Jacob Bell
New Member
Calling Colorado "the geographic center" of the legal medical marijuana industry in the U.S., the National Organization for the Reformation of Marijuana Laws (NORML) is set to kick off its 40th annual conference in Denver next week, despite the growing controversy in the city and state over the sudden growth of the MMJ business.
As thousands of NORML supporters prepare to descend upon Denver for the conference, which counts television personality Montel Williams and musician Ziggy Marley among its guest speakers, Denver and the state have several issues on the table including bill proposals that seek to reign in the growth in the industry which some feel has gotten out of hand.
In the past few months, for instance, Colorado and Denver have confronted a number of MMJ-related issues including a marijuana investment fund, how many plants as dispensary can grow, where dispensaries can and cannot be located depending on how long they've been in business, clarifying rules and regulations for doctors recommending medical marijuana, whether products made from marijuana (such as brownies) should be legal, expanding the list of medical conditions for which medical marijuana can be prescribed and the role of the federal government in an industry which has been legalized by the state.
Despite these issues and other, NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre says that Denver and the state are the perfect setting for the conference (slated to begin Thursday, April 23 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel) because of what other states can learn from them.
"Millions of dollars of taxes and fees have already been collected by the state of Colorado," he said on the organization's website, "future state budgets now include the anticipated revenues and state bureaucracies are being created for (and funded by) these cannabis-related businesses.
"Cannabis commerce has come of age during the country's longest and steepest recession, Colorado is at the center of this public discussion and positive changes in laws," St. Pierre added.
The keynote speaker at the conference will be Colorado Congressman Jared Polis (2nd Dist.), who has been an outspoken advocate for the medical marijuana industry and advocated legalizing it for adult non-medical use.
"Just as the policy of prohibition failed nationally with alcohol — it's now up to states and counties — I think we should do the same with marijuana," Polis recently told CBS News' "Washington Unplugged".
In addition to Polis, other speakers include public interest lawyer and NORML founder Keith Stroup and marijuana researcher and author Lester Grinspoon, M.D.
News Hawk- Jacob Husky 420 MAGAZINE
Source: examiner.com
Author: Ken Green
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Clarity Digital Group LLC
Website: Denver to host 40th NORML national conference
As thousands of NORML supporters prepare to descend upon Denver for the conference, which counts television personality Montel Williams and musician Ziggy Marley among its guest speakers, Denver and the state have several issues on the table including bill proposals that seek to reign in the growth in the industry which some feel has gotten out of hand.
In the past few months, for instance, Colorado and Denver have confronted a number of MMJ-related issues including a marijuana investment fund, how many plants as dispensary can grow, where dispensaries can and cannot be located depending on how long they've been in business, clarifying rules and regulations for doctors recommending medical marijuana, whether products made from marijuana (such as brownies) should be legal, expanding the list of medical conditions for which medical marijuana can be prescribed and the role of the federal government in an industry which has been legalized by the state.
Despite these issues and other, NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre says that Denver and the state are the perfect setting for the conference (slated to begin Thursday, April 23 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel) because of what other states can learn from them.
"Millions of dollars of taxes and fees have already been collected by the state of Colorado," he said on the organization's website, "future state budgets now include the anticipated revenues and state bureaucracies are being created for (and funded by) these cannabis-related businesses.
"Cannabis commerce has come of age during the country's longest and steepest recession, Colorado is at the center of this public discussion and positive changes in laws," St. Pierre added.
The keynote speaker at the conference will be Colorado Congressman Jared Polis (2nd Dist.), who has been an outspoken advocate for the medical marijuana industry and advocated legalizing it for adult non-medical use.
"Just as the policy of prohibition failed nationally with alcohol — it's now up to states and counties — I think we should do the same with marijuana," Polis recently told CBS News' "Washington Unplugged".
In addition to Polis, other speakers include public interest lawyer and NORML founder Keith Stroup and marijuana researcher and author Lester Grinspoon, M.D.
News Hawk- Jacob Husky 420 MAGAZINE
Source: examiner.com
Author: Ken Green
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Clarity Digital Group LLC
Website: Denver to host 40th NORML national conference
