Jefferson County Marijuana Task Force Report

THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
J e f f e r s o n Co un ty Mar ijuan a Tas k Fo r ce

Table of Contents
Recommendation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Committee and Staff and Advisors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2
History of Marijuana Legalization in Colorado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3
Introduction to Impact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 7
PublicSafety Impact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9
Public Health Impacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 9
GovernmentImpact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 5
Business Impact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 3
Education and Youth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 7
Some Common Misconceptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Attachments
Attachment 1 : Chamber of Commerce Retail Marijuana in Unincorporated
Jefferson County Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 1
Attachment 2 : Jefferson County Tele Forum Po1 1 4 /2 1 /2 01 4 of Marijuana Use . . . . . . . . 7 3
Attachment 3: Jefferson County Jurisdiction Status on Medical and Retail
Establishments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 5
Attachment 4 : Adverse Health Effects of Marijuana Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 7
Attachment 5 : The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado: The Impact/Volume Z . . 87
Attachment 6: Task Force Minority "Opt In" Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Jefferson County Marijuana Task Force
Table of Contents
Tables and Graphs
Average Past Month Use of Marijuana Ages 12 to 17 Years Pre- and
Post-Medical Marijuana Commercialization Year (2009) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Drug-Related Suspensions/Expulsions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Percentage of Total Referrals to Law Enforcement in Colorado, 2005 to
2013 School Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
F atalities Involving Operators Testing Positive for Marijuana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Percent of All F atalities With Operators Testing Positive for Marijuana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Colorado Marijuana Interdiction Seizures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Pounds of Marijuana Seized by the U. S. Postal Inspection Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Potency Monitoring Program -Average THC Percent DEA-Submitted
Cannabis Samples 1995 - 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Hospitalizations Related to Marijuana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
St. Anthony Hospital, Patients Seen in the ED With Marijuana Diagnosis
F Y12-14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Average Percent of Children Ages 0 to 5 Years for Reported Marijuana
Exposure
Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
F atalities Involving Operators Testing Positive for Marijuana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Youth (Ages 12 to 27 Years) Past Month Marijuana Use National vs. Colorado. . . . . . 38
Correlation Between Perceived Risk and Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
F ive-Year Increase in Daily Marijuana Use Among 8,10 and 12~ Graders. . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Top Drugs Among 8~ and 12~ Graders, Past Year Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Average Past Month Use of Marijuana Ages 12 to 17 Years Pre- and Post-
Marijuana Commercialization Year (2009) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Average Drug-Related Suspensions/Expulsions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
J efferson County Marijuana Task F orce
Recommendation
The J ef f er s on County Mar ijuana Tas k For ce, af ter cons ider ing av ail ab l e ev idence,
r ecommends that the J ef f er s on County Boar d of County Commis s ioner s per manentl y
pr ohib it mar ijuana es tab l is hments within unincor por ated J ef f er s on County. The tas k
f or ce f inds that condoning and l icens ing mar ijuana es tab l is hments is not cons is tent with
the heal th, s af ety and wel f ar e of the citiz ens of J ef f er s on County. The tas k f or ce
r ecommends that the Boar d of County Commis s ioner s adopt the f ol l owing or dinance:
PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY GRANTED BY SECTION 16(5)(F) OF ARTICLE
XVIII OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF COLORADO, THE BOARD OF
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF THE COUNTY OF J EFFERSON PROHIBITS THE
OPERATION OF MARIJ UANA CULTIVATION FACILITIES, MARIJ UANA PRODUCT
MANUFACTURING FACILITIES, MARIJ UANA TESTING FACILITIES, AND RETAIL
MARIJ UANA STORES WITHIN UNINCORPORATED J EFFERSON COUNTY,
COLORADO.
J ef f er s on County Mar ijuana Tas k For ce
1 ~ P a g e
2 ~ P a g e
Executive Summary
The J ef f ers o n Co un ty Marijuan a Tas k Fo rce s pen t three mo n ths l is ten in g to
tes timo n y, reviewin g s tudies an d examin in g eviden ce rel ated to pro hibitin g o r
permittin g l icen s ed marijuan a es tabl is hmen t in un in co rpo rated J ef f ers o n Co un ty. The
tas k f o rce f o un d co mpel l in g eviden ce that it wo ul d n o t be in the bes t in teres t o f
J ef f ers o n Co un ty o r its citiz en s to al l o w marijuan a es tabl is hmen ts . Al tho ug h the
circums tan tial eviden ce was s ig n if ican t, it is impo rtan t to n o te that Co l o rado 's
experien ce with l eg al iz in g recreatio n al marijuan a is rel ativel y n ew an d s o me data is
l ackin g . I t wil l take an o ther two to f o ur years to be abl e to to tal l y as s es s the impact o f
l eg al iz in g recreatio n al marijuan a bas ed o n data an d f acts , n o t rheto ric. Ho wever, there
is co mpel l in g eviden ce to s uppo rt the po s itio n that the pro babl e an d po s s ibl e
co n s equen ces are s uf f icien tl y n eg ative that the bes t decis io n is to ban marijuan a
es tabl is hmen ts . So me o f the n eg ative impacts dis co vered by the tas k f o rce in cl ude:
Publ ic Saf ety I mpact
There is a pro babil ity that o veral l crime wil l in creas e. Appl ied l o g ic wo ul d
s ug g es t that when ever there is an in creas e in peo pl e un der the in f l uen ce o f an y
drug that crime wo ul d be impacted. This is particul arl y true with yo uth who
o f ten en g ag e in ris ky behavio r that s tudies have s ho wn in creas e with marijuan a
us e.
Traf f ic f atal ities in vo l vin g o perato rs who tes ted po s itive f o r marijuan a have
in creas ed 100 percen t s in ce Co l o rado co mmercial iz in g medical marijuan a.
The l eg al iz atio n o f recreatio n al marijuan a in 2013 has demo n s trated that
marijuan a-impaired drivin g wil l l ikel y in creas e. 77 percen t o f the Co l o rado State
Patro l 's 2014 Drivin g Un der the I n f l uen ce o f Drug s (DUI D) Pro g ram in ciden ts
in vo l ved marijuan a an d 42 percen t were f o r marijuan a al o n e.
Studen ts bein g ref erred to l aw en f o rcemen t f o r in ciden ts rel ated to marijuan a
have in creas ed s ubs tan tial l y s in ce the co mmercial iz atio n o f medical marijuan a.
The percen tag e o f to tal drug ref erral s to l aw en f o rcemen t has in creas ed 45
percen t.
Sin ce the co mmercial iz atio n o f medical marijuan a, an d co n tin uin g with
recreatio n al marijuan a, the divers io n o f Co l o rado marijuan a o uts ide the s tate has
J ef f ers o n Co un ty Marijuan a Tas k Fo rce
3 ~ P a g e
increased. Through the U. S. Mail along there has been a 762 percent increase in
seizures of pounds of Colorado marijuana sent out of state.
Recent experience in Denver shows an increase in citations for public
consumption of marijuana from 2013 to 2014.
Public Health Impact
Thousands of studies from reputable universities and medical schools have
substantiated a number of negative health impacts including:
o Respiratory and pulmonary adverse effects
o Cardiovascular: Increase in contributions to heart attack s and strok es
o Cancer: Marijuana playing a role in certain cancers including lung and
testicular cancer.
o Prenatal Exposure: Impacts on fetuses from marijuana-smok ing mothers that
later cause cognitive and attention deficits.
o Immune System: Possible impact on the immune system in which marijuana
suppresses certain system components.
Cognitive and Psychological Aspects of Use in Adults and Youth:
o A link with marijuana to psychosis and depression.
o Problems with marijuana dependence and/or addiction.
o Marijuana contributing to cognitive impairments including attention,
work ing memory, verbal learning and memory functions.
Other Health Issues
Colorado's rate for marijuana-related exposures is triple that of the national
average.
Marijuana-related exposures for children ages 0 to 5 on an average have
increased 268 percent from pre-to post-medical marijuana commercialization.
J efferson County Marijuana Task Force
4 ~ P a g e
S t . Ant hony Hospit al marijuana cases in t he emergency depart ment increased
184 percent in t he f irst six mont hs since licensed marijuana est ablishment s began
(January 2014) compared t o t he same six mont hs in 2013.
In 2012, t he Cit y of Denver marijuana- relat ed emergency room visit s were 45
percent higher t han t he Colorado rat e.
Hospit aliz at ions relat ed t o marijuana increased 82 percent f rom 2008 t o 2013.
Government Impact of Legaliz at ion
S ale or product ion of marijuana is a f ederal violat ion which pre- empt s st at e or
local law. A marijuana est ablishment is a criminal ent erprise under f ederal law.
A new administ rat ion could elect t o enf orce t he law, subject ing t hose engaged in
t he marijuana business t o prosecut ion and t he asset s subject t o seiz ure.
There is a probabilit y t hat t he overall societ al cost in t he f ut ure will f ar out weigh
revenue. The ex perience wit h alcohol and t obacco support s t hat posit ion.
There is a possibilit y t hat propert y values could be reduced wit hin
unincorporat ed Jef f erson Count y and t hus reduce propert y t ax es.
There is a probabilit y t hat lit igat ion f rom t he marijuana indust ry, or against t he
marijuana est ablishment s, will increase.
Business Impact
A survey of business owners in unincorporat ed Jef f erson Count y shows t hat 51
percent believe marijuana est ablishment s would det ract f rom t he q ualit y of lif e
and image of t he count y. Only 28 percent believed it would enhance t he q ualit y
of lif e and image of t he count y.
From a business perspect ive, t here is a concern t hat propert y values would be
adversely impact ed, including some environment al concerns.
Licensing marijuana est ablishment s would also raise workplace drug policy
issues and pot ent ial lit igat ion.
Jef f erson Count y Marijuana Task Force
5 ~ P a g e
There i s a p o s s i b i l i t y t hat l i c en s i n g mari juan a es t ab l i s hmen t s wo ul d have an
i mp ac t o n at t rac t i n g n ew b us i n es s es an d i n ves t men t p o t en t i al .
Educ at i o n al Imp ac t
The n o rmal i zat i o n o f mari juan a has c aus ed a s i g n i fi c an t reduc t i o n i n t een ag ers '
p erc ep t i o n o f t he ri s k o f mari juan a us e, a s i g n i fi c an t fac t o r i n t he rat e o f us e.
Reg ul ar us e o f mari juan a amo n g Co l o rado y o ut h (ag es 12 t o 17 y ears ) i s ran k ed
4 t h i n t he n at i o n al an d 39 p erc en t hi g her t han t he n at i o n al averag e.
The i n c reas ed us e amo n g t een s , p art i c ul arl y at earl y ag es , l eads t o 1 o ut o f 6
b ec o mi n g addi c t ed t o mari juan a.
St udi es s ho w mari juan a us e advers el y affec t s b rai n devel o p men t whi c h i s n o t
c o n duc i ve t o educ at i n g o ur y o ut h.
Ei g ht y -n i n e p erc en t o f s c ho o l res o urc e o ffi c ers s urvey ed have s een an i n c reas e i n
mari juan a i n c i den t s i n t he s c ho o l s s i n c e rec reat i o n al mari juan a was l eg al i zed.
Dat a s ho ws a 32 p erc en t i n c reas e i n drug s us p en s i o n s an d exp ul s i o n s i n s c ho o l s
s i n c e medi c al mari juan a was c o mmerc i al i zed i n 2009.
The t as k fo rc e b el i eves i t i s c ri t i c al t hat J effers o n Co un t y l eaders s en d a s t ro n g
mes s ag e t hat t he us e o f mari juan a i s n o t i n t he b es t i n t eres t s o f i t s c i t i zen s o r i n k eep i n g
wi t h t he heal t hy an d s afe en vi ro n men t t hey are t ry i n g t o en han c e i n J effers o n Co un t y .
A c hamb er o f c o mmerc e s urvey o f J effers o n Co un t y b us i n es s es s ho ws 5 1. 6
p erc en t b el i eve al l o wi n g ret ai l mari juan a es t ab l i s hmen t s wo ul d det rac t fro m t he q ual i t y
o f l i fe i n un i n c o rp o rat ed J effers o n Co un t y . On l y 28 . 5 p erc en t fel t t hat i t wo ul d en han c e
t he q ual i t y o f l i fe. In t he s ame s urvey , 5 3. 4 p erc en t fel t t hat mari juan a es t ab l i s hmen t s
wo ul d det rac t fro m t he i mag e o f un i n c o rp o rat ed J effers o n Co un t y an d o n l y 24 . 8 p erc en t
fel t i t wo ul d en han c e t he i mag e.
