Denver Post, 01 May 2013 – Re: "Keep your eye on Civic Center," April 26 Joanne Ditmer column. Joanne Ditmer’s column celebrates Denver’s Civic Center as a National Historic Landmark. That is great, but with the amount of drug dealing going on there daily, it is not a safe place to be. If you want drugs, all you have to do is go there. You will be approached to buy marijuana, which is being purchased at the medical marijuana dispensaries, heroin, crack, and methamphetamine. You can sit at the library and watch this going on all day, every day.

Denver Post, 01 May 2013 – Re: "Could bill send pot up in smoke?" April 27 news story. When my friends and I voted to legalize marijuana, we did so with the understanding it would be handled like alcohol in that it would be illegal to give it to children, that driving impaired by being too high would be a crime, and that the taxes on it would be high. Medical marijuana is a separate issue. Recreational marijuana is not a necessity like food. We voted for a realistic policy for a product that is best enjoyed in moderation and with some responsibility, like alcohol. It seems like our legislature is pussy-footing around, trying not to offend anyone and satisfying no one. Keep it simple. Require that it be locally grown, and regulate it like alcohol.

DrugSense

Washington Times, 29 Apr 2013 – Implementation, Tax Issues Fester DENVER – Those who backed last year’s votes to legalize marijuana in Colorado and Washington are still in high spirits, but now they’re also grappling with a series of post-election potholes.

Washington Post, 26 Apr 2013 – Medical and recreational marijuana may be legal in Colorado, but employers in the state can lawfully fire workers who test positive for the drug, even if it was used during workers’ off hours, a court ruled Thursday. The Colorado Court of Appeals decision found that there is no employment protection for medical marijuana users in the state because the drug remains barred by the federal government.

Wall Street Journal, 26 Apr 2013 – Medical and recreational marijuana use may be legal in Colorado, but businesses in the state still have the right to fire people who test positive for the drug, a Colorado appellate court ruled Thursday. The Colorado Court of Appeals in Denver made its ruling in a case filed by Brandon Coats, a quadriplegic who was fired by Dish Network LLC in 2010 after he tested positive for marijuana, in violation of company policy.

Denver Post, 26 Apr 2013 – Re: "Stoned-driving bill fizzles," April 23 news story. The well-financed, organized, slick and powerful marijuana drug lobby has once again flexed its political muscle in a cowering, bought and paid-for Colorado Senate. Killing the public safety bill to establish an impaired standard for driving under the influence of marijuana is a cowardly abrogation of responsibility by the Senate Democrats and a craven surrender of their duty to protect the public. The whole point of "recreational" marijuana is to "get high," to alter consciousness, yet the Colorado Senate cannot bring itself to impose even watered-down standards to keep impaired drivers off the roads. This is as shameful as it gets.

DrugSense

New York Times, 25 Apr 2013 – DENVER – If marijuana is legalized and properly regulated, its proponents have long said, it could generate millions of dollars in state tax revenue. But how the drug should be taxed has proved to be a thorny question. In Colorado, where voters approved a measure in November legalizing small amounts of marijuana for recreational use, officials have been grappling with this issue for months as the state works to forge a cohesive regulatory code.

DrugSense