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CU regents request internal investigation for conflict of interest
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

CU regents request internal investigation for conflict of interest

By Eric Young | Denver Gazette Members of the University of Colorado’s Board of Regents have requested an internal investigation into one of its fellow members over possible conflicts of interests in efforts to cut funding for a CU program. The investigation, requested by regents Ken Montera and Callie Rennison, comes after fellow regent Wanda James’ objections to a campaign created by the state legislature and funded through the Colorado School of Public Health and CU Anschutz Medical Campus to educate the public on the health risks of highly concentrated marijuana. “We know the people of Colorado expect the Board to provide excellent oversight and leadership to the University of Colorado,” Montera and Rennison said in a joint statement. “We expect that as well and are confident ...
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How will marijuana revenue shortfalls affect District 51?
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Approved, Local, The Business Times

How will marijuana revenue shortfalls affect District 51?

By The Business Times Amid reports that the city of Grand Junction’s marijuana revenue fell short of projections by $800,000 and that statewide marijuana revenue has declined by more than 41 percent since its peak in 2020-2021, The Business Times reached out to Melanie Trujillo, chief financial officer of Mesa County Valley School District 51, to understand how the shortfall might affect the district Trujillo said local marijuana-sales-tax revenue does not directly fund the district and addressed misconceptions about how much and how often marijuana revenue has been distributed to the district since legalization, despite public expectations. Since recreational marijuana was legalized, Trujillo noted funding from marijuana tax revenue has largely been supplemental, coming in the fo...
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CU Board of Regents investigates funding threats over cannabis research campaign
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

CU Board of Regents investigates funding threats over cannabis research campaign

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff The University of Colorado Board of Regents has initiated an independent review into Regent Wanda James' actions regarding state funding for the Colorado School of Public Health. The move comes after James reportedly suggested pulling funding from the school due to concerns over its public awareness campaign on high-potency cannabis. In a joint statement released on March 18 Regents Chair Callie Rennison and Vice Chair Ken Montera confirmed that the board has requested a third-party investigation to determine whether James violated regent laws or policies. The Colorado School of Public Health, a joint effort of CU Anschutz, CSU and UNC, was tasked by the Colorado Legislature in 2021 with researching the public health impacts of high-potency THC, parti...
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Marijuana repeal off Colorado Springs’ ballot after state Supreme Court stays out of the weeds
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Approved, gazette.com, Local

Marijuana repeal off Colorado Springs’ ballot after state Supreme Court stays out of the weeds

By Brennen Kauffman | The Gazette Colorado Springs has agreed to remove the ballot question asking voters to repeal the city's new recreational marijuana ordinance, leaving the industry in place within the city limits for the first time. El Paso County District Court Judge Hilary Gurney issued an order Thursday afternoon that the city "take all actions necessary to ensure that the Referred Ballot Question does not appear on ballots to avoid disenfranchising and confusing the electorate." READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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Second Colorado marijuana recall in January hits nearly 60 dispensaries
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Approved, State, Westword

Second Colorado marijuana recall in January hits nearly 60 dispensaries

By Thomas Mitchell | Westword The Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division has issued a health and safety notice over mold and yeast concerns for marijuana grown by Medpharm Holdings, LLC, which does business as cultivator Bud & Mary's. The recall, issued January 28, includes nine different harvest batches and impacts 58 dispensaries across Colorado. According to the MED, the flagged product was sold from February 7 through December 20 of last year. After testing marijuana from Bud & Mary's, some harvest batches were "found to have exceeded acceptable limits established for total yeast and mold," the MED notice says. According to Bud & Mary's, the recalled product passed initial post-harvest testing, but a test at the retail level identified microbial contamin...
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Declining marijuana industry sales in Colorado hit seven-year low in 2024
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Approved, State, Westword

Declining marijuana industry sales in Colorado hit seven-year low in 2024

By Thomas Mitchell | Westword Colorado's legal marijuana market continued sliding in 2024, hitting a seven-year low in annual dispensary sales. According to monthly reports from the state Marijuana Enforcement Division, Colorado dispensaries brought in just over $1.28 billion in sales through the first eleven months of 2024, with around $109 million of that sold in November. Unless pot shops raked in over $200 million in December, in 2024 Colorado won't break $1.5 billion in annual marijuana sales for the first time since 2016. Based on state marijuana tax revenue numbers, dispensaries didn't sell enough pot to last month to keep that streak going. READ THE FULL STORY AT WESTWORD
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DEA to consider loosening federal marijuana restrictions
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Approved, National, The Daily Signal

DEA to consider loosening federal marijuana restrictions

By Brett Rowland | The Daily Signal The Drug Enforcement Administration plans to hold a formal hearing next week on its plan to reschedule marijuana at the federal level. The proposal is to move marijuana from a Schedule I drug, along with heroin and LSD, to Schedule III, where it would join ketamine and anabolic steroids. In May, the Department of Justice announced that it had submitted a rule that would ease restrictions on cannabis, but the change falls short of the full legalization or decriminalization sought by some advocates. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DAILY SIGNAL
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Colorado Springs retail marijuana ban still failing, according to final unofficial election results
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, Local

Colorado Springs retail marijuana ban still failing, according to final unofficial election results

By Breeanna Jent | The Gazette, via Colorado Politics Colorado Springs residents appear to have rejected a ballot question that sought to more permanently ban recreational marijuana sales in the city, according to updated election results from the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Thursday night. Final unofficial results updated at 8:23 p.m. showed the City Council-backed Question 2D, which proposes amending the city charter to prohibit recreational marijuana establishments in Colorado Springs, was failing 49.4% to 50.6%. In total, 387,297 ballots have been counted for just under 78% voter turnout, according to clerk's data. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Bzdek: Is Colorado paying enough attention to marijuana’s toll?
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Approved, Commentary, gazette.com, State

Bzdek: Is Colorado paying enough attention to marijuana’s toll?

By Vince Bzdek | Commentary, The Gazette Just before Javonte Hill got out of the Navy and settled in Denver, he was diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety and depression but had not sought treatment yet. His girlfriend, an occasional marijuana user, recommended he try pot as a way “to chill out.” “You know I’m not like a pot smoker. I just got out of the military,” he recently told a New York Times reporter. But he’d heard it was a much safer alternative to alcohol, and he wouldn’t wake up hung over, so why not? READ THE FULL COMMENTARY AT THE GAZETTE Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author t...
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Kamala Harris urges black men to vote for her to legalize marijuana — despite convicting 1,900 as DA
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Approved, National, New York Post

Kamala Harris urges black men to vote for her to legalize marijuana — despite convicting 1,900 as DA

By Steven Nelson | New York Post Vice President Kamala Harris urged black men to back her presidential candidacy Tuesday by pledging to legalize marijuana — despite overseeing more than 1,900 marijuana convictions as San Francisco district attorney between 2004 and 2011. Harris, 59, made the statement as she prepared for an afternoon interview with radio host Charlamagne tha God — on whose program she claimed in 2019 she had smoked marijuana in college, inviting allegations of hypocrisy over her prosecutorial record. “Kamala Harris will legalize recreational marijuana — breaking down unjust barriers that hold Black men and other Americans back and making sure Black Americans have opportunities to succeed as the marketplace takes shape,” she tweeted ahead of her...
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