Marijuana
Millions in grant money from Colo. to fund studies on marijuana driving impairment, other subjects
DENVER – Driving impairment studies on marijuana users are among seven Colorado-based research projects granted a total of $2.35 million in public research grant money by the state Department of Public Health and Environment.
The department announced the grant money Tuesday. It will go to seven different projects undertaken by researchers at various Colorado universities to study marijuana and its effects on various groups of people.
The largest grant is for a project to study driving impairment in occasional and heavy marijuana users. The project’s leads are a University of Colorado School of Medicine researcher and an assistant professor at the Colorado School of Public Health. The project received $843,000 for its three-year expected duration.
The next-largest grant is $839,000 for three years, which was awarded to an assistant professor at the University of Colorado-Boulder to study the effects of “dabbing” on users, and includes driving impairment and cognitive functioning research.
Also funded by the grants is a study to determine how long THC remains in breast milk (2-year, $186,500); an analysis of recreational marijuana use among college students before and after legalization (2 years, $186,500); a study on usage and effects of marijuana on older Coloradans (1 year, $97,500); a study on the effects of edibles (1 year, $97,500); and a study on the cardiovascular effects of marijuana on people with cardiovascular issues (1 year, $99,000).
“This research will be invaluable in Colorado and across the country,” said Dr. Larry Wolk, department executive director and chief medical officer, in a news release. “The findings will inform our public education efforts and give people additional information they need to make decisions about marijuana use.”
The department said 58 applications were initially received for the grants.
A full list of the grants and the research projects can be seen below.
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‘Gonzo’-brand pot coming; writer’s retreat and museum planned for Hunter S. Thompson’s ‘Owl Farm’
PITKIN COUNTY, Colo. – Hunter S. Thompson’s famed Owl Farm could be transformed into a museum and haven for writers, and Dr. Gonzo might have his own brand of cannabis if his widow, Anita, sees her plans come true.
Anita Thompson gave a rare interview to the Aspen Times, which was published Sunday, in which she unveiled some of the plans for Owl Farm, which she took over this summer in a deal with her late husband’s trust.
The 42-acre property outside of Aspen had been in the possession of the Gonzo Trust, a group of lawyers and other trustees of Thompson’s, since his suicide in 2005.
But Anita bought it in June in exchange for giving up her rights to future earnings from Hunter’s book sales. She will keep the rights the “Gonzo” logo and rights to Thompson’s likeness, according to The Times.
Anita told The Times she has saved six marijuana strains the late author enjoyed smoking and is working with a Colorado company to grow the strains and sell them under the “Gonzo” brand.
“If I put Hunter’s name on somebody else’s strain I can never go back and say, ‘No, this is the authentic one,’” she told The Times, adding she was “looking forward to being a drug lord,” with a chuckle.
Anita says she plans to use proceeds from the marijuana sales to renovate Owl Farm and turn it into a museum and place for writers following Thompson’s ethos to hone their craft.
Anita says she might take applications for the writer’s retreat, but may also only allow people to come by invitation. Visitors would likely have to make an appointment.
She said the museum may not end up being at Owl Farm, but rather somewhere in Woody Creek or Aspen.
A final plan, according to The Times, could be to preserve the forest around the property, where the “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and “Rum Diary” author’s ashes were scattered after they were shot out of a cannon – Thompson’s final grand exit in a life full of them.
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Colorado Dept. of Agriculture certifies 3 hemp seed varieties for cultivation
DENVER – A Kentucky-based hemp seed grower is the first company to have its seeds approved and officially certified by the Colorado Department of Agriculture.
Lexington, Kentucky-based Schiavi Seeds LLC had three separate seed varieties certified as CDA Approved Certified Seeds under the new program, which aims to promote hemp agriculture in the state.
CDA has worked with CSGA and Colorado State University over the past several months to breed plants that produce seeds under the 0.3 percent THC content threshold to qualify as hemp and not psychoactive marijuana.
Varying seed types were grown and tested in trials in different parts of the state in order to find ideal conditions for hemp cultivation.
Colorado law requires industrial hemp seeds to contain less than 0.3 percent THC. Three trial seeds from Schiavi Seeds – Eletta Campana, Fibranova and Helena – passed trial tests and were accepted by the state Seed Growers Association’s review board.
CDA says seeds submitted by Fort Collins-based New West Genetics have also passed the THC trial, but still have to be accepted by the review board before they can also be labeled as a CDA Approved Certified Seed.
Congress approved hemp production in 2014, but a state certification like Colorado’s is necessary to raise the crop.
Colorado farmers will be able to start buying and growing the seeds next year.