In a J effers o n Co un t y t el e fo rum p o l l , 72 p erc en t o f t he res p o n den t s s ai d t hat t hey
di d n o t wan t rec reat i o n al mari juan a s al es i n un i n c o rp o rat ed J effers o n Co un t y an d 74
p erc en t s ai d mari juan a s al es wo ul d harm t he l i ves o f J effers o n Co un t y res i den t s .
In 2010, t he J effers o n Co un t y Bo ard o f Co mmi s s i o n ers b an n ed medi c al mari juan a
es t ab l i s hmen t s as t hey fo un d t he dec i s i o n was "n ec es s ary t o t he p res ervat i o n an d
J effers o n Co un t y Mari juan a Tas k Fo rc e 6 ~ P a g e
furtherance of the heal th, s afety and wel fare of the ci ti z ens of J effers on County ..." The
tas k force appl auds that deci s i on and as k s the County Board of Commi s s i oners to mak e
the s ame k i nd of deci s i on on recreati onal mari juana es tabl i s hments .
J effers on County Mari juana Tas k Force
7 ~ P a g e
Jefferson County Marijuana Task Force 8 ~ P a g e
Introduction
Amendment 64, concerning the use and regulation of marijuana, was passed in
Colorado in November 2012. Amendment 64 creates astate-wide system of regulated
retail marijuana establishments that can grow, sell, produce, and test marijuana and
marijuana products. After Amendment 64 was passed a number of other bills
governing marijuana have been enacted. Under the legal framework currently in place,
local governments have wide discretion in determining whether and how to regulate
marijuana establishments. Pursuant to Section 16 (5) (f) of Article XVIII of the Colorado
constitution and Section 12-43 .4-3 01 C.R.S a locality may prohibit the operation of
marijuana cultivation facilities, marijuana product manufacturing facilities, marijuana
testing facilities, or retail marijuana stores through the enactment of an ordinance or
through an initiated or referred measure. Irrespective of the legal framework in
Colorado, marijuana remains illegal under federal law.
Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners
By unanimous action of the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners an
ordinance was adopted, CC13 -243 , prohibiting the operation of marijuana
establishments within unincorporated Jefferson County effective July 28, 2013 .
Prohibited marijuana establishments include:
1. "Marijuana cultivation facility" means an entity licensed to cultivate,
prepare, and package marijuana and sell marijuana to retail marijuana stores, to
marijuana product manufacturing facilities, and to other marijuana cultivation facilities,
but not to consumers.
2. "Marijuana establishment' means a marijuana cultivation facility,
marijuana testing facility, a marijuana product manufacturing facility, or a retail
marijuana store.
3 . "Marijuana product manufacturing facility" means an entity licensed to
purchase marijuana; manufacture, prepare, and package marijuana products; and sell
marijuana and marijuana products to other marijuana product manufacturing facilities
and to retail marijuana stores, but not to consumers.
4. "Marijuana testing facility" means an entity licensed to analyze and
certify the safety and potency of marijuana.
9 ~ P a g e
5. "Medical marijuana center" means an entity licensed by a state agency to
sell marijuana and marijuana pro ducts pursuant to sectio n 14 o f th is article and th e
Co lo rado Medical Marijuana Co de.
6. "Retail marijuana sto re" means an entity licensed to purch ase marijuana
fro m marijuana cultiv atio n facilities and marijuana and marijuana pro ducts fro m
marijuana pro duct manufacturing facilities and to sell marijuana and marijuana
pro ducts to co nsumers.
Th e o rdinance pro h ibiting th e establish ment o f marijuana facilities, centers, and
sto res ceases to be effectiv e o n February 1, 2015, unless furth er actio n is taken to extend
th e effectiv e date o f th e o rdinance.
Marijuana Task Fo rce
In early 2014, th e J efferso n Co unty Bo ard o f Co unty Co mmissio ners fo rmed a
Marijuana Task Fo rce to repo rt o n and make reco mmendatio ns co ncerning wh eth er
marijuana establish ments sh o uld be permitted in uninco rpo rated J efferso n Co unty .
P iv o tal to th e bo ard's co nsideratio n are po tential impacts o f marijuana establish ments,
po sitiv e and negativ e, upo n public h ealth , public safety , go v ernment o peratio ns, lo cal
businesses and educatio n.
Th e Marijuana Task Fo rce met ev ery two weeks o v er th e co urse o f sev eral
mo nth s co mmencing Apri128, 2014. Initially , th e task fo rce rev iewed its ch arge as
giv en by th e Bo ard o f Co unty Co mmissio ners and reso lv ed co ncerns o v er task fo rce
structure and o rganiz atio n. A ch airwo man was elected by th e task fo rce members. Sh e
generally guided discussio n and th e wo rk o f th e task fo rce and was ably assisted by a
staff facilitato r. Task fo rce discussio n and spirited debate fo cused o n po tential impacts
o f marijuana establish ments in uninco rpo rated J efferso n Co unty . Task fo rce members
were inv ited to sh are expertise and co llect studies pertaining to impacts o f marijuana
fo r th e gro up's co nsideratio n. Guest speakers presented info rmatio n o n a v ariety o f
to pics, including regulatio ns, taxatio n and enfo rcement, to th e task fo rce. E ffo rts were
made to co llect and sh are info rmatio n relev ant to public safety , public h ealth , business,
educatio n, taxatio n and regulatio n. Finally , public co mment was inv ited and freq uently
o ffered by members o f th e co mmunity to th e task fo rce.
Two subco mmittees fo rmed o ut o f th e task fo rce. One subco mmittee prepared a
repo rt to suppo rt pro h ibiting marijuana establish ments and th e o th er to permit
marijuana establish ments (Attach ment 6) in uninco rpo rated J efferso n Co unty .
J efferso n Co unty Marijuana Task Fo rce
10 P a g e
However, t h ere i s only one recommendat i on from t h e t as k force bas ed on maj ori t y vot e
(7 i n favor/2 oppos ed). Th e t as k force recommends t h at mari j uana es t abli s h ment s not
be permi t t ed i n uni ncorporat ed J effers on Count y, and t h at t h ey be banned by res olut i on
and ordi nance. Th e mi nori t y report i s At t ach ment 6.
Gi ven t h e s t at e of t h e mari j uana res earch , k nown i ll effect s of mari j uana, and
federal law proh i bi t i ng mari j uana, t h e board s h ould ex erci s e i t s di s cret i on t o proh i bi t
mari j uana es t abli s h ment s . Mari j uana i s leg al under Colorado law under cert ai n
ci rcums t ances ; h owever, i t does not neces s ari ly follow t h at mari j uana es t abli s h ment s
are i n t h e bes t i nt eres t s of t h e ci t i z ens of J effers on Count y or t h at t h ey s h ould be
allowed.
Even t h oug h Amendment 64 pas s ed i n t h e s t at e, vot ers h ave t ak en a di fferent
pos i t i on wi t h res pect t o t h e operat i on of mari j uana es t abli s h ment s . Th i s i s evi denced
by t h e J effers on Count y a t own h all poll and ch amber of commerce s urvey. A vot er
could favor decri mi nali z i ng pos s es s i on of s mall amount s of mari j uana yet be adamant ly
oppos ed t o t h e development of mari j uana es t abli s h ment s i n t h e communi t y.
Undoubt edly, oppos i t i on t o mari j uana es t abli s h ment s i s i n part due t o neg at i ve i mpact s
on li fe i n J effers on Count y as des cri bed i n t h e Impact S ect i on of t h i s report .
J effers on Count y Mari j uana Tas k Force
11 P a g e
Committee and S taf f Advisors
Members T itl e Or anization
Lin Browning P resident, CEO of Evergreen Area Chamber of Commerce
Robert Cantwel l
Mike El l iott
T homas Gorman
Dr. Mark Johnson
Ramey Johnson, Chairwoman
Erin P hil l ip s
James McCormick
Ronn Nixon
Brian Richardson
Charl es T ingl e
Jordan Wel l ington
John Wol f orth
P atricia Woodin
Al ternates
Mike Chadwick
Mike Dougherty
Jef f S chrader
P ete Weir
Donna V iverette
Retired Law Enf orcement (DP D-CBI-DOC)
Executive Director of the Marijuana Industry Group
Director, Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug T raf f icking
Area
Jef f erson County P ubl ic Heal th
Lakewood City Council woman
Owner, S trainwise, Inc.
V ice P resident f or S tudent Lif e, Col orado Christian
U niversity
P aral egal ; unp aid and unaf f il iated cannabis advocate
Indep endent insurance agency owner
District Attorney' s Of f ice
Attorney
Jef f erson County P l anning and Zoning Division
Jef f erson County S herif f ' s Of f ice
Organization
Jef f erson County P l anning and Zoning Division
Jef f erson County S herif f ' s Of f ice
Jef f erson County P ubl ic Heal th
S taf f Or anization
Eric Butl er County Attorney' s Of f ice
Nate Emswil l er County Administrator' s Of f ice
Jeanie Rossil l on, F acil itator Jef f erson County Devel op ment and T ransp ortation
Jef f erson County Marijuana T ask F orce
12 P a g e
History of Marijuana Legalization in Colorado
1917: Colorado c rim inalized m arijuana.
2000: Colorado Constitutional Am endm ent 20 approved by voters provided an
affirm ative defense for the m edic inal use of m arijuana for c ertain c hronic or
debilitating diseases or m edic al c onditions.
2006: Am endm ent 44 legalizing m arijuana was on the Colorado ballot but failed to
pass.
2008: Colorado had between 1, 000 and 4, 800 m edic al m arijuana c ardholders and no
known dispensaries.
2009: Medic al m arijuana bec am e c om m erc ialized and expanded in Colorado.
In February, the U.S. Attorney General announc ed that the federal
governm ent would disc ontinue legal ac tion against m edic al m arijuana
dispensaries in California.
In J uly, the Colorado Departm ent of Health failed to reinstate the five patients
per c aregiver ratio.
Com m erc ial "dispensaries" em erged under the guise of being c aregivers for
num erous individuals without fear of federal interferenc e.
Colorado went from approxim ately 4, 000 m edic al m arijuana c ardholders to
41, 000 and no known dispensaries to over 250 by the end of 2009.
2010: The Colorado Legislature passed HR 1284, whic h legalized m edic al m arijuana
c enters, c ultivation sites, and edible m anufac turers.
J uly 6, 2010: J efferson County Board of Com m issioners passed Resolution CC10-285
prohibiting m edic al m arijuana establishm ents as in the best interests of
the health, safety and welfare of the c itizens.
2012: There were 5321ic ensed dispensaries and over 108, 000 m edic al m arijuana
c ardholders in Colorado.
J efferson County Marijuana Task Forc e
13 P a g e
2012: Colorado voters passed Con sti tu ti on al Amen dmen t 64 whi ch leg ali z ed
mari ju an a for recreati on al pu rposes.
May 28, 2013: J efferson Cou n ty Board of Commi ssi on ers adopted Resolu ti on CC 13-
215 creati n g a temporary moratori u m prohi b i ti n g mari ju an a
estab li shmen ts.
J u n e 18, 2013: J efferson Cou n ty Board of Commi ssi on ers adopted Resolu ti on CC 13-
243 exten di n g a temporary moratori u m prohi b i ti n g mari ju an a
estab li shmen ts u n ti l Feb ru ary 1, 2015.
2013/2014: Colorado L eg i slatu re passed a vari ety of laws g overn i n g the recreati on al
mari ju an a i n du stry. Colorado state g overn men t passed ru les an d
reg u lati on s to reg u late the mari ju an a i n du stry.
J an u ary, 2014: The fi rst recreati on al mari ju an a estab li shmen t b eg an operati n g .
Apri 115, 2014: J efferson Cou n ty Board of Commi ssi on ers adopted Resolu ti on CC 14-
159 estab li shi n g the J efferson Cou n ty Mari ju an a Task Force.
Apri 130, 2014: There were 116,180 mari ju an a reg i stry ID cards.
