If Maureen Dowd ever decides to go back to Colorado and give weed edibles another chance, she may have more success figuring out how strong that chocolate bar is — but she also won’t be able to buy any marijuana gummy bears: New state laws going into effect Oct. 1 require more prominent potency labels on edibles, as well as prohibiting certain shapes that could be mistaken for regular candy treats. [More]
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Colorado To Spend Marijuana Tax Money To Fight Addiction And Homelessness
The state of Colorado collected more than $100 million in taxes on retail recreational marijuana sales last last year. So what’s it going to do with all that extra cash? The governor’s new budget allocates that money for supportive housing, health screening in public schools, addiction treatment, and on regulating the cannabis industry. [More]
If Feds Crack Down On Recreational Pot, State May Let Marijuana Stores Reclassify As Medical Dispensaries
With the shadow of a possible federal crackdown on retail marijuana looming, Colorado lawmakers are taking steps to try to protect the state’s pot businesses by letting them re-classify as medical weed purveyors if the need arises. [More]
Governors Ask Attorney General To Leave Their Legal Marijuana Alone
While federal lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are pushing for legislation to reform marijuana laws, the executive branch of the government has given every indication of a coming crackdown on recreational marijuana, even in states where it’s now legal. The governors of the first four states to legalize pot are now asking the White House to respect their states’ voters and not return weed to the dark ages. [More]
DMV Glitch Mistakenly Adds Inches To Thousands Of Drivers’ Heights
In what sounds like a dream come true for anyone who has ever fudged their height on an online dating profile and needs paperwork to prove that they are much taller than they seem, the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles says a mixup accidentally added extra inches of height to thousands of drivers’ licenses recently. [More]
Pot Growers Trying To Cut Costs In The Face Of Dropping Legal Marijuana Prices
The good news for indoor pot growers in states where marijuana is legal is that now they don’t have to hide their crops in secret growing sheds or their grandma’s basement. The bad news is that there’s a lot of competition, causing wholesale marijuana prices to sink. To keep up in such a crowded market, growers are now turning to new technology and growing methods designed keep efficiency up and costs down. [More]
Free-Standing Emergency Rooms Accused Of Duping Patients Into Paying “Facilities Fees”
The country’s largest operator of free-standing emergency rooms — urgent medical care providers that are not physically connected to any hospital — has been accused of deceiving their patients into paying fees of several thousand dollars. [More]
The Beer Industry Is Taking A Hit Because Of Legal Marijuana
When it comes time to kick back on the couch and get your buzz on, a new study says consumers in states with legal marijuana may be reaching for the bong instead of a beer. [More]
3 Things To Know About Running A Multi-State Legal Marijuana Business
This week brought legalized recreational marijuana to a number of new states, including California and Nevada. With non-medical adult use of pot already legal in Washington and Oregon, this creates a geographically contiguous bloc of four states where marijuana and THC-infused products could be sold. Any enterprising pot entrepreneur would drool over the idea of being able to produce, ship, and sell to all of these people but creating a legal, multi-state weed empire is not easy. [More]
Another Set Of Colorado Counties Vote To Toss Restrictive Law, Permit Municipal Broadband
Part of the reason broadband competition is so dang hard to come by for millions of us? Protectionist, industry-backed laws that make it either obscenely difficult or outright illegal to start a public network. Colorado is one of the states with such a law on the books, but voters in the Centennial State are once again saying they’d rather municipal networks had a chance. [More]
Four Cities Approve Sugary-Drink Taxes
For residents in four U.S. cities, it’s about to get more expensive to buy soda or other sugary drinks after voters okayed new taxes on these beverages. [More]
To Prevent Poisoned Kids, Lock Up Both The Pot Brownies And The Toothpaste
When something becomes legal, it becomes more common in citizens’ homes. That’s why it’s not surprising that a study shows an increase in treatment for accidental poisonings of children in Colorado after recreational marijuana became legal to buy and sell there in 2014. Yet while this serves as an important reminder to caregivers to lock up their infused brownies, children are still most likely to be poisoned by ordinary household products like cleaning supplies and over-the-counter medications. [More]
Don’t Expect To Keep Your Job At Texas Roadhouse After Tweeting You’d “Kill As Many Mexicans As I Could”
Just because you can go on Twitter and type whatever words come into your head, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. And that First Amendment right to express yourself doesn’t protect you from your employer firing you over the embarrassing and hateful things you say in public. [More]
Colorado Town Finds THC In Drinking Water, Warns Residents Not To Use It
If you take a trip to a Colorado dispensary you’re likely to find marijuana in a variety of forms, including lollipops and gummy bears. But health officials in one small town say the psychoactive chemical in marijuana has turned up in the wrong place: the town’s water supply. [More]
Retailer That Overcharged, Sued Servicemembers Makes Deal To Settle State Lawsuit
USA Discounters, the not-at-all discount retailer that went bankrupt last year amid accusations of running a financing scam on customers, is looking to close at least one state investigations with a proposal that would provide a bit of relief to some customers sued by USA Discounters. [More]
More Colorado Communities Vote To Toss Restrictive State Law, Explore Municipal Broadband
Colorado is one of the 20 states with some kind of industry-friendly, public-network-blocking law on the books. But in this state, there’s a catch: instead of being blocked altogether, state law prevents communities from running service unless local voters specifically authorize it first. [More]