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Donald Trump backs off some campaign promises, reinforces others in ’60 Minutes’ interview
DENVER – Americans got their first look at what a Donald Trump White House will look like Sunday in an interview with “60 Minutes,” and the president-elect is already tamping down expectations for some of the promises he made during the campaign season.
Trump’s interview with Leslie Stahl was done last week and released Sunday. The two talked about the election, taxes, the Affordable Care Act, foreign policy, immigration and the economy, among other subjects. Continue reading
Denver social marijuana use ordinance appears headed for victory with new voter result numbers
DENVER – The group backing Denver’s public-use marijuana initiative declared victory Monday night, and Tuesday’s updated voting returns in the city show votes in favor of the measure appear to have won.
Though votes will not be confirmed and finalized until Nov. 22, updated numbers from Tuesday morning show an extra 10,000 votes in favor of Initiated Ordinance 300 were counted overnight, compared to another 7,500 against the measure.
As of Monday night, proponents of 300 held a 53 percent to 47 percent lead. But by Tuesday morning, that lead had grown to 53.3 percent in favor and 46.7 against.
If approved by voters, the ordinance would allow regular businesses to seek approval by a neighborhood or business association to create marijuana “consumption areas” both inside and outside.
Any indoor consumption area would allow only “vaping” or edible consumption of pot. People would be able to smoke leaf marijuana outside at certain approved businesses as long as those outdoor consumption areas are out of public view.
Read: Full text of Initiated Ordinance 300
Another stipulation of the ordinance is people would have to bring their own supply; businesses would not be able to provide the marijuana unless they are already permitted to do so.
The approval of the measure would be another victory for groups that have argued that though marijuana is legal, the law makes it difficult for many people to use said marijuana legally.
Though some cities in Colorado have designated private clubs where people can use marijuana either at locations or on tour busses, Denver’s ordinance would be the first to set up non-private consumption areas.
Any business wishing to establish a consumption area would have to get approval from a registered neighborhood organization, business improvement district or recognized neighborhood organization as well as a letter of community support or non-opposition to the proposed permit.
There are a slew of rules the business would then have to comply with, including submitted detailed plans for the consumption are or areas, clear signage, an agreement with taxis or ride-sharing services to get people home, training for employees, and strict ventilation and odor control rules, among others.
Public opponents of the ordinance had argued that it could lead to more instances of people driving under the influence or open children up to exposure to marijuana, though proponents of the measure argue all of those concerns are addressed in the ordinance’s language.
“We are truly grateful to the people of Denver for approving this sensible measure to allow social cannabis use in the city. This is a victory for cannabis consumers who, like alcohol consumers, simply want the option to enjoy cannabis in social settings,” said Kayvan S.T. Khalatbari, the lead proponent of I-300, in a statement Monday. “It is also a victory for the city of Denver, its diverse neighborhoods and those who don’t consume cannabis, as it will reduce the likelihood that adults will resort to consuming in public.”
More than 15,000 ballots are left to be counted in Denver, though it would take a seemingly-impossible run by “no” votes at this point for I-300 to fail.
Should it pass, the Denver City Council will have to create a task force that will study the impact of the new permits, which would report back to the council in two years.
The ordinance will remain on the books until Dec. 31, 2020, or earlier should the city pass “comprehensive regulations” that “further the intent” of the ordinance, according to its language.
The opposition group conceded it had lost Tuesday, though elections officials said the vote was not finalized.
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DA: Man won’t face charges in shooting death of 17-year-old who allegedly burglarized home
ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. – Adams County prosecutors won’t charge a man arrested for a September shooting that killed a teenager.
Levi Sisneros, 33, had faced investigation on first-degree murder charges in the shooting, which killed a 17-year-old boy, identified as Alfredo Chavez.
The boy was suspected of burglarizing the home near 76th and Pecos in early September. Chavez was shot in the back, according to the Adams County coroner.
The Adams County District Attorney’s Office said that it could not disprove Sisneros’ argument that he had shot Chavez in self-defense after Chavez and three others allegedly broke into his home to steal his legally-grown marijuana.
Chavez’s mother tells the Denver Post she plans to file a civil lawsuit against Sisneros.
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Ballots still being counted in Colorado; Denver’s Initiated Ordinance 300 still too close to call
DENVER – The city ballot measure that will decide if Denver businesses will be able to designate certain places for people to smoke marijuana in public is perhaps Colorado’s biggest measure that still remains undecided days after the General Election.
As of Thursday night, Initiated Ordinance 300 had 121,193 “yes” votes, compared to 113,579 “no” votes. The city says it still has 90,000 ballots to count, which could still swing the vote in favor of those against the proposed ordinance.