J u n e, 2014: L ocal respon se to li cen sed recreati on al mari ju an a estab li shmen ts:
36 cou n ti es an d 174 ci ti es have b an n ed recreati on al mari ju an a estab li shmen ts
8 cou n ti es an d 45 ci ti es have a moratori u m, or temporary b an , on recreati on al
mari ju an a estab li shmen ts
5 cou n ti es an d 6 ci ti es have prohi b i ted n ew b u si n esses b u t allow medi cal
estab li shmen ts to mi g rate to recreati on al mari ju an a estab li shmen ts
15 cou n ti es an d 30 ci ti es have permi tted li cen sed mari ju an a estab li shmen ts
J u ly 1, 2014:
There were 493 li cen sed mari ju an a medi cal cen ters an d 2121i cen sed
mari ju an a retai l stores.
J efferson Cou n ty Mari ju an a Task Force
14 P a g e
There were 7291icensed marijuana cul t iv at io n f acil it ies and 2791icensed
recreat io nal cul t iv at io n f acil it ies.
There are 149 medical marijuana- inf used ( edib l e) b usinesses and 631icensed
inf used- pro duct b usinesses f o r recreat io nal marijuana.
J ef f erso n Co unt y Marijuana Task Fo rce
15 P a g e
16 P a g e
Introduction to Impact
In order to thoroughly as s es s the impact of licens ing marijuana es tab lis hments ,
the tas k force b eliev es it is important to cons ider factors that contrib ute to the rate of
drug us e. Drug policy' s (enforcement, prev ention and treatment) purpos e is to limit the
numb er of people us ing drugs b ecaus e of the negativ e impact on us ers , their families
and friends and s ociety in general. The primary factors that affect the rate of drug us e
are:
A v ailab ility: The more av ailab le the drug, the more people tend to us e.
A v ailab ility includes the amount of time it tak es to ob tain the s ub s tance.
Perception of Ris k : The lower the perception of ris k the greater the us e. This
includes the ris k of getting into troub le as well as the adv ers e mental and
phys ical impact on the indiv idual.
Pub lic A ttitude: The greater the pub lic acceptance of a drug, the greater the us e.
The pub lic includes family, community, s tate and the nation.
Price: A lthough not univ ers ally accepted as a primary factor, many drug
ex perts , including a RA ND Corporation s tudy, cite price as b eing a factor in us e.
The lower the price the greater the us e, the higher the price the les s the us e.
Youth are particularly v ulnerab le to the price s ince oftentimes their income is
limited.
J effers on County Marijuana Tas k Force
17 P a g e
18 P a g e
Public Safety Impact
Introduction
The J effers on County Board of Commis s ioners is rig htfully concerned with the
impact of marijuana es tablis hments on public s afety. Althoug h licens ed marijuana
es tablis hments are relativ ely new, there is data av ailable bas ed on Colorado's
experience with commercial medical marijuana es tablis hments beg inning in 2009. This
data is a g ood precurs or of what to expect with recreational marijuana. The tas k force
examined crime s tatis tics , traffic fatalities , impaired driv ing , div ers ion and youth
behav ior. The ev idence is ov erwhelming that leg aliz ing marijuana has had a s ig nificant
impact on public s afety.
Crime
Ov er the pas t number of years in Colorado crime has remained relativ ely s table
althoug h there was a 2. 1 percent increas e in v iolent crimes and a 1 . 3 percent ris e in
property crimes from 201 2 to 201 3 . ' Howev er in Denv er, with the majority of medical
and recreational marijuana es tablis hments , the crime rate s hows a 2 percent increas e in
property crime from 2009 to 201 3 and a 25 percent ris e in v iolent crimes from 2009 to
201 3 .2 In comparing the firs t s ix months of 201 3 to the firs t s ix months of 201 4, Denv er
has had a 7 percent increas e in all crimes : z
Crime data is potential trend information and cannot be pos itiv ely link ed to
either the medical or recreational es tablis hments . Howev er, this may be an indication
of probable or pos s ible outcomes particularly cons idering s tudies relating drug us e and
crime. There is an inherent problem with people being under the influence of any
s ubs tance and criminal behav ior. In Denv er for ins tance, in 201 3 , 48 . 4 percent of male
adult arres tees tes ted pos itiv e for marijuana an increas e of 1 6 percent from 2008 .3
Als o, by mid-201 3 Denv er Police had written more tick ets for public cons umption of
marijuana than they had in a1 1 201 2.4
Youth and Crime
The s tudies and s tatis tics relating to youth anti-s ocial behav ior and marijuana
us e are s ubs tantial. A 2006 report entitled "The R elations hip Between Alcohol, Drug
Us e and Violence Among Students " by the Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America
(CADCA):
1 9 P a g e
Over 60 percent of the youth involved with weapons in school were marijuana
users.
27 percent who threatened someone else with a gun, k nife or club or threatened
to hit, slap or k ick someone were marijuana users.
According to a Department of Health and Human S ervices report, young people
who use marijuana week ly are four times as lik ely as non- users to engage in violence. s
An Office of National Drug Control P olicy (ONDCP ) report shows the incidents
of youth physically attack ing others, stealing or destroying property increased in
proportion to the number of days marijuana was smok ed in the past year.6 The
National S urvey on Drug Use and Health shows youth engaged in fighting or other
delinquent behavior were more lik ely than other youth to have illicit drug use in the
past month, which includes assault and theft. '
In Colorado, prior to the commercialization of medical marijuana, approximately
8 percent of teens (age 12 to 17) were considered regular marijuana users. That
percentage jumped 25 percent after the commercialization of medical marijuana to over
10 percent. In fact, in that age group, Colorado is 39 percent higher than the national
average and rank ed fourth in the nation.8
20 P a g e
Average Past Month Use of Marijuana
Ages 12 to 17 Years
Pre- and Post-Medical Marijuana
Commercialization Year (2009)
12. 00i
~ ,
Z o. 00i
L
a
w
8. 00%
a~
Q
6. 00
4. 00
2. 00
0. 00
2006-2008 2010-2012
SOURCE: Data from SAMHSA. gov, National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2013
The result of the increase in drug use among teens has been displayed in
behavior in school. From school year 2008/2009 to school year 2012/2013, there has been
a 32 percent increase in drug-related suspensions and expulsions the majority of which
are for marijuana.9
21 P a g e
8 , 0 0 0
~ , 0 0 0
6, 0 0 0
5, 0 0 0
4, 0 0 0
~ 3, 0 0 0
2, 0 0 0
1, 0 0 0
0
Drug-Related Suspensions/Expulsions
ti ~ ti ~ ti ~ ti ~ ti 1~ ti ~1 titip ti ~ ~
Academic Years
SOURCE: Colorado Department of Education', Academic Years 20 0 6-20 13
Over the same period of time, while alcohol violations remained relatively stab le,
the violations for drugs and referrals to law enforcement went from 24 percent of all
referrals to 34. This is a 42 percent
increase.lo
22 P a g e
40.0
35.0
30.0
a
~ 25.0
.~
0
20.0
0
J 15.0
10.0
a
a 5.0
0.0
Percentage of Total R eferrals to Law
Enforcement in Colorado, 2005 to 2013
School Years
32.3
34.1
28.9 ~
23.4
24.1
23.5
24.1
8.0
7.5
~
6 6~_
CPS CPS CPS ~ O ,~ O ,~ O ,~ O,3
Academic Years
SOUR CE: Colorado Department of Education, Academic Years 2006-2013
~~Drug V iolations
~~Alcohol V iolations
A J une 2014 s urvey of 100 s chool res ource officers revealed that 89 percent have
s een an increas e in marijuana-related incidents s ince recreational marijuana has been
legalized. Of thos e res ource officers , 61 percent reported that they believe the s tudents
are getting marijuana from friends who obtain it legally or from their parents .l'
Impaired Driving
While overall traffic fatalities in Colorado have decreas ed approximately 15
percent from 2007 to 2012, fatalities involving operators tes ting pos itive for marijuana
increas ed 100 percent.1z
The percentage of all traffic fatalities involving operators tes ting pos itive for
marijuana doubled from 2007 to 2012 from about 7 percent to 16.5 percent. Prior to
2009, Colorado averaged approximately 40 fatalities where the operator tes ted pos itive
for marijuana. After the commercialization of medical marijuana, that increas ed 24
percent to an average of over 60 a year.
J effers on County Marijuana Tas k Force 23 P a g e
~ 60
' ~
~~ 50
M
0
40
L
~ 30
~ 20
z
10
0
F a t a l i t i e s Invol vi ng Ope ra t ors Te s t i ng
Pos i t i ve for Ma ri jua na
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Ye a r
SOURCE: Na t i ona l Hi ghwa y Tra ns port a t i on Sa fe t y Admi ni s t ra t i on, F a t a l i t y Ana l ys i s Re port i ng Sys t e m
(F ARS), 2006-20011 a nd RMHIDTA 2012
Pe rce nt of Al l F a t a l i t i e s Wi t h Ope ra t ors
Te s t i ng Pos i t i ve for Ma ri jua na
zo. 00r
y 18. 00%
a ~
+ r 16. 00%
14. 00%
~ 12. 00%
r
H 10. 00%
8. 00%
c
v 6. 00%
a 4. 00%
2. 00
0. 00%
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
SOURCE: Na t i ona l Hi ghwa y Tra ns port a t i on Sa fe t y Admi ni s t ra t i on, F a t a l i t y Ana l ys i s Re port i ng Sys t e m
(F ARS), 2006-20011 a nd RMHIDTA 2012
J e ffe rs on Count y Ma ri jua na Ta s k F orce
24 P a g e
Officia12013 records from the Larimer County S heriff' s Department show that in
stops for driving under the infl uence of drugs (DUID), 94 percent tested positive for
marijuana. The first three months of DUIDs in 2014 are on a pace to exceed the number
in 2013.
The Col orado S tate Patrol Driving Under the Infl uence of Drugs Program
initiated in 2014 shows that during the first six months, 77 percent of the arrests
invol ved marijuana and 42 percent were marijuana al one.
According to the Col orado Department of Transportation, Drug Recognition
Experts (DRE) compl eted over 500 impaired driving eval uations of which 62 percent
were for marijuana as confirmed by toxicol ogy reports.
Diversion of Col orado Marijuana
Proponents of l egal iz ing marijuana base their position on a number of issues
incl uding the bel ief that l egal iz ing marijuana woul d el iminate the bl ack market.
However, with the l egal iz ation of marijuana Col orado has become the bl ack market for
at l east 40 other states that have been identified receiving Col orado marijuana.
According to the El Paso Intel l igence Center (EPIC) National S eiz ure S ystem,
there has been a 397 percent increase in highway interdictions invol ving Col orado
marijuana destined for other states since 2008.
25 P a g e
350
~ 300
250
0
~ 200
E
Z 150
100
L 7 ~]
[ ~]
Colorado Marijuana I nt e rdic t ion
Se izure s
321
288
4--
281
92
54 41
57 58

~
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
SOURCE: El Paso I nt e llig e nc e Ce nt e r, Nat ional Se izure Syst e m
From 2005 t o 2008, c ompare d t o 2009 t o 2013, t he re was an ove r 30 pe rc e nt
inc re ase in t he pounds of Colorado marijuana se ize d in hig hway int e rdic t ions. During
t he lat t e r ye ars, it ave rag e d ove r 3,600 pounds. I nt e rdic t ion offic e rs be lie ve t he y only
se ize about 10 pe rc e nt of what ac t ually g e t s t hroug h unde t e c t e d.
The U. S. Post al I nspe c t ion Se rvic e Prohibit e d Mailing of Narc ot ic s syst e m re ve als
t hat in 2009 t he re we re no parc e ls of Colorado marijuana se ize d t hroug h t he U. S. mail.
I n 2010 t he re we re 15 parc e ls se ize d c ont aining Colorado marijuana de st ine d t o ot he r
st at e s. That numbe r jumpe d t o 1,280 pe rc e nt t o 207 parc e ls in 2013. The pounds of
marijuana se ize d during t hat same pe riod inc re ase d 7 62 pe rc e nt from 57 pounds in 2010
t o 493 pounds in 2013.
J e ffe rson Count y Marijuana Task Forc e
26 P a g e
Pounds of Marijuana Seized by the U.S.
