Happy New Year Colorado

Its has been a great first year and we would like to thank everyone who helped make this year such a huge success for us. 2009 was the most productive year by far for NORML and Marijuana Legalization across the Nation, but the outlook for 2010 appears to be shaping up to be a even better year and we plan on being there every step of the way in Colorado! And to close the year out a grand note, there was a huge victory for patients and caregivers throughout the state yesterday in the city of southern suburb of Centennial. Colorado newest city closed the doors of Canna Mart, a medical marijuana dispensary located on Arapaho Rd. late last year. Yesterday An Arapahoe County judge Wednesday barred the city of Centennial from shutting down any medical marijuana dispensary, saying the city had no right to use federal law as a pretext for doing so. "The city of Centennial cannot use the potential violation of a federal law to order a business legally operating under our state constitution to cease and desist its business," District Judge Christopher Cross said in his ruling from the bench...

A BIG Thank You goes out to District Judge Christopher Cross and his Ground Breaking decision yesterday!

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Where is America’s Cannabis Capital?

From NORML Blog

Because of the numerous media reports and typical Hollywood hype many close observers would immediately place the city of Los Angeles as America’s cannabis capital. Or maybe they’d guess that ever-cannabis tolerant San Francisco must be it. Possibly, ‘Oaksterdam’? but they'd be wrong...

Based on the size of the populations and number of reported medical cannabis dispensaries by each city’s respective City Council, America’s cannabis capital is….drum roll please, And the winner is

Denver Colorado


Los Angeles – 1,000 dispensaries for a population of 9,862,049 = 1 dispensary per 9,862 people

Denver – 198 dispensaries for a population of 598,707 = 1 dispensary per 3,023 people

Cannabis Hope for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

With articles like, Marijuana Damages DNA And May Cause Cancer and another article that stated "New Test Reveals Cannabis Damages Young Brains More Than Originally Thought, Study Finds Hardly anything that the website, Science Daily says is creditable and its usually a bunch of B.S. but every once in a while they'll post a little gold...

ScienceDaily (Dec. 21, 2009) — Chemicals found in cannabis could prove an effective treatment for the inflammatory bowel diseases Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease, say scientists.

Laboratory tests have shown that two compounds found in the cannabis plant -- the cannabinoids THC and cannabidiol -- interact with the body's system that controls gut function.

Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, which affect about one in every 250 people in Northern Europe, are caused by both genetic and environmental factors. The researchers believe that a genetic susceptibility coupled with other triggers, such as diet, stress or bacterial imbalance, leads to a defective immune response.

Dr Karen Wright, Peel Trust Lecturer in Biomedicine at Lancaster University, presented her soon-to-be published work at The British Pharmacological Society's Winter Meeting in London.

She said: "The lining of the intestines provides a barrier against the contents of the gut but in people with Crohn's Disease this barrier leaks and bacteria can escape into the intestinal tissue leading to an inappropriate immune response.

"If we could find a way to restore barrier integrity in patients we may be able to curb the inflammatory immune response that causes these chronic conditions."

Dr Wright, working with colleagues at the School of Graduate Entry Medicine and Health in Derby, has shown that cells that react to cannabinoid compounds play an important role in normal gut function as well as the immune system's inflammatory response.

"The body produces its own cannabinoid molecules, called endocannabinoids, which we have shown increase the permeability of the epithelium during inflammation, implying that overproduction may be detrimental," said Dr Wright.

"However, we were able to reverse this process using plant-derived cannabinoids, which appeared to allow the epithelial cells to form tighter bonds with each other and restore the membrane barrier."

The research was carried out using cell cultures in a dish but, interestingly, when the team attempted to mimic the conditions of the gut by reducing the amount of oxygen in the cells' environment, much lower concentrations of cannabinoid were needed to produce the same effect.

Dr Wright added: "What is also encouraging is that while THC has psychoactive properties and is responsible for the 'high' people experience when using cannabis, cannabidiol, which has also proved effective in restoring membrane integrity, does not possess such properties."

Science Daily

Doctors group backs marijuana for medical uses

Good Day, Hope everyone's weekend was fantastic and filled with cannabis!!!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A leading U.S. doctors group has endorsed using marijuana for medical purposes, urging the government to roll back a prohibition on using it to treat patients and supporting studies into its medical applications.

