Yes on 300: Denver Social Cannabis Use

*BREAKING NEWS* Democratic Presidential Candidate declares support for social cannabis consumption/on-site consumption establishments - and specifically highlights Denver's 2016 Initiative 300 - making Tulsi Gabbard the first Presidential Candidate in history to address this issue.

In an exclusive interview with the Iternational Cannabis Business Conference:

ICBC: What is your position on social-use cannabis reform?

Congresswoman Gabbard: If someone can legally purchase cannabis from a state-regulated dispensary, legally possess it, and legally consume it, they should also have a legal setting in which to conduct that activity if someone wants to provide that setting for them in a safe manner that keeps cannabis away from children and properly helps mitigate driving under the influence.

Cannabis opponents act as if social cannabis use venues do not exist anywhere in the United States, which is not actually the case. The city of Denver passed an initiative to allow regulated social cannabis use venues, and they exist in parts of California as well.

Venues would need to be implemented and regulated properly to ensure safety and that age restriction policy is enforced. A strong, ongoing public awareness effort would need to occur as well, which could be funded by social-use license fees.

As President, I’d support giving our states and local jurisdictions the flexibility to adopt sound public policy that includes social cannabis use reform.

Exclusive Interview With Presidential Candidate Tulsi Gabbard ICBC recently interviewed presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard about cannabis policy while she is on the campaign trail.

The Denver Post published an editorial today, expressing concerns about the success of the program because of the city's overly restrictive rules.

Denver should give the social pot-use experiment room to work Denver’s regulators ought to re-think the stiffer-than-workable rules and give seekers of on-site pot-use permits more room.

Check out this update in 303 magazine. In addition to The Coffee Joint, we anticipate a wellness spa, an art gallery, a cabaret club and a gaming lounge to apply soon in addition to others. We are slowly making progress toward providing adults with safe access to legitimate, social consumption venues.

Will a Business with Social Ma*****na Use Ever Open in Denver? In short, Denver can open a cannabis consumption venue, and the applications for such businesses have been available since August. But like any ordinance, it is riddled with rules and regulations t…

Flashback to exactly 1 year ago - when election results were final after a delayed vote count and we officially declared victory! Now, 1 year later, neighborhood and community leaders are discussing the issue more than ever before, state lawmakers are expected to consider legislation, and City Council is soon pursuing a task force ~ however no permits have been issued and most interested businesses are ineligible from applying.

We fear that so many new rules created by the City through implementation hinder the intent of the program, but we are not giving up and we will continue fighting to protect the will of the voters, for the rights of cannabis consumers and to empower Denver's neighborhoods!

The results are in: Initiative 300 passes with 53% support from the voters! Denver Elections still has to count military & overseas ballots and certify the election, however we can now say for certain that our campaign was a success!

Congratulations and thank you to everyone who supported our campaign!

We will post upcoming news on this page.

The Alaska Ma*****na Control Board will decide at its upcoming meeting in Anchorage whether to allow onsite consumption of cannabis products. A proposed rule allowing it passed the board 3-2 in July. Proponents of legalizing public establishments for ma*****na consumption are hoping the third time is a charm. Onsite consumption leads the action agenda for the Nov. 14-15 Alaska Ma*****na Control Board meeting in Anchorage.

http://www.alaskajournal.com/2017-11-08/onsite-consumption-tops-agenda-ma*****na-board #.WgTO0Yhry02

Onsite consumption tops agenda for ma*****na board

Emmett Reistroffer of Denver Relief Consulting, the firm that led the city ballot initiative campaign, said the biggest roadblock is the city’s zoning restrictions. Denver won’t issue licenses to businesses or events that are within 1,000 feet of schools, child care centers, alcohol and drug treatment facilities, and city recreation centers and pools — which, Reistroffer said, rules out most of the city.

Where Buying Ma*****na is Legal, But There’s Nowhere to Smoke It States face multiple legal issues as they try to create venues for lounges, tasting rooms and other semi-public venues for ma*****na consumption.

5 years ago today, Colorado voters made history by passing Amendment 64 (The Colorado Ma*****na Initiative 2012), making us the first state in the nation to legalize cannabis for adult-use. Since then, Colorado has successfully implemented Amendment 64, creating a highly robust regulatory structure for the cultivation, production and sale of adult ma*****na products and has collected hundreds of millions of dollars in needed tax revenue. Although the state has made history and significant progress toward taxing and regulating cannabis - the state has not yet embraced social consumption or licensing for consumption establishments. We are still working hard to properly implement Initiative 300 in Denver, and hope to soon see permits issued for designated consumption areas.

Happy 5th legal ma*****na anniversary, Colorado & Washington!

It's working.

Cannabis consumption lounges from a San Francisco perspective..

"With the consumption area patients can not only relax and fully enjoy their medicine on quality equipment in a quality space, but the area also facilitates open dialogue and education that- could not previously exist. Our demos with concentrate companies and flower providers can all be sampled in real time, and patients get hands-on experience with the products. I have seen patients be able to confront cannabis myths or misconceptions with educators with enjoying a smoke in the lounge. Our challenges moving forward stem from lack of pre-existing guidance. We are still working through growing pains and fully realizing what a space like the lounge can do for California cannabis. For now our goals are simple: clean medicine in a safe, comfortable space."

The Benefits Of Cannabis Consumption Lounges | Cannabis Now A budtender describes the experience of working in a cannabis consumption lounge. n Nov. 8, 2016 California voters decided they were ready for recreational cannabis. What many who cast their ballots in favor of legal access may not have realized is that their decision would not fully come into effec...

The National Cannabis Industry Association's Industry Voice podcast featured I-300 lead proponent Kayvan Soorena Tyler Khalatbari-Limaki. Listen as they discuss community involvement and giving back, as well as recent efforts to implement the I-300 voter-approved initiative in Denver!

Listen to the NCIA Cannabis Industry Voice Episode - Social Responsibility in the Cannabis Industry on iHeartRadio | iHeartRadio Stream the NCIA Cannabis Industry Voice episode, Social Responsibility in the Cannabis Industry, free & on demand on iHeartRadio.

The social use discussion is happening in Canada.

As Legalization Looms, Toronto Wrangles Where to Allow Smoking | Leafly Cannabis advocates say a plan stipulating that cannabis can only be smoked in private homes is “not feasible” because it would, in effect, prevent many people from smoking it altogether.

But anyone expecting L.A. to become the next Amsterdam may be disappointed: It has held back, so far, on welcoming cafes or lounges where customers could smoke or consume cannabis.

That has troubled some ma*****na advocates and attorneys, who warn that even after California legalizes the sale of recreational pot, many tourists and renters could be left without a safe, legal place to use it in Los Angeles.

L.A. is set to be a hot market for ma*****na sales. But there might not be many places to smoke it Ma*****na advocates argue that even after California legalizes the sale of recreational ma*****na, many tourists and renters could be left without a safe, legal place to use it in L.A.

The problem persists and is beginning to be highlighted in nearly every jurisdiction where cannabis is legal. See this story in Washington D.C.

Some advocates criticized the increase in arrests, saying they disproportionately affected poor people and minorities. Jonathan Smith, executive director of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, an advocacy group that studied ma*****na arrests before legalization, said the number of arrests was “very troubling.”

“A rise in ma*****na enforcement, especially at a time of historic and dropping levels of crime in the District, suggests a return to failed practices of overpolicing and underserving communities of color,” Smith said.

D.C. arrests for public use of ma*****na nearly tripled last year Some don’t realize smoking pot outside is still illegal, an advocate says.