Marijuana legalization was once an outlier topic and even a taboo discussion item in states across the nation. When the subject did come up, naysayers often laced debate with harsh rhetoric citing perceived risks across a broad front. Critics claimed that stoned...
Some Coloradans have waited decades for this pot-linked update
You are hardly alone if a police stop decades ago netted you a criminal conviction for possession of a small amount of marijuana. In fact, you are a member of a large and varied crowd of state residents. Maybe you had the misfortunate as a college student in the 1970s...
Key update re pot in Colorado’s final 2020 legislative session
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...