The American College of Physicians, the second-largest doctors group in the United States, issued a policy statement on medical marijuana this week after it was approved by its governing body, the group said on Friday.

The group cited evidence that marijuana is valuable in treating severe weight loss associated with AIDS, and nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy in cancer patients.

"Additional research is needed to clarify marijuana's therapeutic properties and determine standard and optimal doses and routes of delivery. Unfortunately, research expansion has been hindered by a complicated federal approval process, limited availability of research-grade marijuana and the debate over legalization," the group said. Reuters

Denver Safety committee hears Charlie Brown's latest pot proposal

Denver city councilman is back proposing his new medical marijuana regulation bill picking up where they left off two weeks ago on Dec2.

Since December 1st 194 medical marijuana dispensaries have filed for there city tax license and the city thinks that they need to step up regulate the area thinking themselves as pioneers creating an ordinance that other cities can follow.

First up was on-site consumption which I was personally interested because me and many others enjoy the fact that we can go into a safe and friendly place and medicate but the council members feel a bit differently Charlie Brown was quoted saying "I do not believe we should allow it," Brown says. "I do not believe that's what the voters had in mind in 2000 -- to have cannabis clubs on-site. Let's get ready for a big discussion on this one."

Patients can go to any number of dispensaries purchase there medicine and safely medicate on site out of the public view while they socialize with other patients, something that they may not have been able to do if they were got there medicine on the black market or the "streets" but councilman Brown would like to see this stopped, claiming that it is "dangerous to let them leave the site, while intoxicated, where they are likely to enter a automobile and maybe cause harm to or others and or themselves" That's when Councilman Chris Nevitt stepped up and mentioned that the city allows bars where patrons are able to leave after consuming at times dangerous levels and enter a auto no questions asked. Still the other council members didn't agree. They did agree to ban consumption on-site. Moving forward

Next on the agenda was the Buffer Zone. A date of December 1st was proposed but the date January 1st and 1,000 ft was approved. This means that a dispensary after Jan 1st will not be allowed to operate within 1,000 ft of a day care center, and level public school any libraries or city recreation centers, trying to keep them from eyes of children that use those facilities, even tho there is no restrictions on any Denver ordinances regarding restaurants that serve alcohol near any of these kinds of business. Irregardless the council approved the measure on a 5-4 vote. Moving on...

Up next was the smell. Now i know for a fact that no business in Denver is regulated by way of smell. I work hundred yards from the Purina Dog Food Plant in Commerce City and that is by far the smelliest place in and or around Denver. I can smell that horrible smell at my house downtown on some mornings if the wind is blowing in from the north. And finally the city council agrees with me. They dont regualte any other business regarding odor and they are not re-inventing the wheel here and there not going to start with the medical marijuana industry. "I don't think we do that for anyone else" Chairman Linkhart says and a spokesman from the Department of Environmental Health said "Odor is primarily a nuisance issue," he says. "We don't make a distinction as to the quality of the odor."

Next up was cultivation on site. Now this is where I tend to agree with the council members on this one. I dont like to see any kinds of grows on-site. First off if the Feds do come down on you and close the location they will not also close your grow down and then it also keeps the criminals who prey on marijuana clinics because they think there is a large amount of product or plants inside away from you and your customers but the item is removed from the proposal by Chris Nevitt proposes removing section H in 24-408, which refers to cultivation and Linkhart agreed and it was removed.

With that they concluded for the day and the year. The proposal will go to the Mayor/Council meeting next week, with a first reading at Denver City Council on January 4 and a public hearing January 11.

"In the meantime, members of the public are welcome to contact us," Linkhart concludes.

Please take the time out of your day and contact Councilman Brown and let him know what you think Charlie Brown Councilman 303-871-0601

Cannabis Holiday Health Fair

Yesterday at the Holiday Inn in Denver, over 40 Cannabusiness, 2 lawmakers and thousands of people gathered for the first ever Cannabis Holiday Health Fair brought us by the amazing and hardworking Laura Kriho of Cannabis Therapy Institute or C.T.I.