Postal Inspection Service
500
400
H
3 300
0
a
200
100
0
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
SOURCE: United States Postal Inspection Service Prohibited Mailing of Narcotics
Endnotes
1 Tom McGhee, The Denver Post, July 2, 2014
z City and County of Denver,
<http://www.denvergov.org/PoliceDepartment/CrimeInformation/CrimeStatisticsMaps/
tabid/44137 0/Default. aspx>
3 Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2014.2013 annual report, arrestee drug
abuse monitoring program II, June 2014
4 John Ingold, The Denver Post, August 1, 2013, Public marijuana use is illegal but
seldom punished in Denver
5 Adolescents self-reported behaviors and their association with marijuana use,
Department of Health and Human Services, 1999
6 Marijuana Myths and F acts: the Truth Behind Ten Popular Misconceptions, Office
of National Drug Control Policy 2006
Jefferson County Marijuana Task F orce
27 P a g e
2011, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, 2012
$ National Survey on Drug Use and Health Mode12012,
<htt~://www.SAMHSA. ~ov>
9 Colorado Department of Education, Academic Years 2006 - 2013
to
I b id.
11
The L egaliz ation of Marijuana in Colorado: The I mpact/Volume 2, Rocky Mountain
High I ntensity Drug Trafficking Area, August 2014
1z
National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) F atality
Analysis Reporting System (F ARS) 2006 - 2011; and Rocky Mountain HI DTA 2012
28 P a g e
Public Health Impacts
Introduction
The use of marijuana (cannabis) causes, at a minimum, a pleasurable experience
for many. Some who use the drug experience intense pleasure to the point of euphoria.
The primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, THC, has its effect on the pleasure
and reward system of the brain and, when smoked, the effect is nearly immediate and
can last 4 hours or more. For a percentage of those who use either the smoked or edible
forms of cannabis, the pleasure also comes with certain costs. These costs to individuals
translate to costs to the health and safety of the public. The more individuals who use
marijuana, the greater the impact is on public health and the systems and resources
needed to address the impact.
Several issues are at the heart of the debate about the public health implications
of legaliz ing the retail sale of marijuana. One issue is the question about the potential
benefits and harms of individual use of marijuana and the degree of impact on public
health. A second issue is the question about how commercializ ation of marijuana (via
retail medical and recreational marijuana establishments) might impact public health
and if/how the negative impacts to public health might be offset by the possible benefits
of commercializ ation. Though we do have data around these issues, the evidence base
in some areas is still in its infancy.
Before reviewing the evidence around these issues, it is important to note that
the passage of Amendment 64 decriminaliz es use and possession of up to an ounce of
marijuana (approximately 50 or more marijuana cigarettes), as well as cultivation of six
marijuana plants by individuals. D ecriminaliz ation may help in the study of the human
(versus animal), in vivo (versus laboratory) health and public health effects of
marijuana use. It is estimated that well- designed research over, the next ten years may
give us the information needed to adequately inform public health and safety policies
around marijuana. U ntil then, we must look at what is widely accepted as sound
evidence.
General Health Effects of Marijuana U se
There are a number of compounds in cannabis known to have medicinal value,
and the field of research around medicinal uses of cannabis continues to grow. Most
accepted among the medicinal benefits is marijuana's ability to act as an analgesic to
29 P a g e
reduce chronic pain, act as an ant i-inflammat ory for cert ain diseases, serve as an ant i-
emet ic t o reduce nausea associat ed wit h chemot herapy and t o improve appet it e, and as
an aid t o reducing int ra-ocular pressure. Emerging research shows promise for use in
some forms of epilepsy and t o reduce muscle spast icit y common in diseases such as
mult iple sclerosis. Though some report s claim t hat cannabis may be effect ive in
t reat ing cert ain ment al healt h sympt oms (including anx iet y and depression) , current
dat a show a great er connect ion bet ween marijuana use and poor ment al healt h
out comes for adult s and yout h. Where medicinal benefit s ex ist , effect s can t ypically be
obt ained wit h synt het ic mimet ics t hat do not include t he ingredient s which cause t he
psychoact ive "high" and don't req uire individuals t o smoke t he product . An ex t ensive
review by t he I nst it ut e of Medicine concluded t hat smoked cannabis should "generally
not be recommended for medical use. "'
Acut e and Chronic Healt h Effect s in Adult s and Yout h
Respirat ory/pulmonary healt h effect s Marijuana smoke cont ains many of t he
same component s t hat are found in t obacco smoke (including carbon monox ide and
cyanide) . For heavy users, daily cough, chronic bronchit is, lung infect ions and
pneumonia are more common. Though t here may be short t erm benefit s of cannabis on
bronchial dilat ion, t he inflammat ion caused by use appears t o cause long t erm adverse
effect s, including a number of condit ions which are known precursors t o chronic
obst ruct ive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cancer. I t is believed t hat t he immunologic
compet ence of t he respirat ory syst em in marijuana smokers may be compromised as
indicat ed by increased rat es of respirat ory infect ions and pneumonia.2 As yet , however,
causal associat ions bet ween COPD and lung cancer have not been clearly est ablished.3
Cardiovascular effect s I t is generally well accept ed t hat cannabis and THC
cause an increase in heart rat e, which is a concern for people wit h ex ist ing
cardiovascular disease. St udies show t hat cannabis use cont ribut es t o a 4 . 8-fold
increase in heart at t ack wit hin an hour aft er use and may ex acerbat e angina in pat ient s
wit h cardiovascular disease. ' Research around t he associat ion of st roke and cannabis
use is growing, wit h some evidence t hat cannabis use may cause a condit ion similar t o
Reversible Cerebral V asoconst rict ion Syndrome, account ing for an increase in st rokes
among younger adult users 4
Cancer risks Though current pre-clinical research indicat es t hat t he
cannabinoids in non-smoked cannabis may play a pot ent ial role in t he t reat ment of cert ain
cancers, a growing body of evidence suggest s t hat smoked cannabis is associat ed wit h
or a fact or in t he incidence of cancer. Bronchial biopsies of cannabis smokers have
det ect ed signs of inflamed airways similar t o what is seen in t obacco smokers which is
J efferson Count y Marijuana Task Force
30 P a g e
evidence of precancerous changes suggestive of higher risk of respiratory cancers. ' A
study from Sweden spanning 40 y ears showed that, among those who smok ed the
highest q uantities of marijuana, there was a 2 . 1 percent increase in lung cancer risk
( sub stantially less risk than for tob acco smok ing).5 Other studies link marijuana smok e
to orophary ngeal and testicular cancers. b
E ffects associated with perinatal ( pre- and post-natal) exposure - ( fetal
growth, neurob ehavioral effects, etc. ) -E xposure to marijuana during pregnancy has
b een associated with cognitive and attention deficits, memory and learning prob lems,
early onset of depression, and sub stance use b y early adolescence in children exposed in
utero. ' ~ 8. 9 School-age intellectual development has b een shown to b e detrimentally
affected b y prenatal marijuana exposure and exposure during lactation. Though the
extent to which the effects persist into adolescence and adulthood are uncertain, the
implications are that the impact on neuropsy chiatric, b ehavioral and executive
functioning may influence adult productivity and lifetime outcomes.1 0 Generally
agreed is that the risk s to the fetus and child are sub stantive enough to warrant
advisement of pregnant women not to smok e marijuana during pregnancy and
lactation and to avoid exposure to marijuana smok e.
Immune sy stem effects -Though studies are mixed on the issue of immune
effects of marijuana use, several studies have found that cannab inoids cause
suppression of certain immune sy stem components, resulting in increased susceptib ility
to cancer and infections.1 1 Pulmonary infections are more common among heavy
marijuana users, possib ly as a result of marijuana' s impairing effect on certain immune
cells, alveolar macrophages, which are the primary line of defense against lung
infections.
Hospitalizations and calls to poison centers -Marijuana is considered to have
lower toxicity when compared with other psy choactive drugs b ecause it does not
depress respiration or have the cardiovascular effects of other drugs. However, there
have b een reported deaths due to heart attack in y oung adults who are pre-disposed.1 4
31 P a g e
Potency Monitoring Program -Average
THC Percent DEA-Submitted Cannabis
14.00
12.00~o
= 10.00%
m
~o
~, 8.00%
Q
6.00%
4.00
2.00
0.00%
Samples 1995 - 2013
12.33%
~'i 12.55%
9.58%
9.75%
8.02%
--7-15 --
6.11%
4.60%
3.96%
~---
ti~~ h ti~~~ ti~~~ ti ~ ti ~ ti~'~ ti 1 ti ~ ti ~~ titip ti ~~
SOURCE: Potency Monitoring Program, Quarterly Report Number 123, National Center for Natural Products
Research (NCNRP) at the University of Mississippi, under contract with the National Institute on
Drug Abuse.
Despite its lower tox icity, visits to emergency rooms related to marijuana use
have increased over the last several years, especially as the potency of THC in
marijuana has increased.13 The percentage of hospitaliz ations related to marijuana has
increased from 0.57 percent (2, 541) in 2000 to 1.74 percent (8, 078) in 2013.
13
Because of the increase in high potency THC and the increased availability of
highly appealing edible and liq uid forms of cannabis consistent with the transition to
legaliz ation and commercializ ation, it was ex pected that rates of tox ic/poisonous
ex posures would rise, which is what data from poison center calls show. A study of
calls to poison centers found that states which have passed legislation to decriminaliz e
medical and recreational marijuana have an increase in the rate of marijuana ex posures
in young children. In one study, the call rate in decriminaliz ed states increased by 30.3
percent, and among transitional states there was a trend toward an increase of 11.5
percent per
year.ls
32 P a g e
, ~ 9 , 0 0 0
s , 0 0 0
N
Y 7~ ~ ~ 0
fl.
0 6, 0 0 0
x
0 5, 0 0 0
~ 4, 0 0 0
z 3, 0 0 0
2~ ~ ~ 0
Hos pitalizations Related to Marijuana
_ _
I
_ ,
..,
I
I
_
~ , f
I
a, , , , , , , , , 1
--rte--
_ ,
o~ p oti o ~ ' o ~ o` o ` ' o ~ 0 1 0 ~ ' o~ ~ oti o oti ti oti~ " oti~
ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti
SOURCE: Colorado Hos pital As s ociation, Emergency Department Vis it Datas et. Statis tics prepared by the
Health Statis tics and Evaluation Branch, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
(CDPHE)
33 P a g e
St. Anthony Hospital Marijuana Cases in ED
This dacurnent is far the Jefferson County Marijuare TaslQarce. For any questions, please wMact Loralee Sturm, Pubfic Relations - St
Anthorryr Hospicai.
St Mthorry Haspiml has e~erienced an invease in Emergenry Department roses dosed witl~ marihuana usage_ Flf 13 rep~sented a 57%
invease comparative m FY 2012 and FY 14 represe~tad a 159% increase from the previous year. Table 1 outlines the total amount of uses per
marth for each of tl~e respective years. Figve 1 depict the ma~rthly trend far fiscal years 2012 thmu~ 2014. Figure 2 demonstrates that aver
50% of tlwse that entered the St Mthorry Emergency Depxtmerrt due m maiju~a usage were between the gyres of 19 aid 36_
Fgure L Percept of J1~es witl~ Nlarguana Diagawsis
Table L Tod cases for FY 201x. 2013, and 2014
Y~r JUL AUG SEP OCT MOV DEC lAN F~ MAR APR MAY JUN Twal
_, _ ~._z ._ ..__.. _,..~.~ ~. ~_,._..~.._.._~,.
_.._ __--~-
_~...
2012 33 24 38 42 23 20 29 26 31 31 29 65 391
2013 27 54 55 39 48 75 53 3S 50 54 43 76 612
2014 103 89 109 149 135 IA7 119 127 156 199 170 172 1,585
Figve 1. Cxaph depictin` FY 2012, 2013, and 2014
SAH, Patients Seen in the ED w/ Marijuana Diagnosis, FY12-14
mo
sac --
iso
uo
~z o
ioo
so
eo
~o
an
o
o. ~ u m ce~ z s ~j >p u x a~ ce ~ z d S u 7~ m x ec z
I i-lt
I 19.36
I 37-54
I 55t
The Rocky Mountain Poison Center reports in Colorado averaged calls about
marijuana-related poison/toxic exposures increased 89 percent from pre-medical
marijuana commercializ ation years (2006 to 2009) to past (2010 to 2013). This compares
with a national increase of 32 percent across the same period. During the same period,
Colorado average calls for poisoning/toxic exposures increased:
268 percent among 0 to 5 years olds
94.7 percent among 13 -17 years olds
25 percent among 18 - 25 year olds
69 percent among those over 26 years old
The overall increase across all age groups was 89 percent. In addition to an
increase in poisonings/toxic exposures, some anticipate an increase in illness due to
infectious microorganisms or haz ardous components because edible marijuana-infused
products are not currently subject to state food safety regulations.
