Category Archives: News Articles

Judge Upholds the Schedule I Classification

On Wednesday, April 15, 2015, Judge Kimberly J Mueller of the US Court in Sacramento upheld the constitutionality of marijuana’s Schedule I designation in the 5-tier classification set down by Congress in 1970.   Schedule I drugs must have a high potential for abuse.

On April 16, 2015, Governor Butch Otter of Idaho issued an executive order allowing for expanded access to Epidiolex, a pure, pharmacy version of cannabidiol (CBD). He vetoed a bill that would have allowed non-pharmacy grade CBD for the treatment of seizures.

Parents Opposed to Pot calls on the national media to clarify the distinction between cannabidiol (CBD) Continue reading Judge Upholds the Schedule I Classification

Niwot, Colorado, Fights Out-of-State Entrepreneurs

Niwot, a town on the outskirts of Boulder, Colorado, is yet another jurisdiction fighting to keep big marijuana businesses out of the community. Entrepreneurs Ernie and Callie Craumer, of Connecticut, invested in Colorado real estate with the intent of renting the building to a pot grower. They’re seeking a land use permit for the vacant building at 6924 N. 79th St., a few blocks south of the community’s downtown area. The permit, if granted would allow both a grow facility and retail sales of the drug.  The owners originally thought of living in the area, but decided against it after feeling out the opposition.

Dick Piland, head of the Niwot Community Association (NCA), explains that the family-oriented community of only 4,000 residents Continue reading Niwot, Colorado, Fights Out-of-State Entrepreneurs

Is the Marijuana Industry Trying to Grow, Stifle the Facts?

The Colorado Board of Education may discontinue the Colorado Healthy Kids survey, because of privacy concerns.  The survey,  a means to track substance abuse, is scheduled to come out this year.  Since 2009, it has been coming out in odd-numbered years.   Losing this survey would mean the state would no way of measuring youth trends from a statewide/regional perspective.

The next Colorado Healthy Kids survey might show how strongly the marijuana industry is having an influence on Colorado’s children.  If the state doesn’t keep the survey, how can it judge what the legal recreational marijuana program is doing to its school children?   The national survey showed that youth usage in Colorado went up sharply 5-10 years ago, during the period of medical marijuana expansion, while it remained rather flat nationwide. (see chart below) Continue reading Is the Marijuana Industry Trying to Grow, Stifle the Facts?

NYPD Commissioner Links Shootings to Marijuana

Shootings in New York City have gone up nearly 20  percent in the past year, NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton announced on March 3, saying that marijuana legalization and the loosening of restrictions across the United States are partly to blame.

Bratton referred to marijuana as “the seemingly innocent drug that’s been legalized around the country,” and says that yes, it’s connected to a rise in shootings.   He’s not off the mark. In Colorado, Pueblo County Sheriff Kirk Taylor in Colorado noticed an uptick in crimes, and he’s now tracking the link between crimes and marijuana. Continue reading NYPD Commissioner Links Shootings to Marijuana