Colorado Springs Independent, 26 Jun 2013 – Messages have been floating around social media regarding an influx of audits the Internal Revenue Service is apparently aiming at Colorado medical-marijuana centers, which are unable to deduct business expenses from their federal taxes. One posted by Denver advocate Michelle LaMay reads, "One of my MMC customers yesterday said they are being audited by the IRS. She thinks the IRS waited until now so they can go back 3 years. She was one of the first to be licensed so has that much history for them to peruse." And while it’s unclear how widespread it is, or if they’re part of the federal government’s push-back against cannabis, an audit notice is a hell of a thing, says Bill Fodge, owner of WTJ MMJ Supply.

Colorado Springs Independent, 31 Oct 2012 – Recently, the Gazette published a letter, written by a precocious Classical Academy student, on why voters should reject Amendment 64. "As a senior in high school, I have seen the affects [sic] of marijuana firsthand," she wrote. "It is used as a pleasurable past time; a way to ‘feel relaxed and happy.’ This is all illegal of course." Now, everybody knows that happiness only brings a written warning. But the letter fed our curiosity: What in our state will change if voters Tuesday elect to make some of what’s "illegal," legal? If, specifically, they allow adults 21-plus to grow six plants, and possess up to an ounce of marijuana?

Colorado Springs Independent, 10 Oct 2012 – IS THE WAL-MART OF WEED NEAR? Change the Game One Colorado Springs entrepreneur I found advertising on Craigslist thinks he sees the future of medical marijuana, and it’s big – the grow space, that is.

Colorado Springs Independent, 26 Sep 2012 – 64 questions The Coloradans 4 Cannabis Patient Rights group has a busy week coming up. There’s the monthly patient meeting at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 26 at Lofty’s (287 E. Fountain Blvd., c4cpr.org). But in sexier news, Audrey Hatfield’s group is hosting a question-and-answer session addressing the pros and cons of the marijuana-decriminalization issue, Amendment 64.

Colorado Springs Independent, 12 Sep 2012 – THC Tete-A-Tete A meeting to determine the final wording of the pros and cons of Amendment 64 took an unexpected turn last week when Legislative Council member Sen. Mark Scheffel, R-Parker, initiated a series of votes that ended up with some supportive language being removed from the state voters’ blue book.

Colorado Springs Independent, 22 Aug 2012 – Last Thursday, the Colorado Center on Law and Policy released a study saying the state could see $60 million-plus in combined savings and revenue if Amendment 64, the effort to decriminalize marijuana, is passed by voters in November. That amount could balloon to $100 million within five years of the law’s implementation, says study author Christopher Stiffler. The numbers came under immediate criticism from No on 64, the group opposing the ballot measure: "This report triples the estimate from the state’s unbiased, non-partisan Office of Legislative Council in the Blue Book," campaign director Roger Sherman told Denver’s Westword, citing a report that shows the amendment could increase revenue anywhere between $4 million and $22 million.

Colorado Springs Independent, 01 Aug 2012 – Paintbrush and Pipe The Colorado Springs Medical Cannabis Council is always out there, advocating on behalf of medical marijuana and the people who need it. You can’t always catch it in the act, though, so it will be nice for the community to see a little more of the organization at its Aug. 4 fundraiser The Cannabis Canvas.