34 P a g e
~ ~ a ~ T ~ ~ ~
~ Z s . 0 0 r
1 6 . 0 0 i
d
1 4. 0 0 %
a 1 2. 0 0 %
3 1 0 . 0 0 %
c
Q 8. 0 0 %
~ 6 . 0 0 %
4. 0 0 %
a 2. 0 0 %
0 . 0 0 %
Aver a ge Per cent of Chi ldr en
Ages 0 to 5 Yea r s for Repor ted
Ma r i jua na Expos ur e Ca s es
20 0 6 - 20 0 9 20 1 0 -20 1 3
~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~
SOURCE: Rocky Mounta i n Poi s on Center a nd Amer i ca n As s oci a ti on of Poi s on Contr ol Center s , Annua l
Repor ts
T r a ffi c Dea ths Among the gr ea tes t publi c hea lth concer n a bout ma r i jua na us e
i s the r i s k us er s pos e to other s whi le oper a ti ng motor vehi cles . T HC s lows r ea cti on ti me
a nd i nfor ma ti on pr oces s i ng a nd i mpa i r s per ceptua l-motor coor di na ti on, motor
per for ma nce, s hor t ter m memor y, a ttenti on, s i gna l detecti on, a nd tr a cki ng beha vi or , a ll
cr i ti ca lly i mpor ta nt i n the oper a ti on of motor vehi cles . T hough mor e s tudi es a r e
needed, i t i s gener a lly a ccepted tha t ca nna bi s us er s a r e mor e li kely to r epor t ha vi ng
been i nvolved i n a cci dents tha n dr i ver s who don't us e. Ma r i jua na us e ca us es cons i s tent
decr ements i n dr i vi ng per for ma nce contr i buti ng to a two to thr ee-fold i ncr ea s ed r i s k of
motor vehi cle cr a s hes . Of ma jor concer n i s the hi gher r a te of ca nna bi s us e a mong les s
exper i enced young a dult dr i ver s who a r e a t hi ghes t r i s k of i njur y a nd dea th fr om a ca r
cr a s h.1 4
A r ecently publi s hed s tudy fr om the Uni ver s i ty of Color a do, Denver , found tha t
the pr opor ti on of ma r i jua na -pos i ti ve dr i ver s i nvolved i n fa ta l motor vehi cle cr a s hes i n
Color a do ha s i ncr ea s ed dr a ma ti ca lly (whi le s eei ng no s i gni fi ca nt cha nge i n a lcohol
i nvolved vehi cle cr a s hes ) s i nce the commer ci a li za ti on of medi ca l ma r i jua na i n the
mi ddle of 20 0 9. T hi s compa r es to the 34 s ta tes whi ch ha ve not lega li zed medi ca l
ma r i jua na a nd ha ve not s een a s i gni fi ca nt i ncr ea s e i n fa ta l cr a s hes i nvolvi ng ma r i jua na -
pos i ti ve
dr i ver s . lb
J effer s on County Ma r i jua na T a s k For ce
35 P a g e
Colorado has experienced a su b st ant ial increase in f at al v ehicu lar crashes in
which t he operat or t est ed posit iv e f or mariju ana. The nu mb er of operat ors t est ing
posit iv e f or mariju ana, who were inv olv ed in f at alit ies, increased 119 percent f rom 32 in
2006 t o 788 in 2011. The percent ag e of all t raf f ic f at alit ies inv olv ing operat ors t est ing
posit iv e f or mariju ana in 2006 was 7 percent and more t han dou b led t o 16.5 percent ) in
2012. Despit e an ov eral115 percent decrease in t raf f ic f at alit ies in Colorado f rom 2006
t hrou g h 2012, t raf f ic f at alit ies inv olv ing operat ors t est ing posit iv e f or mariju ana
increased b y 100
percent .lz ,13
SOURCE: Nat ional Hig hway Transport at ion Saf et y Administ rat ion, F at alit y Analysis Report ing Syst em
(F ARS) , 2006-20011 and RMHIDTA 2012
Cog nit iv e and psycholog ical ef f ect s of u se in adu lt s and you t h -Mariju ana u se
chang es t he b rains of u sers, b ot h adolescent and adu lt u sers. The research on t he ext ent
and du rat ion of t hese chang es is st ill in it s inf ancy, b u t t he implicat ions of t hese st u dies
are concerning . The ev idence b ase f or a link b et ween mariju ana u se and b ot h
psychiat ric disorders and cog nit iv e impairment s is g rowing , t hou g h long it u dinal
st u dies are st ill needed. Cu rrent ev idence indicat es t hat , among people predisposed t o
psychosis, mariju ana u se may precipit at e t he onset and worsen t he cou rse of t he
disorder. Psychosis may also b e t rig g ered in people who u se mariju ana b u t are not
predisposed. The associat ion b et ween mariju ana u se and depression is less clear, wit h
some st u dies showing an increased risk of depression in you ng adu lt hood when
mariju ana u se is init iat ed b ef ore t he ag e of 15 or wit h f requ ent u se at ag e 21. At low
doses of u se, cannab is has b een f ou nd t o reliev e anxiet y, b u t is shown t o promot e
anxiet y at hig her doses. Daily u se has b een associat ed wit h b ot h dependence and
anxiet y disorder f or t hose who cont inu e t o u se at ag e 29.
J ef f erson Cou nt y Mariju ana Task F orce
36 P a g e
Detrimental ef f ec ts of marijuana on c og nitiv e f unc tioning ind ic ate th at, th oug h
ef f ec ts are pres ent in both ad oles c ent and ad ult us ers , ad oles c ents appear more
ad v ers ely af f ec ted by h eav y us e th an ad ults . l' I t is wid ely ac c epted th at both ac ute and
c h ronic expos ure to c annabis are as s oc iated with d os e- related c og nitiv e impairments in
th e areas of attention, working memory, v erbal learning and memory f unc tions , with
impairments not nec es s arily rev ers ing c ompletely upon c es s ation of marijuana us e.
Th es e impairments h av e been s ug g es ted as barriers to ef f ec tiv e treatment of marijuana
ad d ic tion.18 Prenatal and ad oles c ent us e of marijuana h as been s h own v ia animal
s tud ies to rec alibrate th e s ens itiv ity of th e brain' s reward s ys tem and interf eres with
neuronal c onnec tions in th e brain. Ad ults wh o s tarted us ing marijuana in ad oles c enc e
may h av e impaired neural c onnec tiv ity in th e brain reg ions as s oc iated with alertnes s ,
s elf - c ons c ious awarenes s , learning and memory and may explain th e as s oc iation
between ad oles c ent us e of marijuana and s ig nif ic ant d ec lines in I Q. Th es e impac ts may
explain, in part, th e as s oc iation between early and long term marijuana us e and poor
ac ad emic and lif etime ac h iev ement. z
Marijuana' s pos s ible role as a g ateway d rug - Stud ies s h owing marijuana' s
potential to d es ens itize th e brain' s reward s ys tem th roug h interf erenc e with th e
neurotrans mitter, d opamine, h elp explain wh y us e in ad oles c enc e c ould inf luenc e
multiple ad d ic tiv e beh av iors in ad ulth ood . Animal s tud ies s h ow th at c annabinoid
expos ure d uring ad oles c enc e d ec reas es reac tiv ity of d opamine, pos s ibly priming th e
brain f or g reater res pons e to oth er d rug s . I t is als o c ons id ered pos s ible th at people wh o
are more s us c eptible to d rug taking beh av iors are likely to s tart with marijuana bec aus e
of its ac c es s ibility. z
Rates of us e, inc reas ed ac c es s , perc eptions of h arm and problems as s oc iated
with d epend enc e/ad d ic tion - Th e 2011 National Surv ey on Drug Us e and Health
(NSDUH, 2011) f ound th e number of new initiates of marijuana in th e prev ious year
among pers ons ag ed 12 and old er inc reas ed f rom 2. 2 million in 2008 to 2. 6 million in
2011. Th e rate of c urrent marijuana us e among youth s ag es 12 to 17 d ec reas ed f rom 8. 2
perc ent in 2002 to 6 . 7 perc ent in 2007 but inc reas ed to 7. 9 perc ent in 2011.8
I n Colorad o, med ic al marijuana was c ommerc ialized in 2009 . Ad oles c ent and
ad ult rates of us e in Colorad o h av e been h ig h er th an th e national av erag e f or s ev eral
years , notably s inc e th e expans ion of med ic al marijuana between 2009 and 2012.
Among youth ag es 12 to 17, Colorad o was 39 perc ent h ig h er th an th e national av erag e
and ranked 4 t" in reg ular marijuana us e. Colorad o' s c olleg e ag e (18 to 25) reported 26 . 8
perc ent us e in th e pas t month c ompared to th e national av erag e of 18. 8 perc ent, ranking
J ef f ers on County Marijuana Tas k Forc e
37 P a g e
Colorado 3 rd h i g h e s t . In 2012, Colorado adult s 26 and olde r, us e i n t h e pas t mont h was
7. 63 pe rce nt compare d t o t h e nat i onal ave rag e of 5 . 0 pe rce nt i n 2012.13
Yout h (Ag e s 12 t o 17 Ye ars )
Pas t Mont h Mari juana Us e
Nat i onal vs . Colorado
12. 00
10. 00
N
O ~ 8. ~~
C ~
u ~
L ~
a ~ 6. 00
4. 00
2. 00
0. 00
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
I Nat i onal Ave rag e 6. 75 6. 69 6. 70 7. 03 7. 3 8 7. 64 7. 5 5
I Colorado Ave rag e 7. 60 8. 15 9. 13 10. 17 9. 91 10. 72 10. 47
SOURCE: Dat a from SAMHSA. g ov, Nat i onal Surve y on Drug Us e and He alt h 2013
Fi ndi ng s s ug g e s t i ng a conne ct i on be t we e n i ncre as e d adole s ce nt acce s s ,
pe rce pt i ons about mari juana's pot e nt i al for h arm, and us e of mari juana i n communi t i e s
wh i ch h ave le g ali z e d mari juana are cons i s t e nt wi t h re ce nt yout h s ubs t ance us e dat a
from bot h De nve r and Boulde r. Mari juana us e among De nve r yout h i ncre as e d
marke dly duri ng t h e pe ri od of i ncre as e d me di cal mari juana avai labi li t y. In a De nve r
Offi ce of Drug St rat e g y re port on De nve r yout h and mari juana, 5 2 pe rce nt of h i g h
s ch ool s e ni ors we re re port e d t o s ay t h at i t would be "ve ry e as y" t o g e t mari juana. Th e
re port als o not e d t h at i t i s e xpe ct e d t h at le g ali z at i on of re cre at i onal mari juana would
re s ult i n furt h e r i ncre as e s i n yout h us e .20 Re port e d rat e s of us e wi t h i n t h e pas t 3 0 days
among De nve r h i g h s ch ool s t ude nt s i s h i g h e r t h an St at e and US ave rag e s (28 pe rce nt
for De nve r, compare d t o 22 pe rce nt for Colorado and 23 pe rce nt for U. S. ). Dat a from
Boulde r Count y's 2011 Yout h Ri s k Be h avi or Surve y found a 20 pe rce nt de cli ne i n t h e
pe rce pt i on of t h e dang e rs of mari juana us e be t we e n 2005 and 2011, wi t h more t h an 25
J e ffe rs on Count y Mari juana Tas k Force
3 8 P a g e
percent of students reporting current marijuana use in 2011. Though rates of use
among Boulder County high school students remained steady over the years prior to
2011, the decrease of level of perceived harm is cause for concern, as youth who believe
marijuana is not as harmful are three times more lik ely to report previous 30-day use
than other students, according to the survey results. Unfortunately, there are no
findings for J efferson County youth for 2011 or 2013, as J efferson County Schools do not
participate in the YRBS or Healthy Kids Colorado Survey.
