu, 03 Nov 2022 14:00:00 +0000 https://hightimes.com/?p=292450 Colorado identified “potentially unsafe levels of total yeast and mold and aspergillus” in a strain of flower.

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A pair of Colorado agencies last week issued “a Health and Safety Advisory” after identifying “potentially unsafe levels of total yeast and mold and aspergillus on Medical Marijuana flower (bud/shake/trim)” that was produced by a business based in Colorado Springs. 

The advisory was issued by both the Colorado Department of Revenue (DOR) and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, which said that the tainted bud came from a producer known as The Living Rose, a medical cannabis retailer in Colorado Springs.

The two agencies “deem it a threat to public health and safety when marijuana is found to have levels of total yeast and mold and aspergillus above the acceptable limits established” by Colorado cannabis regulations.

“[The Department of Revenue] has identified Harvest Batches of Medical Marijuana produced by [The Living Rose] that were not submitted for testing…Harvest Batches of Medical Marijuana produced by [The Living Rose] were required to be tested by the [Department of Revenue] and were found to contain total yeast and mold and aspergillus above the acceptable amounts,” read the advisory, which was issued last Wednesday.

The advisory said that consumers “who have affected marijuana items in their possession should destroy them or return them to the Medical Marijuana Store from which they were purchased for proper disposal,” and that consumers “who experience adverse health effects from consuming the marijuana should seek medical attention immediately and report the event to the Marijuana Enforcement Division by submitting a MED Reporting Form.”

“All affected marijuana has a label affixed to its container that, at a minimum, indicates the license number of the Medical Marijuana Business that cultivated the marijuana as well as the Harvest Batch number assigned to the marijuana,” the advisory said.

Colorado Springs, the second largest city in the state behind Denver, has more than 100 medical marijuana dispensaries, but it does not permit recreational cannabis sales in its jurisdiction. Next week, however, voters there will decide on two separate ballot measures that could change that and allow adult-use weed sales in the city. 

One ballot measure would legalize recreational pot sales in Colorado Springs, while the other would levy a five percent sales tax on adult-use transactions. 

“Voters in the city stepped up and demanded their voice be heard with respect to ending the prohibition of recreational cannabis sales in Colorado Springs,” said Anthony Carlson, the campaign manager for the group pushing to legalize sales in the city. “Especially in these tough economic times, it is critical to ensure every tax dollar that rightfully belongs to Colorado Springs taxpayers stays in our community working to improve our quality of life.”

Colorado voters legalized recreational pot sales back in 2012, but the law allowed local governments to opt out. A year after that amendment passed, Colorado Springs officials voted to ban recreational cannabis sales. 

Karlie Van Arnam, a small business owner in Colorado Springs who is supporting the two initiatives, said that the city is forking over valuable tax revenue to nearby communities that do permit adult-use sales.

“It makes zero sense to continue the prohibition of a product that is 100% legal to possess and consume in our city,” said Van Arnam. “This campaign isn’t just about revenue. It’s about personal freedom and choice for our residents. It’s about supporting our small businesses and the thousands of people they employ. It’s about expanding mental health access for citizens and ensuring our veterans have access to world-class PTSD programs right here in Colorado Springs. It’s about time this decision is taken out of the hands of a few politicians and given to the people.”

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Cannabis Had Highest Tax Revenue in Colorado and Washington Over Alcohol, Cigarettes https://hightimes.com/news/cannabis-had-highest-tax-revenue-in-colorado-and-washington-over-alcohol-cigarettes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cannabis-had-highest-tax-revenue-in-colorado-and-washington-over-alcohol-cigarettes https://hightimes.com/news/cannabis-had-highest-tax-revenue-in-colorado-and-washington-over-alcohol-cigarettes/#comments Thu, 20 Oct 2022 14:00:00 +0000 https://hightimes.com/?p=292107 According to a recent report from the Tax Policy Center, Colorado and Washington both received more revenue from legal cannabis sales than from alcohol or cigarettes this year.

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A new report from the Tax Policy Center shows that Colorado cannabis tax earnings were seven times higher than alcohol, and Washington earned $559 million from cannabis-related taxes. Although these two states had the highest tax revenue from the plant, they were not the only ones where marijuana sales outpaced other prevalent taxable vices. Data from this new report on cannabis tax revenues indicate that cannabis markets continue to expand across the United States, regularly outpacing alcohol and cigarette tax revenues. 

Experts believe that the high tax revenues from cannabis sales may not last forever, but the public health impacts could positively affect state populations. How are states using that tax money? And what does the future look like for states that collect taxes on legal marijuana?

