Lauren C. Davis, co-counsel
(303) 634-2253 fax: (888) 319-1805
Dear Patients, Caregivers, and Supporters,
We are asking you to take action
1) Mark the date on your calendars
2) Get the word out
3) Pack the room
But you cannot wait until then to make your voices heard. Lawmakers, lobbyists for large dispensaries and law enforcement are already in the back rooms making deals. You need to contact your local State Representatives IMMEDIATELY to arrange face to face meetings.
Meet with your elected officials directly or their staffs, but you must act
This scary proposal:
- creates a bloated, multi-million dollar state licensing authority that will wipe you out of existence
- imposes a year-long statewide moratorium on new dispensaries and grow operations
- prohibits people convicted of any felony or drug misdemeanor, including simple possession of a joint, from being a caregiver
- allows local governments to ban medical marijuana facilities altogether
- re-imposes a Five Patient per caregiver limit
- obliterates your constitutional right against self incrimination
- violates your First Amendment rights
- provides that you can lose your medical marijuana license if any of your employees or agents violates any of the voluminous regulations or the law
- provides that patients can lose their licenses if their caregivers violate the law
- requires you to notify the State every time you hire or fire an employee, partner….
And these are just some of the horrors.
Caregivers need to educate lawmakers on why they cannot do it all. You successfully convinced the Board of Health why the mere provision of medical marijuana for a patient IS a significant responsibility. Now you need to get out there and convince your elected officials.
Caregivers who grow need to educate lawmakers about the difficulties of growing medical marijuana - the issues of strain nutrition, lighting, watering, pests, plant disease, etc.; why you need to be allowed to work with other caregivers to best help your patients (or if you ever want to go on vacation again); the hours and money involved, etc.
Caregivers that own dispensaries/ retail outlets must educate your lawmakers on the business aspects of caregiving and why you should be allowed to run your operation without government strangulation. Your business model will be wiped out of existence under this plan (all but those modeled on Harborside et.al. will be).
Patients – only you can help your lawmakers understand your plight. Why you don’t want the government to interfere in your selection of a caregiver; why you may want a caregiver who has a conviction for cultivation in his past; why you should not lose your medical marijuana rights if your caregiver violates the law.
Time is of the essence in this fight. This bill must be stopped. We will be sending out another email with additional talking points in the next few days. But schedule your meetings
To find contact information for your representatives, go to
http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite?c=Page&cid=1165693060219&pagename=CO-Portal%2FPage%2FCXPStandardLayout Click on the search function that uses your zip code.
Forward this email, provide hard copies to your patients, and get the word out. You need to contact your State Representatives to convince them to VOTE NO on HB 1284 before it is too late. Remember, in our democracy, your elected officials work for YOU.
Gratefully Yours,
Lauren C. Davis
Robert J. Corry
Attorneys at Law
Will HB-1284 be voted on Thurs.? and will it take effect immediately, or would it have to go through the senate as well.? If so would they vote this year? I really appreciate it. The moratorium is looming over me and my investments.
ReplyDeleteIt would be the senate that votes this in, the next step would be the house to vote it in.
ReplyDeleteMost law enforcement would see the senate vote as law and start to shut down places they deem as not needed.
The next thing they will do when they go back on this bill will be to keep changing the date to throw people off so they can ram it threw the senate and on to the house.
Why oh Why is NO one bringing up the fact that for every plant grown in this country it is one less plant being smuggled in. I've heard growers in the US have cut into the South of the border business by some say as much as 50 percent. You might say the war going on in Mexico is a result of that loss as the cartels struggle to win and already shrinking market. If the government really want to end the so called drug war they could within months. A family member dated an ex dea agent who said that when they were in S.America destroying Coca labs they would only destroy small operations and turn away from the big labs. He said they were ordered to by Washington. Can you say Kickbacks$$$$$$$$$$
ReplyDelete