The extent to which youths believe that substances might cause them harm is an
important factor influencing whether or not they will use these substances. Declining
levels of perceived risk among youths historically have been associated with
subsequent increases in rates of use. Among youths ages 12 to 17, the percentage
reporting on the 2011 NSDUH that they thought there was a great risk of harm in
smok ing marijuana once or twice a week declined from 54.6 percent in 2007 to 44.8
percent in 2011. When compared with data from another national survey, Monitoring
the Future, for combined 8th and 10th graders the results showed a similar decline in
perceived great risk of harm of regular marijuana use over this time period, from 69.4 to
61.8 percent.
A Correlation between Perceived Risk and Use
60
50
3
' - ~-iR
~, Past-yr use
~ ~ 4~-~ ' ~ of marijuana
a,
~ ~ 30
r
,~ 20
Perceived risk
~
of marijuana
t~
10-
0 -r-~----- T T- ; - -7--r~- -~- -T---, -- , -T- ,---
~~~ ~~' ~ ~~~1 ~~' y ~~' sj ~~~ ~~' ~ ~~a) ~pl ' ~ ~p1 ' ~j ~~~ q~' 1 ~p' ~j ~' ~ ~' ~y ~~ ~O~ ~pj 4,\ ' ~ ~,\' ~
i
(Volk ow, 2014)
I t is estimated that 9 percent of those who have tried cannabis at least once met
the criteria for dependence to cannabis at some point in time. This compares to 15
percent for those who use alcohol. Among heavy marijuana users, the percentage that
meets the criteria for dependence maybe as high as 50 percent. Higher-potency
cannabis and edible products with high concentrations of THC are lik ely to contribute
39 P a g e
t o i n c r e a s e s i n de pe n de n c e r a t e s a mo n g u s e r s , e s pe c i a l l y y o u t hfu l u s e r s . Wi t hdr a wa l
fr o m c a n n a bi s i s c ha r a c t e r i z e d by i r r i t a bi l i t y , a n ge r , a n x i e t y , i n s o mn i a , mo o d c ha n ge s
( de pr e s s i o n ) , c r a vi n g a n d a ppe t i t e di s t u r ba n c e . Sy mpt o ms u s u a l l y i n i t i a t e be t we e n 24
a n d 48 ho u r s a ft e r c e s s a t i o n a n d c o n t i n u e fr o m 1 t o 3 we e ks . '
Ac c o r di n g t o t he Su bs t a n c e Abu s e a n d Me n t a l He a l t h Se r vi c e s Admi n i s t r a t i o n
( SAMHSA) , ma r i ju a n a i s t he dr u g u s e d by 61 pe r c e n t o f a l l Ame r i c a n s s u ffe r i n g fr o m a
s u bs t a n c e u s e di s o r de r ( a bu s e o r de pe n de n c e ) r e l a t e d t o dr u gs o t he r t ha n a l c o ho l .
Pu bl i c He a l t h Impa c t s a n d t he Co mme r c i a l i z a t i o n o f Re t a i l Ma r i ju a n a
A c e n t r a l c o n c e r n fo r pu bl i c he a l t h e x pe r t s i s t he pr o bl e ms whi c h a r e l i ke l y t o
a r i s e fr o m t he c o mme r c i a l i z a t i o n o f r e c r e a t i o n a l ma r i ju a n a . The s e c o n c e r n s a r e
i n fo r me d by r e vi e w o f t he i mpa c t o f t he l e ga l i z a t i o n o f me di c a l ma r i ju a n a a s we l l a s
r e vi e w o f t he i mpa c t o f c o mme r c i a l i z a t i o n o f o t he r s u bs t a n c e s o f a bu s e , i n c l u di n g
a l c o ho l a n d t o ba c c o . It i s wi de l y a c c e pt e d t ha t c o mme r c i a l i z a t i o n l e a ds t o i n c r e a s e d
a c c e s s , de c r e a s e i n pe r c e pt i o n s a bo u t ha r ms a n d r i s k, a n d i n c r e a s e i n u s e ( Ne w En gl a n d
J o u r n a l o f Me di c i n e ; J u n e , 20 14) . Thi s c o n c e r n , a s we l l a s o t he r s , ha s r e s u l t e d i n t he
Ame r i c a n Me di c a l As s o c i a t i o n , t he Ame r i c a n Ps y c hi a t r i c As s o c i a t i o n , t he Ame r i c a n
So c i e t y o f Addi c t i o n Me di c i n e , t he Ame r i c a n Ca n c e r So c i e t y , t he Ame r i c a n Gl a u c o ma
So c i e t y , t he Na t i o n a l Mu l t i pl e Sc l e r o s i s So c i e t y , a n d t he Ame r i c a n Ac a de my o f
Pe di a t r i c s t a ki n g o ffi c i a l po s i t i o n s o ppo s i n g, a t a mi n i mu m, l e ga l i z i n g t he
c o mme r c i a l i z a t i o n o f r e c r e a t i o n a l ma r i ju a n a .
The r e a r e a l s o ma n y e me r gi n g i s s u e s whi c h a r e c a u s e fo r c o n c e r n , bu t whi c h
ma y n o t be i de n t i fi e d a s pu bl i c he a l t h a n d s a fe t y r i s ks u n t i l a c r i t i c a l ma s s o f
i n fo r ma t i o n i s r e c o r de d s u c h t ha t i n ve s t i ga t i o n a n d r e s po n s e i s wa r r a n t e d. The s e i s s u e s
i n c l u de a dva n c e s i n c a n n a bi s pr o du c t i o n r e s u l t i n g i n wi de l y a va i l a bl e pr o du c t s wi t h
THC l e ve l s s u bs t a n t i a l l y hi ghe r t ha n a n y t hi n g s e e n pr e vi o u s l y ; pl a n t c u l t i va t i o n a n d
THC e x t r a c t i o n pr a c t i c e s whi c h pr e s e n t n e w da n ge r s fo r hu ma n a n d e n vi r o n me n t a l
s a fe t y ; pr o du c t de s i gn ( e di bl e s , s y n t he t i c s , hi gh po t e n c y "da bs ", e t c . ) a n d u s e o f
de l i ve r y de vi c e s a n d pa c ka gi n g whi c h c o n c e a l u s e , a ppe a l t o c hi l dr e n a n d po s e n e w
a n d s e r i o u s r i s ks t o he a l t h a n d s a fe t y . Impa c t o n he a l t hc a r e s y s t e ms a n d r e s o u r c e s
c a n n o t y e t be fu l l y de t e r mi n e d, bu t i t i s l i ke l y t ha t c o mme r c i a l i z a t i o n wi l l ha ve a
s i gn i fi c a n t l y n e ga t i ve i mpa c t . Ma n y a dvo c a t e s fo r l e ga l i z a t i o n a n d c o mme r c i a l i z a t i o n
o f ma r i ju a n a o ft e n po i n t t o t he s o c i e t a l c o s t s o f t wo l e ga l dr u gs , a l c o ho l a n d t o ba c c o , fa r
o u t we i ghi n g t ho s e o f ma r i ju a n a . The Ame r i c a n So c i e t y o f Addi c t i o n Me di c i n e n o t e s i n
a po s i t i o n s t a t e me n t o n ma r i ju a n a t ha t l e ga l dr u gs , s u c h a s a l c o ho l a n d t o ba c c o , pr o vi de
J e ffe r s o n Co u n t y Ma r i ju a n a Ta s k Fo r c e
40 P a g e
evidence that drug use itsel f , not its l egal ity or il l egal ity , is a threat to national publ ic
heal th, producing substantial f inancial and heal th burdens, incl uding burdens on heal th
and behavioral heal th sy stems.1 9
Endnotes
1 UPMC, 201 3 -Antoine Douaihy , M.D., Associate Prof essor of Psy chiatry ,
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. UPMC Sy nergies publ ication, F al l 201 3.
<http://www.upmcphy sicianresources.com/f il es/dmf il e/S79 9 -
UPMC_Sy nergies_F al l _201 3_1 2.pdf . Accessed onl ine 3/27/201 4>
2 Vol kow, 201 4 -New Engl and J ournal of Medicine - Vol kow, et al ., Adverse Heal th
Ef f ects of Marijuana Use; New Engl and J ournal of Medicine; J une, 201 4; 370;23; accessed
f rom www.nejm~or~ J ul y 21 , 201 4
3 J oshi, 201 4 - J oshi, M., et al . Current Opinions in Pul monary Medicine. 201 4; 20:
onl ine publ ication. Incl uded in bibl iography of studies presented at the March 7, 201 4
Col orado School of Publ ic Heal th event, "Marijuana and Publ ic Heal th: `The Evidence
f or Heal th Protection in Col orado
Wol f , 201 3 -Wol f f , V., et al . Cannabis-rel ated stroke. My th or Real ity ? Stroke
201 3; 44:558-563. Incl uded in bibl iography of studies presented at the March 7, 201 4
Col orado School of Publ ic Heal th event, "Marijuana and Publ ic Heal th: The Evidence
5 Cal l aghan, 201 3 -Cal l aghan, R., et al . Marijuana and risk of l ung cancer: a 40-
y ear study . Cancer Causes and Control . 201 3; 24:1 81 1 -1 820. Incl uded in bibl iography of
studies presented at the March 7, 201 4 Col orado School of Publ ic Heal th event,
"Marijuana and Publ ic Heal th: The Evidence f or Heal th Protection in Col orado
6 Bowl es, 201 2 -Bowl es, D., et al . Critical Reviews in Oncol ogy and Hematol ogy ,
201 2; 83:1 -1 0. Incl uded in bibl iography of studies presented at the March 7, 201 4
Col orado School of Publ ic Heal th event, "Marijuana and Publ ic Heal th: The Evidence
J ef f erson County Marijuana Task F orce
41 P a g e
Goldschmidt, 2012 - Goldschmidt L, Richardson GA, Willford JA, Severtson SG,
Day NL. School achievement in 14-year-old youths p renatally exp osed to marijuana.
Neurotoxicol T eratol. Jan-Feb 2012; 3 4( 1) : 16 1-16 7
$ SAMHSA, 2009 -Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
O ffice of Ap p lied Studies. T he NSDUH Rep ort: Substance Use among Women During
Pregnancy and Following C hildbirth. 2009;
dlttp : //oas.samhsa.gov/2k9/13 5/PregWoSubUse.cfm>
Behnke, 2013 -Behnke M, Smith VC . Prenatal substance abuse: short- and
long-term effects on the exp osed fetus. Pediatrics. Mar 2013 ; 13 1( 3 ) : e1009-1024
to
Jaques, 2014 -Jaques, S.C ., et al. C annabis, the p regnant woman and her child:
weeding out the myths; Journal of Perinatology, 2014; 3 4( 6 ) : 417 -424A
1 ' Venkatesh, 2010 - Venkatesh L. Hegde, Mitzi Nagarkatti and Prakash S.
Nagarkatti. C annabinoid recep tor activation leads to massive mobilization of myeloid-
derived sup p ressor cells with p otent immunosup p ressive p rop erties. Europ ean Journal
of Immunology, 2010; 40 ( 12) : 3 3 58-3 3 7 1; accessed from
< htt~ : //onlinelibrary.Wiley.com/doi/10.1002/e~ i.2010406 6 7 /~ df>, 8/6 /2014
1z
Rocky Mountain HIDT A ( High Intensity Drug T rafficking Area) 2013 -T he
Legalization of Marijuana in C olorado -T he Imp act; a p reliminary rep ort. Volume 1; August
2013 . Rocky Mountain HIDT A is a p rogram of the President's National Drug C ontrol
Strategy and can be contacted at 3 03 -6 7 1-2180 or ISC @rmhidta.or~
13 Rocky Mountain HIDT A, 2014 -T he Legalization of Marijuana in C olorado -T he
Imp act; A Preliminary Rep ort. Volume 2; August 2014,
< http : //www.rmhidta.org/html/FINAL%20Legalization%20of%20MJ%20in%20C olorado
%20T he%20Imp act.p df> on 8/12/2014
14
Beckley Foundation -Beckley Foundation, Global C annabis C ommission
Rep ort, C annabis: Moving Beyond Stalemate. Sep tember, 2008.