“It’s really exciting to nurture the little seeds and introduce ourselves to the community and show how professional we are and how important we are to the economy, I think we’ve done that very successfully.” Kriho told the reporter of Denver Daily News. One of the several news agency's in the city to cover the event

And even though they might not like each other personally, The two Colorado lawmakers who have been leading the push to regulate the industry — Denver City Councilman Charlie Brown and Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver — both made appearances at the fair.

Romer meet one on one with several patients and talked with attendees and defended his bill to an often-disagreeing crowd. Brown also made the rounds talking with businesses and attendees stopping at our table only only for seconds, to get an ear full of complaints regarding his city proposal's.

Thanks to everyone who helped make this an amazing event and one I hope to see every year here on out as we move into 2010 and another step closure to Freedom!

3 time Iditarod champ admits to using Cannabis

Have you ever seen the coldest sport on earth???

Three-time Iditarod champion Lance Mackey may have to mush without marijuana in next year’s race.

Iditarod Trail Committee officials have announced plans to test mushers for drugs and alcohol in March. Officials haven’t decided who will get tested, or when, where and how it will be done. “It might be random. It might be a group of mushers at a specific checkpoint,” said Stan Hooley, executive director of the committee.

Alaska law allows for personal possession of up to one ounce of marijuana, provided the use occurs at home. In addition, Mackey, as a throat cancer survivor, has a medical marijuana card that entitles him to use the drug legally for medical purposes.

Mackey admits marijuana has helped him stay awake and focused through the 1,100-mile race, but he insists it doesn’t give him an edge... for the rest of the story please visit ohmidog.com

Update: End of the Year Meetings and Events

Hello NORML Friends!!!

The End of the Year is once again upon us and we have had great success early on, working several tables handing out free information, educating the masses, Plus helping organize the large gatherings on the last Saturday of every month at the Colorado State Capital over the past six months. We have had the privilege of working closely with The Denver 420 Rally Team, who have been out there gathering peacefully, over the course of several years, month in and month out.

1) We are having our Monthly Meeting, which is open to the public and all are welcome to attend on December 16th, 7pm at the Gypsy House 1279 Marion St (303) 830-1112 Denver, CO. Its easy to find and serve great food and herbal teas.

2) Our friends at the Mile High Wellness Center (6740 E Hampden suite 100 Denver CO 80224 720-382-8516 http://www.milehighwellness.net) are having a Charity Dinner to help raise money for a local orphanage in Denver this Holiday season. The event will be at Mile High Station, on Dec 17th. Cocktails will be served at 6 with dinner @ 7:30 and the silent auction will end at 9. Tickets can be ordered online for $30 at milehighwellness.net, semi-formal attire if you can help please bring any and all donations. They can be brought to the store or by contact us!!

3) Join Mile High NORML and the Denver 420 Rally Team on Saturday December 26th from 3-5pm on the West Side of the Capital Steps where we will be peacefully protesting the Criminalization of Marijuana, with local guest speakers, great music, vendors and dispensaries passing out educational pamphlets.

4) Join us January 14, 2010 from 11:00am - 2:00pm on the West Side Steps of the Colorado Capital as we address the Colorado General Assembly on the upcoming marijuana issues. List of confirmed speakers for the 14th:

Shawn Hauser: DU Law Student and President of the newly formed DU N.O.R.M.L chapter, Rob Corry: Stanford Law Grad, Most experienced criminal marijuana and civil liberties lawyer, Mason Tvert: Executive Director S.A.F.E.R. Member of Denver Mayors Marijuana review policy panel, Carlos Valverde: Executive Director Colorado Progressive Coalition, Dr. Robert J. Melamede: Ph.D. Chairman of the Biology Department of the University of Colorado Conducting Scientific research on Cannabinoids, Paul Saurini: Marijuana Radio Host, Shannon Smith: Metro State College Student plus several other noteworthy speakers Sean McAllister: Founder of Sensible Colorado , a drug policy reform nonprofit, Warren Edson Defense and Marijuana Law Attorney in Colorado , Brian Vicente, Miguel Lopez, Damian Lagoy, Larry Frieling and Dan Pope

Denver Councilman Charlie Brown presents his 'pot' proposal

Early today on a cold snowy morning, The Denver City Council Safety Committee meet today to discuss the blooming industry of Medical Marijuana and how to regulate them within the Denver city limits... Councilman Charlie Brown, not the famous Peanuts character has drafted a ordinance in which HE THINKS will help the city regulate the industry.

