Global Ganja Report

Several Boulder cannabis dispensaries have received letters from the US Attorney's Office ordering them to move or close by May 7 because they are within 1,000 feet of a school, the Denver Post reported April 11. This constitutes the third wave of threatening letters sent to Colorado dispensaries by US Attorney John Walsh this year. The first slew of such letters, in January, resulted in the closure of 23 dispensaries, although none in Boulder. Another 25 letters were sent in March. The US Attorney's Office declined to name the targeted dispensaries, but representatives of two dispensaries in Boulder's University Hill area—Fresh Republic and the Hill Cannabis Club—confirmed they received the letters. An owner of the latter dispensary said the business will close by May 7.

On April 2, a bipartisan group of legislators from five medical marijuana states—California, Colorado, Maine, New Mexico, and Washington—issued an open letter to President Barack Obama opposing the federal crackdown and calling upon his administration to "respect our state laws." The lawmakers underscored that such an aggressive policy "makes no sense" and is "not a good use of our resources," recalling Obama's original pledge to de-emphasize enforcement in states with medical marijuana laws.

Colorado is cutting its cannabis enforcement staff by more than half because the state isn't collecting enough licensing fees, regulators said April 3. The Department of Revenue said that 20 of 37 staffers at its Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division will be reassigned to other jobs within the department. The division licenses and regulates medical marijuana businesses such as dispensaries and cannabis cultivators.

Colorado's top federal prosecutor ordered 25 medical marijuana dispensaries located near schools to close in a new series of letters issued March 23. US Attorney John Walsh warned owners of the establishments that they have 45 days to shut down or "action will be taken to seize and forfeit their property," his office said in a press statement. Walsh's office said the letters were sent to dispensaries that violate a state law requiring cannabis dispensaries be at least 1,000 feet from a school. He sent a similar ultimatum to 23 cannabis dispensaries that violated the buffer law in January. He said no enforcement measure was taken because those locations all ceased cannabis sales.

Legislators in Colorado face a bill that would establish the nation's first "responsible medical marijuana vendor" designation, giving cannabis business the option to train employees in a state-approved program. The state Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division already requires cannabis workers to undergo background checks. Employees must wear state-issued badges and be under video surveillance at all times they are handling cannabis seeds, plants or products. The proposed "responsible vendor" designation would go to businesses whose employees have had additional training in such issues as identifying legal medical marijuana cards. 

With medical marijuana dispensaries banned by local ordinance in Loveland, Fort Collins and Longmont, Herbs Medicinals in the small town of Berthoud, Larimer county, is one of the few remaining in northern Colorado. There are two dispensaries in unincorporated parts of Larimer county and two in Garden City, just south of Greeley in neighboring Weld county. Kevin and Michele Ballinger run Herbs Medicinals so it fits in, even putting up a Nativity scene during the holidays. "We heard from a lot of churches who were very happy with our display," Michele Ballinger, a Berthoud native, told the Denver Post. "We want to be respectful and just part of the town. Because the town had been very good to us."

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. 

A new study postulates a link between states with legalized medical marijuana and a reduction in traffic-related fatalities. The study was conducted by D. Mark Anderson, a Montana State University economics professor, and Daniel Rees, of the University of Colorado Denver. In looking at state-level data from sources such as the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Anderson and Rees found that states with medical marijuana laws saw an average 9% decrease in traffic deaths. "We were pretty surprised that they went down," Rees told the Denver Post.