< http : //www.beckleyfoundation.org/2012/01/global-cannabis-commission-rep ort/>
15
Annals of Emergency Medicine -Wang, 2014 -Wang, G.S., Roosevelt, G., Le Lait,
M-C , Martinez, E.M., Bucher-Bartelson, B., Bronstein, A.C ., and Heard, K., "Association
of Unintentional Pediatric Exp osures with Decriminalization of Marijuana in the United
States," Annals of Emergency Medicine, In Press, 2014. Adap ted by the C enter for
Jefferson C ounty Marijuana T ask Force
42 P a g e
Substance Abuse Research, University of Maryland, College Park (weekly CESAR Fax
updates; March, 2014, Vol. 23, Issue 8 (Rev.)
16 Science Daily -
<htt~://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140515173507.htm#.U5WbU2~oowQ>,
Stacy Salomonsen-Sautel, Sung-Joon Min, Joseph T. Sakai, Christian Thurstone,
Christian Hopfer. Trends in fatal motor vehicle crashes before and after marijuana
commercialization in Colorado. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2014; DOI:
10.1016 /j.dru a~ 1cde~.2014.04.008. Accessed online 6 /6 /2014
17 Schweinsburg, 2008 Schweinsburg, A., et al. The Influence of Marijuana Use
on Neurocognitive Functioning in Adolescents. Curr Drug Abuse Rev. Jan 2008;1(1):
99-111. Posted online at <htt~://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.~ov/~mc/articles/PMC2825218/>
' $ Sofuoglu, 2010 Sofuoglu, M., et al. Cognitive function as an emerging
treatment target for marijuana addiction. Exp Clinical Psychopharmacology. 2010
Apr;18(2):109-19. doi: 10.1037/a0019295
19
ASAM, 2012 -American Society of Addiction Medicine, position on State-
Level Proposals to Legalize Marijuana, Adoption Date: July 25, 2012;
<http://www.asam.org/advocacy/find-a-policy-statement/view-policy-statement/public-
policy-statements/2012/07/30/state-level-proposals-to-legalize-marijuana#_ ftn5>?
accessed online 8/14/2014
20 Proceedings of the Denver Epidemiology Work Group (DEWG), Denver Office of
Drug Strategy/The Denver Drug Strategy Commission, Apri118, 2014
43 P a g e
44 P a g e
Government Impact
Introduction
There is l ittl e doubt that J ef f ers on County w il l receive s ome revenue f rom
l icens ed marijuana es tabl is hments . How ever, the potential cos ts coul d f ar exceed the
revenue. Currentl y there is not enough experience or inf ormation to make a total l y
inf ormed decis ion, but there is s ubs tantial ris k in moving f orw ard to l icens e marijuana
retail es tabl is hments . Regardl es s of w hat other juris dictions may or may not have done,
it is a viol ation of f ederal l aw f or government l eaders and empl oyees to as s is t thes e
criminal enterpris es .
Viol ation of Federal Law
J ef f ers on County Government has a reputation f or ef f icient and ef f ective
government operating w ithin f ederal , s tate and l ocal l aw as w el l as rul es and
regul ations . Many J ef f ers on County executives have taken an oath of of f ice to uphol d
the Cons titution and the l aw s of the l and. The l aw of the l and, as conf irmed by the
United S tates S upreme Court, is that f ederal l aw s upers edes s tate or l ocal l aw .
Cons titutional Amendment 64 does not take precedent over conf l icting f ederal
marijuana l aw s making the pos s es s ion, dis tribution and cul tivation of marijuana f ederal
f el onies . In the cas e of retail s tores , cul tivation operations and edibl e manuf acturers ,
they w oul d be cons idered criminal enterpris e under U. S . l aw and s ubject to pros ecution
and s eiz ure of as s ets . The f act that the current adminis tration has chos en not to enf orce
thes e f ederal l aw s does not change thes e f acts . Anew adminis tration coul d take a
dif f erent approach to enf orcing f ederal l aw s agains t marijuana. There are thos e that
bel ieve neither s tate nor l ocal government's prerogative to decide w hich l aw s to f ol l ow
and w hich to viol ate. They are concerned w ith the mes s age that coul d s end to the
citiz ens and youth of J ef f ers on County.
Revenue
Revenue projections are dif f icul t at bes t. Col orado's experience w ith marijuana
es tabl is hments is very l imited and there are a variety of f actors that af f ect revenue. This
is obvious f rom s tate projections having f l uctuated f rom over $100 mil l ion to $65
mil l ion to $36 mil l ion in jus t over s ix months . S ome of the f actors that w oul d af f ect
J ef f ers on County revenue are:
J ef f ers on County Marijuana Tas k Force
45 P a g e
Number of s uc c es s ful ret a i l s t ores i n a n d a roun d t he J effers on Coun t y a rea
Number of l i c en s ed ret a i l s t ores a pproved i n un i n c orpora t ed J effers on Coun t y
P ri c e of produc t s
Advert i s emen t s
Loc a t i on of ret a i l s t ores
Number of pot en t i a l c us t omers
Number of pot en t i a l c us t omers who ha ve el ec t ed t o us e medi c a l ma ri jua n a
c en t ers
Amoun t of pot en t i a l c us t omers woul d l i k el y purc ha s e i n a yea r
Amoun t of reven ue t he s t a t e rec ei ves of whi c h J effers on Coun t y woul d rec ei ve a
s ma l l s ha re
Ot her c on s i dera t i on s a re t ha t J effers on Coun t y ha s t wo s a l es t a x es i n pl a c e n ow:
On e i s a ha l f- c en t for Open Spa c e, whi c h i s c ol l ec t ed c oun t ywi de, i n c l udi n g
i n c orpora t ed a rea s . Reven ue from t hi s t a x c a n on l y be us ed for Open Spa c e
purpos es .
The ot her i s on e- ha l f c en t for roa dwa y i mprovemen t s i n s out hea s t J effers on
Coun t y ( gen era l l y s out h of US- 285 a n d ea s t of t he Hogba c k ). Reven ue from t hi s
t a x c a n on l y be us ed for s pec i fi c roa dwa y i mprovemen t s wi t hi n t he s a l es t a x
di s t ri c t .
An y a ddi t i on a l s a l es t a x i n un i n c orpora t ed J effers on Coun t y n eeds t o go t o a
vot e of t he peopl e.
Shoul d J effers on Coun t y l i c en s e ma ri jua n a es t a bl i s hmen t s , t he c oun t y c oul d be
el i gi bl e for s ome of t he t a x reven ue c ol l ec t ed by t he s t a t e. J effers on Coun t y c a n a l s o
l evy rea s on a bl e fees t o hel p offs et s ome of t he c os t s t o t he c oun t y c a us ed by l i c en s ed
ma ri jua n a es t a bl i s hmen t s .
The t a s k forc e wi l l a t t empt t o provi de a "ba l l pa rk " es t i ma t e of wha t a n n ua l
reven ue J effers on Coun t y mi ght ex pec t s houl d ma ri jua n a es t a bl i s hmen t s be permi t t ed.
The formul a s us ed a re un s c i en t i fi c a n d n ot ma t hema t i c a l l y t es t ed. The fi gures us ed a re
ba s ed on i n forma t i on from t he Col ora do Legi s l a t i ve Coun c i l Ma ri jua n a Reven ue
In t eri m Commi t t ee3, t he Col ora do Depa rt men t of Reven ue: "Ma rk et Si z e a n d Dema n d
for Ma ri jua n a i n Col ora do"2 a n d t he Col ora do St a t e Demogra pher, J ul y 1 , 201 2.
J effers on Coun t y Ma ri jua n a Ta s k Forc e
46 P a g e
Formula One
Mariivana Users
Estimated percent of adult users: 9%
Adult population of unincorporated J efferson County: 405,617
Number of potential users in unincorporated J efferson County: 9% x 405,617 = 3 6,505
Price and Consumption
Average cost of an ounce: $200
Estimated consumption per user annually: 1. 9 ounces of marijuana
Estimated Sales
3 6,505 users x 1. 9 ounces of marijuana x $200 per ounce = $13 ,8 71,900
Formula Two
Marijuana Users
Estimated percent of adult users: 12. 9%
Adult population of unincorporated J efferson County excluding areas where retail sales
are not allowed or conveniently available: 3 77,440
Number of potential users in unincorporated J efferson County 3 77,440 x 12. 9%: 48 ,690
Price and Consum to ion
Average cost of an ounce: $200
Estimated consumption per user annually: 1. 9 ounces of marijuana
Estimated Sales
48 ,690 users x 1. 9 ounces x $200: $18 ,502,000
47 P a g e
Tax Revenue
Coun~v Revenue
1/ z cent s al es tax for Open Space (0.005)
1/ z cent s al es tax for SE J effers on County Roadway LID (0.005) times h al f of retail
s al es in SE J effers on County
J effers on County s h are of s tate s al es tax 1 5% of 1 0% (.01 5)
Formul a 1 :
Formul a 2:
P os s ib l e Revenues from Marijuana Sal es
Open Space $1 3,871 ,900 x .005 tax = $69,359.00
Roadway $1 3,871 ,900 x .005 x 1/ i = $34,679.00
State $1 3,871 ,900 x .01 5 tax = $208,978.00
Total $31 2,1 1 6.00
or approximatel y .0008% of
total J effers on County 201 4
revenue ($372,803,425)
Open Space $1 8,502,200 x .005 tax = $92,500.00
Roadway $1 8,502,200 x .005 x 1/ z = $46,250.00
State $1 8,502,200 x .01 5 tax = $277,500.00
Cos t
Total $41 6,250.00
or approximatel y .001 % of
total J effers on County 201 4
revenue ($372,803,425)
Th ere are numerous cos ts th at h ave b een identified rel ated to th e retail marijuana
es tab l is h ments . Th e firs t is reg ul ations and enforcement to as s ure th at th e b us ines s es
are operating with in th e rul es s et forth b y J effers on County. Denver is projecting $5
mil l ion in taxes ; h owever, th eir b udg et incl udes $3.5 mil l ion to h ire 21 empl oyees to
reg ul ate th e b us ines s es . Th at is not incl uding th e cos ts rel ated to th e numerous citiz en
48 P a g e
complaints about marijuana th at Denver law enforcement responds to on a reg ular
basis. Colorado Spring s, Aurora and Denver all h ave special marijuana teams th at are
fulltime h andling marijuana issues with in th eir jurisdiction. I t is probable th at th e
revenue J efferson County could receive from marijuana sales will not cover th e cost of
licensing , reg ulations and enforcement since a th ird is pre-desig nated to Open Space
and Roadway.
Eventually, th e g reatest cost to J efferson County will be societal costs. I f th e
medical marijuana commercialization experience can be used to project wh at will
h appen with recreational marijuana, th en J efferson County will lik ely see:
More impaired drivers
More traffic fatalities
More suspensions, expulsions and referrals to law enforcement in th e middle
and h ig h sch ools
Greater use among th e youth and colleg e-ag e
I ncreased marijuana-related emerg ency room visits
I ncreased marijuana-related h ospitalizations
I ncreased marijuana ing estions by ch ildren under 12
I ncreased marijuana-related exposures for ch ildren 0 to 5
I ncreased diversion of marijuana from th e " leg al" mark et to th e illeg al mark et,
req uiring law enforcement resources
I ncreased marijuana-related pet poisoning
Th is does not include possible societal costs such as:
Student truancy
Sch ool drop-out
Classroom disruptions
49 P a g e
Increased high- risk behavior by youth
Increased treatment f or marijuana addiction
Increased mental health issues
Increased crime related to being under the inf luence
The above costs are dif f icult to p roject accurately. However, if alcohol and
tobacco use can be a f orecaster f or what to exp ect with marijuana, then the revenue
generated f rom marijuana will cover less than 15 p ercent of societal cost. Revenue f rom
alcohol covers only about 10 p ercent of the overall alcohol- related cost to society ($185
billion) . ' Revenue f rom tobacco covers only about 12 p ercent of the tobacco- related cost
to society ($200 billion) .2 That is not a good investment and called by some "blindside"
economics.
Prop erty Values and Taxes
J ef f erson County op erates with a dep endence on p rop erty taxes. It is unclear
what would hap p en to p rop erty values within unincorp orated J ef f erson County should
marijuana establishments be allowed to op erate. There has been discussion f rom
residents in unincorp orated J ef f erson County that should retail stores be allowed near
their area that they would move. They believe that eventually p rop erty values would
f all because unincorp orated J ef f erson County would be less desirable f or f amilies
moving into the area. Although both sides could argue p rop erty values, no one is
certain. This would be a gamble f or J ef f erson County related to p rop erty tax revenue
should marijuana establishments be allowed.
