The Bank of Denver’s decision to close its medical marijuana accounts, following a similar move by Colorado Springs State Bank, has put plenty of MMJ businesses in a tight spot. Senator Pat Steadman is considering legislation to authorize a credit union devoted to the industry. But he’s not yet ready…
Update below: The so-called Denver Medical Marijuana Workgroup meets today for the second time in two months. But despite its name, which has caused some confusion in the medical marijuana community, the group hasn’t been charged with any actual work and isn’t a regulatory committee in any way…
Buds for Boobies, taking place at 7 p.m. tonight at the Boulder Theater, is among the season’s most unusual fundraisers: a medical-marijuana-themed decorative bra auction, with proceeds earmarked for breast-cancer research. But it’s also a music-filled educational symposium arguing that MMJ isn’t just for nausea anymore…
Question: Do you like paying less than retail for medical cannabis and cannabis-related merchandise? Yes? Well, hawdilly! You’re just the person Westword is hoping will sign up for our new Groupon-esque Toke Daily Deal e-mails. If you said “no,” then la-tee-da. It must be nice to be in the 1…
Editor’s note: The following, written by Ray Stern of the Phoenix New Times, a Westword sister paper, provides a beyond-Colorado look at recent federal actions regarding MMJ. The new federal crackdown on medical marijuana announced on October 7 by four California U.S. Attorneys sent chills through the industry. It was…
After nearly four months, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (finally) updated its medical marijuana stats page yesterday. And although the latest information is from August, it does hint at a slight decline over the last two months in the number of people holding a red card…
One of the biggest issues for medical marijuana entrepreneurs is the shortage of banks willing to take their money. Most used Colorado Springs State Bank until September 30, when its MMJ accounts were dropped. And now, The Bank of Denver, where other businesses had found refuge, is doing likewise –…
In August, the Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division awarded a $1.5 million contract to Franwell Inc. to institute a seed-to-sale marijuana tracking method for Colorado MMJ enterprises using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. And while the system isn’t expected to be in place until early 2012, at least one advocate is…
I had some pretty cool neighbors growing up. They lived in this adobe-style house filled with Native American artwork, unironic airbrushed wolf posters and turquoise — lots of turquoise. This stood out in the cookie-cutter suburbia surroundings. But my folks liked them because they were genuinely nice people and would…
The Drug Enforcement Administration dubs marijuana a Schedule I controlled substance — meaning it has no accepted medical use. Switching pot to Schedule II, like morphine and cocaine, among other drugs, would instantly change the dynamic between the feds and medical marijuana states. And a Colorado spokesman confirms that his…
Week Six on Survivor came with some tension. Why? Denver dispensary owner Jim Rice orchestrated some huge shakeup moves in the tribe that sent veteran player Ozzy’s girlfriend, Elyse, off to Redemption Island last week…
On October 17, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union announced that it was teaming up to represent employees of the medical marijuana industry in Colorado. Union organizer Mark Belkin said he’d seen overwhelming support for the move, but his enthusiasm now seems to be a bit premature…
The White House has established the We the People website, where folks can post petitions on the topics of their choice — and if they garner enough support (currently 25,000 signatures in thirty days), an administration will review it and offer a response. Currently, many of the most popular offerings…
After a tireless search and dozens of entries, we here at Mile Highs and Lows have finally found the one lucky local college student who will be cleaning bongs helping out around the office as Westword’s first medical marijuana intern. Allow us to introduce you to Sensi Skywalker…
The Cherry Top Farms dispensary wasn’t the target of a DEA raid last week — but the feds confiscated 2,500 plants anyhow. Cherry Top’s owners wanted to open up again early this week. But the dispensary’s still closed at this writing — and still losing money — due in part…
News that the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 had organized medical marijuana workers turned out to be less sweeping than it first seemed. Only staffers at several Fort Collins dispensaries have joined, with the UFCW’s contributions to fighting an MMJ dispensary ban there likely influencing ownership buy-in. Meanwhile,…
Medical marijuana dispensary owner Steve Ackerman’s been in the spotlight a lot this week. Organic Alternatives, his MMC, is among several in Fort Collins that have been organized by UFCW Local 7. And he continues to lead the campaign against Question 300, a proposed medical marijuana resale ban in Fort…
Last week, medical cannabis testing facility Full Spectrum Labs shut its doors indefinitely, citing a lack of a state license to operate. But that news came as a surprise to Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division spokeswoman Julie Postlethwait, who says the lab could have remained open…
The conflict between federal and state laws present a challenge to the medical marijuana industry, as last week’s DEA raid on the Cherry Top Farms dispensary demonstrates. But there’s also growing institutional acceptance, illustrated by today’s press conference announcing the unionization of many MMJ workers via the United Food and…
This morning, the manager of Cherry Top Farms dispensary, raided yesterday by the DEA and other agencies, shared his version of the story, including his claim that the center was in compliance with all state regs. There’s nothing to contradict this claim in info supplied by the U.S. Attorney’s Office…
Last month, we reported on a study from the RAND Corp. that showed marijuana clinics in Los Angeles and Colorado actually weren’t causing higher crime rates in surrounding neighborhoods, despite the mistaken perception among many members of the public that they were. But the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office didn’t…
Update: According to the manager at the Cherry Top Farms medical marijuana center, a raid yesterday targeted a contract grower, not Cherry Top or any of its employees. But because federal officers were involved, they seized all of the dispensary’s live plants, medicine and more, despite it being completely legal…