Though ballot counting had been delayed in Pueblo County, voters rejected Question 200, which would have shut down the county’s existing pot businesses.
The statewide Amendment T ballot measure also remains too close to call, as the “yes” and “no” votes are currently separated by about 1 percent of the total vote.
As of Thursday morning, 2.85 million ballots had been counted in Colorado, though several counties are still counting, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
When compared to the 3.84 million active and inactive registered voters in Colorado, tentative voter turnout at the moment sits at 74.3 percent, though those numbers will change.
The election and final numbers will not be certified for at least another week; Nov. 22 is the final day for verification of provisional ballots and the day Denver will have certified results.
The Secretary of State will have until Dec. 8 to compile total returns from the various counties in Colorado.
The Elections Division of the Denver Clerk and Recorder’s Office says city results will be updated again Saturday evening. Most state offices were closed Friday to commemorate Veterans Day.
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Stanford researchers develop marijuana saliva test based off cancer screening technology
PALO ALTO, California – Researchers at Stanford University say they have developed one of the first possible roadside tests to find out whether people are driving under the influence of marijuana.
Judicial and law enforcement agencies have for years tried to devise a plan for testing a driver’s impairment since the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana can stay active in a person’s cells for up to 45 days and breaks down in the body differently than alcohol.
The researchers at Stanford believe they may have the answer with their “potalyzer,” which the university says can quickly detect the presence of THC in a person’s saliva and measure its concentration levels in a few minutes.
The device uses magnetic biosensors, originally used in cancer screenings, that can detect THC molecules.
Field officers could theoretically swab a person’s cheek and receive the results of the test on a phone or computer in as little as three minutes, the researchers say.
Colorado drivers can be charged with driving under the influence if the amount of THC in their blood is at or above five nanograms per milliliter of blood.
The Stanford research model would be able to detect between 0 and 50 nanograms per milliliter of saliva.
Colorado State Patrol is in the midst of a three-year pilot program testing devices similar to the one developed at Stanford.
Over the past year, at least 150 troopers started using one of five tests that look at a driver’s saliva as well. CSP says it wants to collect several years’ worth of data before choosing a specific device.
More information on the Stanford model can be found here.
Colorado shows off nation’s first certified hemp seeds
FRUITA, Colo. – The Colorado Department of Agriculture showed off the nation’s first certified domestic hemp seeds Wednesday morning – another milestone in Colorado’s cannabis business.
Officials launched the development program in March, which officials say aims to bring industrial hemp back into agriculture. The seeds, grown and produced in Colorado, will receive CDA and Colorado Seed Growers Association approval and are available to be purchased by farmers.
CDA has worked with CSGA and Colorado State University over the past several months to breed plants that produce seeds under the 0.3 percent THC content threshold to qualify as hemp and not psychoactive marijuana.
Varying seed types were grown and tested in trials in different parts of the state in order to find ideal conditions for hemp so as to not put farmers at risk of having their plants destroyed should they buy the approved seeds.
Congress approved hemp production in 2014, but a state certification like Colorado’s is necessary to raise the crop.
Colorado farmers will be able to start buying and growing the seeds next year.
Hickenlooper signs bill extending some recreational marijuana rules to medical pot industry
DENVER – Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on Thursday signed a bill that will extend several of the rules for the state’s retail marijuana operators on to medical marijuana licensees and manufacturers.
House Bill 1034 passed the Senate unanimously after passing the House by a 63-1 vote in early February.
The bill affects several changes aimed at helping medical marijuana licensees.
First, it creates a license for medical marijuana business operators who receive profits from the industry but are not owners of a property, something already required for recreational marijuana business operators.
The bill also changes state rules that currently allow medical marijuana licensees only to move their business within the city or county, and allow them to move anywhere in the state, as long as it is approved by the state and the local jurisdiction the licensee is moving to.
The change puts medical licensees on the same plane as retail licensees.
Another facet of the bill allows medical marijuana licensees to try and “remediate” any product that tested positive for substances “injurious to health,” such as pesticides, before having to destroy it. However, this rule would apply only to products that test positive for microbials.
That rule currently also applies to recreational retail marijuana licensees, but not to medical licensees, and could help them save product that would otherwise be considered a total loss.
A final change the bill makes is it allows manufacturers of medical marijuana-infused products, like edibles, to buy and sell medical marijuana to or from one another.
The bill was sponsored by Rep. Dan Pabon, D-Denver, and Sen. Randy Baumgardner, a Republican from the Western Slope.
The original bill did not include the remediation or transfer of medical marijuana between manufacturers, but the language was added by the House ahead of its passage.
The Legislative Council found the bill would have minimal state and local fiscal impacts.
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