There are several things wrong with the councilman's proposal. I have highlighted some of the items that we here at Mile High NORML are most concerned with...

1) The council will not try to define the term caregiver. They will leave that up to the Colroado Dept of Health, they plan to define the defination there next meeting, Time TBA

2) In Sec. 24-403 section (a) On and after [March, 1, 2010] it shall be unlawful for any person to sell or otherwise distribute any marijuana for medical use without obtaining a license to operate as a medical marijuana dispensary pursuant to the requirements of this article. This licensing requirement shall apply regardless of whether or not a medical marijuana dispensary has commenced operation prior to said date...

The only problem I for see in this is the price of obtaining the license itself 1. Application fee is $2,000 2. Criminal background check fee, per person checked 3. License fee, per year is $3,000

3) In Sec. 24-405 - Application (a) Application for a medical marijuana dispensary license shall be made to the director upon forms provided by the director for that purpose. In addition to the information required by Chapter 32 of this Code, the application shall include the following information: #'s 1 though 4 are basic standard application stuff all but number (4) Name and address of any manager or managers of the medical marijuana dispensary, if the manager is proposed to be someone other than the owner. The application shall also contain 24-hour contact information for the manager or managers of the licensed premises which shall be made available to the general public in order to provide a prompt response to public questions and concerns about the operation of the licensed premises

We are pleased to announce that this was slashed down after 10 minuets or so of debating. In no other buisness is there a need for the owner to have 24 contact info. If in the middle of the night something happens the police will not have any problems locating the owner/s of the building. Actually the whole Application section is filled with quarky things. They are just trying to make it as hard as they can.

4) In 24-408. Requirements related to licensed premises (a) No marijuana shall be smoked, eaten or otherwise consumed or ingested on the licensed premises....

FUNK THAT. We should be able to use our medicine where ever we fell the need.

in the same section

(g) The licensed premises shall be monitored and secured 24-hours per day including, at a minimum, the following security measures:

Just another cost that will be passed along to the consumer.

***They stopped only after 7 pages of simple debate and agreed to reconvine the meeting and discuss the rest of the proposal, two weeks from now on 12/16/09.

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Denver Medical Marijuana Dispensary Licensing Ordinance
Amend Chapter 24, D.R.M.C. ("Health and Sanitation") by adding a new Article XI, to read as follows:

Article XI. Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

Sec. 24-401. Purpose and legislative intent. Although the possession and use of marijuana is and remains unlawful under Federal law, Section 14 of Article XVIII of the Colorado Constitution ("Amendment 20") provides an exception to prosecution under state criminal laws when marijuana is possessed and used for medicinal purposes by a patient who has been diagnosed with a debilitating medical condition and by the patient's primary caregivers. Amendment 20 does not, however, contain any provision for the lawful sale or distribution of marijuana to patients and, to date, the State of Colorado has failed to adopt laws or regulations to clearly explain how and whether marijuana may be lawfully sold or otherwise distributed to patients. As a result of this ambiguity in the State law, unregulated medical marijuana dispensaries have proliferated in Denver and elsewhere in Colorado. The purpose of this Article is to license and regulate medical marijuana dispensaries in the interest of public health, safety and general welfare. In particular, this Article in intended to regulate the sale and distribution of marijuana in the interest of patients who qualify to obtain, possess and use marijuana for medical purposes under Amendment 20, while promoting compliance with other state laws that prohibit trafficking in marijuana for non-medical purposes. Nothing in this article is intended to promote or condone the sale, distribution, possession or use of marijuana in violation of any applicable law. Compliance with the requirements of this article shall not provide a defense to criminal prosecution under any applicable law. Persons who cultivate, possess, sell, distribute, purchase, or use marijuana, whether for medical or non-medical purposes, do so at their own risk of prosecution under any applicable federal, state or local law.

Original Article Denver Westword