Last week spelled the end for Colorado’s fiscal year 2020 General Assembly session.It came with a bit of drama.What would have otherwise been a quiet ending to state lawmakers’ work for the year was imbued with spark and controversy at literally the last moment. A...
Colorado Supreme Court deems post-sentencing penalty OK
Today’s blog post highlights two Colorado criminal appeals cases resulting in a notable state Supreme Court ruling that addresses sentencing punishment.Both those matters involved penalties imposed on defendants convicted of possession of a controlled substance in...
Legal marijuana does not always mean you are out of the woods
It has been six years since Colorado voters decriminalized recreational marijuana. But cannabis users still have rules to follow. You can still get arrested if you are carrying more than the one ounce the law permits for anyone 21 and older. Where you decide to light...
Colorado meth case reveals split in judicial opinion
Criminal law cases often revolve around assessments concerning legal principles that can vary materially from case to case. Moreover, what might seem unreasonable to one person can seem flatly right to another. In short, many legal standards are more fluid than firm....
What does it mean that Colorado de-felonized drug possession charges?
Last spring, bill HB 19-1263 was signed and became Colorado law. On March 1st, 2020, the law officially went into effect. HB 19-1263 reclassifies the offense of possession of schedule I or II substances as a level-one drug misdemeanor. Does this mean that if law...
Methamphetamine use and arrests rise sharply in Colorado
While addiction rates and deaths involving opioids have received the most attention in recent years, methamphetamine has made a sharp comeback in Colorado and the rest of the U.S. over the past decade.One study shows a nearly 130% increase in meth use from 2014 to...
A look at crime-linked findings in the wake of pot’s legalization
Much ado about nothing? Or did a bad genie escape the bottle and wreak havoc across society?Those questions (termed a slightly different way) centrally guided research scientists teamed together in a multi-university study examining the criminal effects of marijuana...
Has legalizing pot in Colorado spawned an uptick in crime?
Individuals and groups across the country that are opposed to marijuana legalization repeatedly voice a similar refrain when they address the relaxed legal regimes operative in an ever-growing number of states.Their dire warnings about liberalized marijuana schemes...
Why a broad-based camp supports Colorado drug-possession reform
We noted in our immediately preceding Shazam Kianpour & Associates blog post that there is a viewpoint in Colorado that resists downgrading some drug possession offenses from felonies to misdemeanors.We discussed that view in our September 3 entry. In doing so, we...
Colorado drug-related debate lively, sharply divergent
Two distinct camps, two polar-opposite views.That dichotomy and stark difference of opinion is manifestly evident in discussions focused on an upcoming change in Colorado criminal law.That adjustment is both material and imminent. As noted in a recent Coloradoan...
