People in Colorado still remember John Hickenlooper’s crack after the state legalized marijuana, a move he opposed: “Don’t break out the Cheetos or Goldfish too quickly.” But Mr. Hickenlooper, the governor at the time of the 2012 initiative allowing recreational use of cannabis, eventually changed his mind. He acknowledged that fears of increased use by […]
John Hickenlooper
Coloradans with PTSD Can Now Be Treated with Medical Marijuana
DENVER – Coloradans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will now be able to treat their conditions with doctor-approved medical marijuana, bringing a close to a years-long fight. Gov. John Hickenlooper signed Senate Bill 17 Monday, which will allow physicians, after consultation and a medical background review, to prescribe patients suffering from doctor-diagnosed PTSD with medical […]
Colorado’s Marijuana Taxes Will Fund Schools and Fight Opioid Addiction
The legal weed business is booming in Colorado, and the state has finalized plans to spend its pot tax windfall on health programs in public schools, housing for at-risk populations, and a new treatment program to combat the opioid crisis. Gov. John Hickenlooper on Friday signed a budget bill that dictates how money from the state’s “Marijuana […]
Governor Hickenlooper Meets with AG Sessions; Does Not Feel Federal Crackdown Looming
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, after meeting with Attorney General Jeff Sessions this week in Washington, says that he doesn’t believe a federal crackdown on legal marijuana is on the way, adding that Sessions called the Obama administration’s guidance on marijuana “not too far from good policy.” “The meeting was very productive, and overall it was […]
Worried About the Feds, Colorado Walks From Marijuana Clubs
DENVER — Colorado lawmakers have backed off plans to regulate marijuana clubs, saying the state would invite a federal crackdown by approving Amsterdam-style pot clubs. The state House voted Thursday to amend a bill that would have set rules for how private pot clubs could work. It was a dramatic reversal. Bring-your-own pot clubs had […]
Colorado Passes the First Bill Legalizing Pot Clubs in the Nation
DENVER — The Colorado Senate on Thursday passed a first-in-the-nation bill expressly permitting marijuana clubs. But Gov. John Hickenlooper is hinting that he’ll veto the measure unless it bans indoor smoking. The bill allows local jurisdictions to permit bring-your-own pot clubs, as long as those establishments don’t serve alcohol or any food beyond light snacks. […]
Colorado Looks to Crack Down on Co-Op Pot Growing
DENVER — Colorado may ban collective marijuana growing under a bill that calls some patient-owned marijuana grows a “public nuisance.” A bill up for its first hearing in a House committee Monday would ban co-op pot growing by setting a statewide limit of 12 marijuana plants per residential property. The change would effectively force some […]
Colorado to Add More Restrictions for Home Grown Marijuana in 2017
Colorado residents are likely to see tighter restrictions on marijuana home grows in 2017. Not only is Denver working on a plan to limit unlicensed recreational and medical grows in private residences, but Governor John Hickenlooper is working on a statewide proposal to battle what he sees as an abuse of Colorado’s constitutional growing allowances. […]
New Marijuana States Seek Guidance From Colorado Gov. Hickenlooper
Four years ago, in the hours after Colorado became one of the first states to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, Gov. John Hickenlooper sounded a cautionary, if humorous, note: “Don’t break out the Cheetos or Goldfish too quickly.” State voters overwhelmingly approved the measure, and Hickenlooper found himself wrestling with how to implement a law he […]
Colorado Looks to Crackdown on Legally Grown Weed Sold on the Black Market
Hoping to preserve its marijuana law under the next president, Colorado is planning a slate of legislation designed to crack down on pot that is grown legally but then sold on the black market. The goal is to cut down on complaints that Colorado’s liberal allowances for growing pot without a license has created a […]
Gov. Hickenlooper Plans to Help Colorado Homelessness Using Marijuana Tax Dollars
Gov. John Hickenlooper is proposing “aggressive” new efforts to address homelessness in Colorado, returning to an issue that helped launch his political career in his final two years in office. The governor’s budget request for fiscal year 2017-2018 asks lawmakers to put $12.3 million in annual marijuana tax revenues toward building new housing units for […]
The Un-winable, Un-loseable Case
By Mark Goldfogel It’s like knowing you have the winning horse, but not having any idea how long the race will be. Prohibition is over! Mathematically, logistically, financially, and most importantly, medically. Sixty-two percent of the U.S. population lives in a state with medical access to cannabis, and 21% live in a state where adults […]
Colorado Governor Changes His Tune, Now Says Marijuana Legalization Is Working
When Colorado voted to legalize recreational marijuana four years ago, one of the move’s chief critics was Gov. John Hickenlooper. The moderate Democrat said that if he could “wave a magic wand” to reverse the decision, he would. Then he called voters “reckless” for approving it in the first place, a remark he later downgraded to […]