Cannabis Tax Elevates State Revenue

Nineteen states currently have cannabis tax legislation in place, helping to increase funding for state programs and reducing the number of black market sales. Despite the elevated state tax earnings from marijuana sales, cannabis legalization is slow-moving in over half of the United States. Because of a lack of federal regulation, it is up to each state to decide on a tax structure and how those taxes will be allocated, unlike alcohol and cigarettes. 

Alcohol, cigarette, and gas taxes also contribute to state funds, but federal agencies regulate them. Due to a lack of regulation, different states enforce different marijuana taxes, and some leverage multiple taxes on medical or recreational products

Currently, there are three different marijuana tax structures in use in the U.S. Some choose to tax based on a percentage of the price of the plant, while others tax based on weight or potency.  Many states have that money allocated by state law for specific programs. Others simply add it to the rest of tax revenues to fund operations, public health programs, and other state initiatives.

Effects of Increased Cannabis Sales

The results from the study highlight several important topics that come up in conversations regarding marijuana legalization. Not only do legalized states make significant revenue from cannabis sales, but the data also points toward the decreased consumption of substances, including alcohol and cigarettes.

Another study out of Florida made some interesting findings about the effects of medical marijuana. According to medical marijuana patients, they are far less likely to use opioids for pain management. Other respondents indicated that medical cannabis relieved symptoms of other diseases like PTSD, chronic pain, and anxiety.

However, states with legalization have also seen an increase in car accidents. Canada was the second country to legalize marijuana fully, and this trend is also apparent across the border. Car insurance rates in Canada have increased due to legalization and a lack of understanding of how driving under the influence should affect the rates of medical marijuana patients. Evidence suggests that as law enforcement evolves to account for marijuana users driving under the influence, car insurance rates will level out.

Looking Forward

So what does the trend look like for states moving toward the legalization of marijuana? Colorado and Washington are great examples because of their high earnings, and they are home to two of the most mature cannabis markets in the United States. These two states demonstrate that states can make a large percentage of their total revenues from legal marijuana taxes. 

And while prices of the plant by weight are trending down, there is evidence that cannabis use should increase over time, laying to rest the deadly and costly effects of alcohol and cigarette use.

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Denver Signs off on Weed Delivery for Social Equity Companies https://hightimes.com/news/denver-signs-off-on-weed-delivery-for-social-equity-companies/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=denver-signs-off-on-weed-delivery-for-social-equity-companies https://hightimes.com/news/denver-signs-off-on-weed-delivery-for-social-equity-companies/#respond Tue, 20 Sep 2022 18:08:49 +0000 https://hightimes.com/?p=291325 Denver officials approved the measure on Monday.

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The Denver City Council on Monday signed off on a measure designed to bolster the city’s cannabis delivery services, and do right by individuals who have been adversely affected by the War on Drugs.

Axios reports that city lawmakers “approved a measure that will make delivery exclusivity permanent for social equity transporters, or business owners considered disproportionately harmed by the war on drugs,” and will also slash “licensing fees for social equity delivery companies and the retailers they partner with.”

The new ordinance is a lifeline of sorts to struggling delivery companies. As Axios explains, Colorado’s capital city “launched its weed delivery program last year — which requires dispensaries to deliver through social equity transporters through July 2024 — nine of Denver’s 206 pot shops offer the service.”

“With few businesses to deliver for, the licensed social equity transporters are faced with ‘severe challenges’ to avoid going out of business,” Axios reports.

City officials in Denver passed a measure permitting cannabis deliveries in the city last year, designating the licenses exclusively for social equity candidates for a period of three years.

With that rule scheduled to expire in 2024, the ordinance passed by the city council on Monday makes it permanent.

Molly Duplechian, the executive director of the Denver Department of Excise and Licenses, said last year that the word on the street was that a number of cannabis dispensaries were waiting for the three-year exclusive period for social equity applicants to end before entering the delivery business.

“What we’ve heard is that some of the existing industry may have been waiting the exclusivity period out, or they could have been investing in a social equity transporter and then planning to move to do their own delivery in two years,” Duplechian said.

But weed delivery in the Mile High City has been a slow burn thus far. As Axios reports, the Denver cannabis market “might be so oversaturated with dispensaries that delivery will struggle to catch on,” and the “reality is that many people would rather pick up their pot than pay extra for delivery.”

Eric Escudero, a spokesman for the city’s Department of Excise and Licenses, said that cannabis delivery services have been slow to get off the ground in Denver.

