Westword

By Michael Roberts, Westword

Sensible Colorado's Brian Vicente has been talking about a 2012 ballot initiative to legalize marijuana for adult use here since at least this November 2009 post.

But his effort to accomplish this feat is one step closer to reality now that he's submitted eight variations on a legalization measure to the state's title-setting review board. Read them below.

"They all have the same basic framework," says Vicente about the documents, which were filed last week. "Essentially, what we're looking to do is regulate marijuana sales in a similar way that alcohol is regulated statewide. That way, adults 21 and over can purchase marijuana in regulated, state-licensed businesses where they have to show an ID before it can be purchased."

Among the main selling points, he continues, is that "it would free up law enforcement resources for far more important purposes -- and it would also produce a fair amount of tax revenue for the state."

By Michael Roberts, Westword

That was fast. Last week, MMJ advocates represented by attorney Andrew Reid petitioned the Colorado Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of the state's medical marijuana laws.

But the Supremes have already rejected this bid, forcing Reid and his clients to take a much slower path through lower courts in order to advance their challenge.

"We're deeply disappointed the Supreme Court didn't take the case, but it's not unexpected," Reid says. "We understand that the court takes very few of these. But we'll do what we have to do to bring it back to the court."

The petition and its supporting material, on view in their entirety below, argues that the marijuana regulatory measures signed by Governor Bill Ritter in June impinge on patient access to medication and their right to privacy in violation of Amendment 20, which legalized MMJ in Colorado. The petitioners are led by Kathleen Chippi, former owner of One Brown Mouse/Cannabis Healing Arts, who announced in July that she wouldn't sign Colorado's medical marijuana license agreement. She described the document at the time as "downright evil."

Bad job Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, you are against veterans, they will die because of your decisions, they will commit crimes because they are addicted to alcohol and government drugs.

By Tim King, Salem-News.com

(DENVER) - An amendment by Representative Sal Pace relating to medical marijuana and post-traumatic stress disorder was defeated in Colorado today. Denver's Westword Blogs reports that the Marijuana Policy Project's Steve Fox isn't happy about it.

Today the judiciary committee heard HB 1284, a bill intended to regulate the medical marijuana industry. Representative Sal Pace offered an amendment to add post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to the list of ailments that can be treated by medical marijuana.

This is a practice already underway in both Israel and Canada for veterans with PTSD.

The group that actively lobbied against his proposal?

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, which has been providing legislators with a fact sheet arguing, "There is no evidence of efficacy of marijuana for treatment of PTSD in the medical literature. In fact, the published literature suggests that such use leads to addiction and abuse of other substances."