Global Ganja Report

Colorado US Attorney John Walsh on Jan. 12 issued an ultimatum in letters to 23 dispensaries and landlords he claimed are in violation of federal and state law. The dispensaries, which he said are located within 1,000 feet of schools, were given 45 days to cease operations or face civil and criminal penalties. "When the voters of Colorado passed the limited medical marijuana amendment in 2000, they could not have anticipated that their vote would be used to justify large marijuana stores located within blocks of our schools," Walsh said in a statement announcing the letters. 

"Those who do not comply will be subject to potential criminal prosecution and civil enforcement actions," Walsh said. "Because the stores are operating within 1,000 feet of a school, enhanced penalties apply under federal law." He cited a 2011 memo from US Deputy Attorney General James Cole that allows individual federal prosecutors to "exercise their discretion to handle marijuana trafficking matters."

But Denver lawyer Robert Corry, who represents clients charged with marijuana offenses, said in recent testimony before the City Council that "there should be no arbitrary distance limits" for legal cannabis establishments. "There is no documented case of any child ever purchasing or obtaining medical marijuana from a dispensary," he said. (Reuters, Jan. 13)

Photo by the Mad Pothead