Attention Colorado: We Need You Today

Earlier this week, SAFER asked you to call on Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper to replace Lt. Ernie Martinez on the Denver Marijuana Policy Review Panel after a letter was discovered in which he compared supporters of marijuana legalization to "a cancer eating away at society's resolve and moral fiber."

Hundreds of you sent messages to Mayor Hickenlooper, letting him know such a viewpoint completely contradicts the Panel's mission and that Lt. Martinez should be removed. To our knowledge he has not responded to you or to the media.

A response is needed, and if the Mayor isn't going to provide one, we will!

We need as many people as possible to attend the next meeting of the Denver Marijuana Policy Review Panel, which will be this coming Tuesday (2/23) at the Denver City and County Building (1437 Bannock St.). SAFER will be holding a news conference beforehand, which will begin at 3 p.m., so PLEASE arrive by 2:45 p.m. As Hickenlooper begins his campaign to become Colorado's next governor, we must make sure he knows...

WHAT: News conference and meeting of the Denver Marijuana Policy Review Panel

WHEN: This TUESDAY, Feb. 23, 2:45 p.m.

WHERE: In front of the Denver City and County Bldg, 1437 Bannock St. (map/directions)

WHY: To call on Mayor Hickenlooper to remove Lt. Ernie Martinez from the Panel and follow the will of Denver voters

After voters approved a new ordinance designating marijuana possession Denver's lowest law enforcement priority, Mayor Hickenlooper appointed a Panel to implement the new law "to the greatest extent possible." Why would he appoint Lt. Martinez -- an anti-marijuana crusader and the head of an organization fighting to keep marijuana illegal and wipe out medical marijuana -- to a panel that is working to reduce marijuana arrests and prosecutions?

January 14th Rally: Off The Steps & Into The House

Cannabis re-legalization activists have been rallying on the West Steps of the Colorado State Capitol Building, also known as the State House for years. This year, the state legislature is going to try and restrict medical marijuana patients' access to their Constitutionally protected cannabis medicine. Now normally we hold our Rallies on the West Steps. We had the permit for said area but the state moved us across the street to the Veteran's Memorial in Civic Center Park (between Lincoln and Broadway to the East and West with Colfax Ave and 15th Ave to the North and South). Their reasoning being it was media day at the Capitol and our normal rally area would be full of media satellite vehicles. It's all good! We are only been moved across the street and with the media on hand, we have been basically handed the Golden Apple massive "free media!"

This rally has it's usual litany of Colorado Pro-Marijuana Speakers
Rob Corry, Brian Vicente, Mason Tvert, Dr Bob Melamede, Tim Martin, Paul Saurini, Warren Edson, and others, however here is the twist.

After the rally we are going "INTO THE HOUSE" and do a meet and greet with our elected representatives. En masse, can you dig it. We will be making marijuana history.

Now although everything I have written so appears to be medical marijuana driven, not...!!!

This event is open to all. If you are a Medical, Recreational, and Commercial (Hemp) marijuana activist, believer, voter, concerned citizen, etc, please attend. This is it folks, the stars are in our favor and the time is NOW...!!!

Rules of Engagement:

1. Come dressed to impress - Remember you will be meeting your legislators or their representatives.

2. Know your talking points when you do meet whoever.

3. Have you wants and demands in writing with your name and address so they can get back with you.

This is not a drill but the real deal!

Legalize, Regulate, Tax, medical, recreational, and commercial (hemp) marijuana with the self determination to grow your own marijuana.

This rally is sponsored by:

Mile High NORML
Cannabis Therapy Institute
Denver 420 Rally Team
Yippie
US Marijuana Party of Colorado

INVITE, INVITE, INVITE

Strength in numbers and numbers do speak...!!!

Also this is not your typical marijuana rally, kids unless you are going in to see your representatives this is not an open invitation for a pot party and a chance to skip school. We want responsibility to rule the day, the whole world is watching. Adults, plan ahead to leave or miss work...!!!

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 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!

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

Colorado justice commission suggests lighter penalties for drug possession

There is more and more cannabis related news breaking daily some good and bad... And also some HUGE steps in the right direction. Sunday the Denver Post reported...

"A commission of Colorado criminal justice leaders voted Friday to recommend reduced penalties for possessing marijuana and other illegal drugs.

If Colorado legislators adopt the recommendations, possessing up to 4 ounces of marijuana would become a petty offense instead of a criminal misdemeanor, and possessing 8 to 16 ounces would become a misdemeanor instead of a felony.

The Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice also favored lower-level felony charges for possessing a few grams of cocaine or methamphetamine and reducing the charge for illegally possessing various prescription drugs from a felony to a misdemeanor. It excepted possession of "date-rape" drugs, which would remain a felony." Denver Post

Now granted this is a great start. Being personally arrested over ten times in several Colorado cities it is good to see that the judges agree that is time to re-think the drug laws not only in this state but throughout the country. It is although not good enough. We will not be happy unless any and all laws regarding cannabis are removed.

Great News Today in the Denver Court...

Today Marijuana advacates all over Colorado celebrated today as Denver Judge Larry Naves took 2 hours to come to the conclusion that last weeks emegency Colorado Board of Health hearing was invalid and now void...

"By the evidence presented here today, I find that the defendants have violated the court order when, in November, there was a meeting without notice that complied with the law and the parties changed the rules," says Naves. "I find that there was no emergency. The justification for an emergency was a Court of Appeals decision that was not even final. And the Court of Appeals could not use the [Board of Appeals rule in question]...

"It appears from the transcripts from the meeting on November 3rd [that they] did not understand how Court of Appeals decision even worked, even though it was suggested here that the explanation was given off the record...

"Even though the Court of Appeals had an opportunity to say in the ruling that this new rule was in conflict with this decision, they did not do that...

"[I had a concern] two years ago, and it appears that the board did the exact same thing they promised not to do. One of the reasons they violated the rules is that they seem to forget the plaintiffs in this case. In the transcript, there isn't any mention of the plaintiffs in the case... These people have, without dispute, serious problems for which they have prescriptions for medical marijuana... There was no mention of the impact of this change on these people... There is no consideration of how plaintiffs and others who need medical marijuana would obtain it...

"So, again, I find that the board in their November 3rd meeting violated the law. Therefore the rule change they enacted is invalid and void....

Sunday @ the Capital

Here are a few pictures from a good crowd on Sunday. We go there kind of late and i heard that the Troopers were messing us for a little bit but they left before 4:20. Remember last weekend of the month @ 4:20 at the west end of the capital! Feel free to come and join us. Now is the time the wind is at our backs.