Boulder Weekly, 27 Jun 2013 – Come Senators, Congressmen, please heed the call Don’t stand in the doorway, don’t block up the hall For he who is hurt will be he who has stalled

Boulder Weekly, 20 Jun 2013 – Among the reasons I voted for Amendment 64 was that I was tired of people being arrested and sent to prison for simple possession of marijuana. I had read stories and anecdotal reports over the years about disproportionate arrest numbers for blacks and whites, and that law enforcement was using pot possession busts to boost arrest numbers. But I still wasn’t ready for "The War On Marijuana – In Black and White," released by the American Civil Liberties Union last week. Using data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program and the U.S. Census’ annual county population estimates by age, sex, race and ethnicity, the report is the first to document arrest rates per 100,000 for marijuana possession for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Boulder Weekly, 13 Jun 2013 – Probably the strangest paragraph in Colorado’s first attempt to regulate marijuana was the one that stipulated that "magazines whose primary focus is marijuana or marijuana businesses are only sold in retail marijuana stores or behind the counter in establishments where persons under 21 years of age are present." Yes, you read that correctly. Magazines about pot like High Times would have to be hidden behind the counter alongside Gallery or Gent, with the astounding caveat that anyone under 21 could purchase the magazines in question – but he or she couldn’t look at it in the store. And I say "was" because it was rendered moot rather quickly and efficiently.

Boulder Weekly, 06 Jun 2013 – Would you trust this guy for your premium weed needs? There has been a persistent rumor, dating back to the 1960s and 1970s, that cigarette companies have been plotting to take over the marijuana industry, were it ever legalized. It’s still around and probably holds on because it doesn’t seem that unreasonable – if they can grow and sell tobacco, they can grow and sell pot, right?

Boulder Weekly, 23 May 2013 – Although I’m generally encouraged about the rules and regulations passed by the Colorado Legislature to regulate marijuana like alcohol this month, the rule that still bothers me allows a jury to infer that someone whose blood level shows five nanograms of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) per milliliter to be impaired or intoxicated. Nobody is arguing that there shouldn’t be some way to determine impairment. Nobody wants intoxicated drivers on the road. The rub is in this particular method. The law-and-order contingency says blood-level tests are necessary tools to help identify intoxicated drivers.

Boulder Weekly, 16 May 2013 – Last week Colorado became the first U.S. state to adopt a set of rules that allows marijuana to be regulated like alcohol for adults. Legislators, task force members and all involved are to be congratulated for doing it in accordance with Amendment 64’s spirit and under its tight, six-month deadline. It was obvious during the session that some legislators wanted to derail the process and were openly hostile to instituting the amendment at all, and it took some last-minute arm-twisting and horse-trading to get it done. If a good bill is one that doesn’t completely satisfy anybody, then these could be considered successes.

Boulder Weekly, 09 May 2013 – Blood-Level THC Tests No Answer to Driving Safety HB 1325, which determines driving impairment through a blood-level THC test, was passed by the Colorado legislature on May 7. The bill says anyone caught driving with more than five nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood is considered impaired, with the caveat that one could argue that you weren’t impaired in court afterwards. Earlier versions – this is the sixth – made it an automatic conviction. Gov. John Hickenlooper is expected to sign the bill into law.