“It is easy to see that Denver preventing stores from doing their own delivery so social equity businesses have the first crack at this business type is resulting in the industry choosing profit over supporting more equitable access to the industry,” Escudero told local news station 9News.

The station reported that Escudero “said only one in 20 Denver dispensaries offer delivery services,” compared with “80% of stores in Aurora, where the dispensaries can do their own delivery.”

According to the station, the social equity requirements “mandate delivery services be owned by people who lived in disadvantaged areas, make less than 50% of the state’s median income, or who have a personal or familial past marijuana charge or arrest,” and Escudero contends that “extending that requirement forever will incentivize dispensaries to make a deal” with delivery drivers.

“[It] gives the market regulatory certainty so any stores holding out for the opportunity to do their own delivery in two years have no reason to hold out anymore,” Escudero said, as quoted by 9News.

The newly passed ordinance may be enough to keep struggling delivery companies in business.

The station highlighted Michael Diaz-Rivera, owner of Better Days Delivery, who “said his company would likely not make it without city council intervention.”

“It has been tough getting dispensaries to match with us, and we can’t do anything without dispensaries buying in,” Diaz-Rivera said. “Business has been slow.”

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Legal Cannabis Sales Dip Sharply in Colorado https://hightimes.com/news/legal-cannabis-sales-dip-sharply-in-colorado/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=legal-cannabis-sales-dip-sharply-in-colorado https://hightimes.com/news/legal-cannabis-sales-dip-sharply-in-colorado/#comments Tue, 06 Sep 2022 16:29:19 +0000 https://hightimes.com/?p=290935 The decline in medical cannabis sales is a concern, experts say.

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Sales of both medical and recreational cannabis in Colorado plummeted in June compared to the previous year, the state’s Department of Revenue reported, an alarming decline that industry officials attribute to a variety of reasons.

Medical marijuana sales totaled $19,235,656 in June—down from $34,534,293 in June 2021. Recreational pot sales, meanwhile, generated $127,157,358 in June—down from $152,719,813 in June 2021.

The decline in medical cannabis sales has been especially concerning to certain members of the industry.

Truman Bradley, executive director of the Colorado-based trade association the Marijuana Industry Group, said that the medical cannabis sales are “the lowest they’ve been since the legalization of recreational [cannabis]” in 2012, and that he’s “very concerned.”

Bradley told local news station The Denver Channel that the drop in sales is down to a number of factors.

“On the medical side, some very strict purchase limits came in, you know, for pharmaceuticals. Patients can get up to a one-month supply. But for medical cannabis, their daily purchase limits for folks who are immunocompromised or disabled, this is a real problem,” Bradley told the station.

The station reports that experts are “worried about people with health conditions having access to the treatment they need,” saying that “patients are paying more in taxes for similar products at recreational facilities.”

Others believe that the decline in medical cannabis sales is simply a result of patients bypassing the tedious application process to obtain a prescription in favor of the more accessible recreational marijuana products.

“We think it might be just people don’t want to go through the hassle of getting their medical marijuana card. They’d rather just walk down the street and go to a recreational dispensary,” said Eric Escudero, a spokesman for the city of Denver’s Department of Excise & Licenses and Office of Marijuana Policy, as quoted by the Denver Channel.

“I think what some people are really wondering is if there’s an oversaturation of the marijuana market in Denver. We have a lot of stores, whether it be medical or recreational,” Escudero added.

But Denver, Colorado’s largest city and the state capital, also “says it’s seen a decline in people applying for a medical marijuana license over the last five years,” according to the Denver Channel.

It has been a similar story in another western state, Arizona, where medical cannabis sales have also been dropping.

Citing figures from the Arizona Department of Revenue, the AZ Mirror reported last month that “sales of medical cannabis dipped to slightly less than $45 million in May, their lowest total since January 2021, when adults were first allowed to purchase marijuana for recreational use.”

The difference in Arizona, however, has been the ongoing strength of the new recreational cannabis industry.

According to the AZ Mirror, “initial estimates from tax collectors peg recreational sales at $76.5 million [for the month of May], the fifth time adult-use sales surpassed the $70 million mark.”

“Medical cannabis sales dropped precipitously for the seventh month in a row to slightly less than $45 million in May, only the second time in the past year medical sales dropped below the $50 million mark,” the AZ Mirror reported. “Preliminary numbers for June indicate $33.7 million in medical sales with recreational sales already on pace to hit another record, with $66.4 million reported so far.”

Last year was the first year that recreational cannabis sales were legal in the Grand Canyon State, and medical cannabis sales were greater throughout 2021 than recreational.

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