Smart Colorado formed after the 2012 passage of Amendment 64 to the Colorado Constitution, which legalized the sale and possession of recreational marijuana. We believe Colorado’s top priority around marijuana policy and education should be protecting our youth. Marijuana is illegal for those under 21 and a threat to their health and futures. Research is clear that marijuana is harmful to the adolescent developing brain as well as tied to psychosis, schizophrenia, drug addiction and lower IQ. Colorado’s youth are serving as guinea pigs in the state’s commercialization experiment.
Amendment 64 became law on December 10, 2012 as Article XVIII, Section 16 of the Colorado Constitution. It gave Colorado citizens an immediate ability to possess one ounce or less of marijuana (including concentrates like hash oil), consume marijuana and grow 6 plants. As of January 1, 2014, the sale and production of marijuana was commercialized through the licensing of recreational marijuana stores, grow facilities, testing facilities and product manufacturing facilities.
While recreational marijuana is treated differently for tax and regulatory purposes, the regulatory framework for recreational marijuana mirrors the framework established for the licensing of medical marijuana commercialized products. The licensing and regulatory requirements for “commercialized” medical marijuana can be found in the Medical Marijuana Code, which was created via HB 10-1284 and was signed by Governor Hickenlooper on June 7, 2010.
Colorado's medical marijuana market developed for years without regulatory oversight. By the time the State scrambled to license and regulate medical marijuana there were already hundreds of shops in operation. Unfortunately, the regulations put in place with HB 10-1284, and the state infrastructure needed to enforce them, were woefully underfunded ( March 2013 Audit and June 2013 Audit ). Amendment 64 passed because voters were led to believe the State would FINALLY begin to strictly regulate the sale and production of marijuana. Anxious to ensure robust regulation, several of us that would go on to form Smart Colorado served on the Governor’s Task Force to implement Amendment 64.
Our founding members began to meet and share their concerns as they watched powerful and well-financed representatives of the marijuana industry dominate the policy making process on the Task Force. After the “heath, safety, and well-being of Colorado children” was ranked last in priorities by the Task Force and no other groups or organizations spoke up on behalf of protecting Colorado youth, the founding members of Smart knew something had to be done.
Father visits late son’s high school with marijuana message Kent Osborn returned on March 20 to Arapahoe High School, which his son Tom had attended. Kent brought along his write-up of Tom’s story, which concludes: “As far as I’m c
Ask your council member to maintain marijuana-free safe zones for kids Current rules in Denver call for 1,000-foot safe zones between businesses that allow marijuana consumption (which can include outdoor smoking) and schools, child care establishments an
Let’s keep kids away from marijuana at 420 festival On Saturday, April 20, Denver Civic Center Park will host the Mile High 420 Festival, an annual event run by the marijuana industry. Recreational marijuana is illegal for anyone under 21, yet the e
July 16, 2018 Smart Colorado depicts reality of today’s commercialized marijuana products with THCphotos.org When the media reports on marijuana, they typically include images of leaves or buds — the traditional plant form that has been smoked for
Introducing Smart Colorado’s “Circle of Impact” Newsletter! We are pleased to announce the launch of our new initiative; a quarterly newsletter appropriately called, “Circle of Impact.” As a supporter of our work protecting kids and communitie
Gov. Hickenlooper’s veto of public marijuana use bill places kids over industry profits June 6, 2018 On June 4, Hickenlooper vetoed Colorado House Bill 1258, which would have let marijuana stores open additional facilities where customers could u
May 8, 2018 The Honorable John W. Hickenlooper Governor, State of Colorado 136 State Capitol Denver, CO 80203 RE: Request for Veto: HB18-1258 Dear Governor Hickenlooper: We are writing to respectfully request that you veto the above-referenced bill.
Parents who shared low-potency joints when they were in school are often surprised to learn about the new forms of ultra-potent marijuana concentrates. One increasingly popular way to use extremely potent marijuana is dabbing, which as been described as m
Vaping – the act of inhaling a vaporized liquid from an electronic device – is the latest trend, and it’s alarmingly prevalent among today’s teens. Vaping is skyrocketing among teens Nearly half of Colorado’s high school and middle school studen