Litigation
Since medical marijuana was commercialized in 2009, and recreational marijuana
legalized in 2013, there have been numerous lawsuits on a variety of issues, including
but not limited to, drug- f ree work p lace, licensing issues, local rules and regulations,
illegality of taxes, etc. Litigation f or governments can be very costly. Many legal
exp erts believe government has just seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to
litigation.
J ef f erson County Marijuana Task Force
50 P a g e
Endnotes
1 Gil Kerlikowske, direc tor, O f f ic e of National Drug Control P olic y , p resentation
to Calif ornia P olic e Chief s A ssoc iation, Marc h 8, 2010
2 Coalition f or aDrug-Free Calif ornia, "Talking P oints," 2010
J ef f erson County Marijuana Task Forc e 51 P a g e
52 P a g e
Business Impact
Introduction
Like many other areas, marijuana's impact to business is one of emerging
research, which suggests the true driv ing impacts wil l req uire time to ful l y understand.
The financial impacts of Amendment 64 are unl ikel y to be compl etel y understood until
ful l retail marijuana buil d out occurs and the market has stabil iz ed ov er the next sev eral
years.
'There are l imitations on the abil ity to inv estigate the ful l range of potential
economic impacts. Without knowing the short and l ong-term effects retail sal es coul d
hav e on the communities of unincorporated J efferson County, it is chal l enging to
cal cul ate the associated costs that coul d be passed on to the business communities, in
part, to absorb.
The financial rev enue possibil ities from retail sal es of marijuana are mere
specul ation with no sol id data on which to base potential income. At the same time, the
costs associated, incl uding increase to l aw enforcement programs and personnel , publ ic
heal th and safety, regul atory procedures, rehabil itation programs, l itigation and
env ironmental precautions are compl etel y unknown and unpl anned for.
Business Surv ey Resul ts
Publ ic input was sought with more than 120 business owners, 27 managers and
29 empl oyees of businesses l ocated in J efferson County participating in an onl ine
surv ey (see Attachment 1) . Members of al l fiv e chambers of commerce within the
county were incl uded. F orty-three percent of those surv eyed fel t that hav ing a retail
store for recreational marijuana near their business woul d hav e a negativ e ov eral l
impact. 32.7 percent fel t there woul d be no ov eral l impact and onl y 17.5 percent fel t
there woul d be a positiv e ov eral l impact.
5 1.6 percent of the responders fel t that retail marijuana stores woul d detract from
the q ual ity of l ife and 5 3.4 percent fel t that stores woul d detract from the ov eral l image
of the county. Some responders commented that residents and business owners al ike
woul d l eav e unincorporated J efferson County shoul d retail stores be al l owed.
5 3 P a g e
Effects on Property Values
Banning retail sales in unincorporated J efferson County protects property v alues.
Due to a perceiv ed negativ e image of neighborhoods that allow retail stores, such areas
could become a blight within their communities. In the mountain areas particularly,
large percentages of v acant commercial properties are already a growing concern. If
businesses do not wish to be located near a marijuana based facility, there is the
potential to detract from J efferson County's ability to retain and attract a v ariety of
business industry clusters. Signage for marijuana businesses will lik ely become an issue
that the county will hav e to contend with. Concerns regarding waste product disposal,
water usage, contamination and wastewater impacts point to serious issues that can
significantly impact sites within the v icinity of a retail operation and also the business
community as a whole.
Work place Drug Policies
Allowing retail sales in unincorporated J efferson County sends a confusing
message to the current and future members of our work force. Amendment 64 doesn't
speak to priv ate employer Work place Drug Policy. Because employers commonly drug
test and hav e the right to refuse to hire marijuana users, work ers entering the work force
may find it difficult to secure employment.
Additionally, there is the potential for companies to refuse to locate in Colorado
ov er concerns of av ailable drug- free work force supply. There is the possibility that the
number of jobs av ailable for residents could be significantly reduced.
Effects on Business Attraction and Inv estment Potential
Violation of federal law is a risk to business owners and inv estors alik e. 'The
industry is too new to predict the effects political climate will play on future legislation.
The anticipated facilities boom has yet to surface as municipalities tak e slow steps to
determine how they will handle retail sales.
Cultiv ation, manufacturing and testing facilities are large operations and are
unlik ely to locate in unincorporated J efferson County giv en building siz e and lease rate
requirements when compared to av ailable sites. Smaller facilities would significantly
reduce potential benefits from jobs and tax es.
Time could prov ide a more detailed rev iew of the appropriateness of allowing
retail sales in unincorporated J efferson County. The issues listed in this report and the
54 P a g e
m a j o r i t y o f o pi ni o n i n t he busi ness sur vey co nvey t he bel i ef t ha t m a r i j ua na
est a bl i shm ent s wo ul d ha ve a nega t i ve effect o n busi ness a nd wi l l det r a ct fr o m t he
q ua l i t y o f l i fe. Ba nni ng m a r i j ua na est a bl i shm ent s wi l l pr o vi de t he gr ea t est benefi t a nd
wi l l ser ve t o pr o t ect t he st a bi l i t y o f t he busi ness eco no m y .
J effer so n Co unt y Ma r i j ua na Ta sk Fo r ce
55 P a g e
56 P a g e
Education Impact
Lower Perception of Risk -Greater Use
One of the most important areas of impact is the effects condoning and l icensing
marijuana establ ishments wil l have on the educational process among our most
precious resource, our chil dren. As more and more teens become compl acent about
marijuana, there is a corresponding increase in use. T ' he recent National Institute of
Heal th (NIH) survey on high school seniors' perception of risk in using marijuana
dropped al most 20 percentage points from 2006 to 2012 when onl y 40 percent of seniors
saw the use of marijuana as a risk.l
T he NIH study confirmed that 60 percent of 12th graders do not see marijuana as
harmful , which corresponds to current use reported by the respondents increasing in
three grades studied by the survey (8 th, 10~ " and 12th); the highest rate since 1979.1 T he
commercial ization and normal ization of medical marijuana in 2009 correl ates with
increased drug usage and l ower perception of risk among teens regarding marijuana.
T he potential effects of retail marijuana on the youth demonstrate society' s fail ure to
protect our youth against the increased publ ic acceptance, rise in avail abil ity, and in
how commercial ized medical marijuana has been presented to them.
Youth Addiction
T his change in attitude and rise in use is compounded by the fact that today' s
marijuana is much more potent than in the past. T he mean concentration of T HC, the
psychoactive ingredient, in confiscated cannabis more than doubl ed between 1993 and
2008 .2 " It' s much more potent marijuana, which may expl ain why we' ve seen a pretty
dramatic increase in admission to emergency rooms and treatment programs for
marijuana," said Dr. Nora D. Vol kow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
J efferson County M arijuana T ask F orce
57 P a g e
F i r e-Ye ar I n c r e as e i n D ai l y Mar i juan a Us e amon g
8t h, i ~ t h
an d 1 2 ~ ' gr ade r s
~ ~
I z ~ aas I ~ oi ~
s ~
6 . 5 ~ b
d 6 35
5 . d' K ,
v
e ~ 4. ~ 3~ *
496
2 . 7 " 94
~ . 99~ 6
~ i
8t h 1 4t h 1 1 t h
*5 i gn l f l ~ an t i n c r e as e
~ ur c ~ : t J n r t i x + :; t 4 of Ul ~ h ~ ga~ s , N1 3 h i an dar i n g t h e F ut ur e 3t ut l y
Te e n s ar e at t h e gr e at e s t r i s k t o b e c ome addi c t e d b as e d on n ume r ous s t udi e s . I f
t h e t e e n b e gi n s at an e ar l y age h e /s h e may b e at h i gh e r r i s k . Appr ox i mat e l y on e i n s i x
w i l l b e c ome addi c t e d, D r . Vol k ow s ai d. Te e n s w h o s t ar t s mok i n g mar i juan a at e ar l i e r
age s al s o t e n d t o s mok e muc h mor e , an d mor e of t e n , t h an t h os e w h o s t ar t i n t h e i r l at e r
t e e n s . " We s h oul d al s o poi n t out t h at mar i juan a us e t h at b e gi n s i n adol e s c e n c e
i n c r e as e s t h e r i s k t h e y w i l l b e c ome addi c t e d t o t h e dr ug," s ai d Vol k ow . " Th e r i s k of
addi c t i on goe s f r om ab out 1 i n 1 1 ove r al l t o ab out 1 i n 6 f or t h os e w h o s t ar t us i n g i n
t h e i r t e e n s , an d e ve n h i gh e r amon g dai l y s mok e r s . "3
J e f f e r s on Coun t y Mar i juan a Tas k F or c e
5 8 P a g e
T c ~ p Drugs among ~ ~ ' and 1 2 ~ h G r~ d+ ~ rs~
fast Year Use
8 " '' G r~ d~ rs
1 2 h G ra~ d~ rs
I i l l i c i t drugs I ~ + h arrnac ~ euti c al
Mari jwna/H~ h i ~ fi ~
Mari juana/Hash i sh
yy~ - S-zx 5 yrfth eti t M~ rquarta ~ f-~
Synth eti c Marl Juana ~
a. o~ c p dderal l
T . 4 x~
CAui h ~ Ml edFdne
t. 9x
V 'i c o~ l i n
5 . 3 96
T ranquHi rw~ ~
CauB1 ~ Madl c i . n
Adderal l ~ 1 A%
T ra~ i i l i sgrj
4 -5 ~
F~ al l uti rk r~ ens ~ !~
MaMuc i np i ens ~
x. 5 7 6
~ ~ Conti n ~ ; . mss
Sedati ves"
$
'~ . t~
~ ~
Sal vi a ~ ~ ~
~ ' l AX ~ 1~1~ 3 . d%
V fc vd" wr
I L4 %
MDA~ ~ 4 (EG Sti i y] ~ ~ .0%
Coc ai ne (arty formE
Inh af~ nR~ 1 u~
Map AA ~ Eti tBsyE
~ i . ~ x
COsai A4 (a+ W Wrm] ~
x. s~ i
Ri tal i n
t. l s
i l i tal i n A
2 . ax
Onty i i ^ ~ ra~ ders surveyed stout sc datNrts use
~ urti e ~ Jni vfrSi tt~ Ut F. ~ i Ch i g~ n. ~ {i l 3 ~ N4 n,l ~ x*ad 9Fw frul warK 5 1 k + dy
Col orado Youth
How do Col orado youth fare wh en i t c omes to mari juana use? In 2 009, Col orado
c ommerc i al i zed medi c al mari juana use. Wh at i mp ac t di d th at h ave on youth ?
A 2 6 p erc ent i nc rease i n youth regul arl y usi ng mari juana c omp ari ng 2 01 0-2 01 2 to
2 006 -2 0014
A 3 2 p erc ent i nc rease i n drug-rel ated susp ensi ons and exp ul si ons. s
Col orado youth regul ar use i s 3 9 p erc ent h i gh er th an th e nati onal average and
rank ed 4 ~ i n th e nati on 4
Jefferson County Mari juana T ask Forc e
5 9 P a g e
Average Past Month Use of Marijuana
Ages 12 to 17 Years
Pre- and Post-Medical Marijuana
Commercialization Year (2009)
12.00%
r
C
y Z~.D~~o
a
v
8.00%
a
s
a
6.00
4.00%
2.00%
0.00
2006-2008 2010-2012
SOURCE: Data from SAMHSA.gov, National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2013
Impact on Learning Center (Brain)
The adolescent brain is developing and matures at a different rate than adults,
making any roadblocks to maturation a major educational concern. "We know from
our lab that adolescents are more impulsive, thrill-seeking, drawn to the rewards of a
risky decision than adults. They tend to not focus very much on costs. They are more
easily coerced to do things they know are wrong," says Laurence Steinberg, a
developmental psychologist at Temple University in Philadelphia, who is one of the
leading experts in the United States on adolescent behavior and adolescent brain
biology.b
Studies on adolescent use of marijuana at an early age have confirmed that there
are concerns about marijuana use and the effect on the brain' s maturation. "Imaging
scans also found detectable differences in how their brains worked," said Staci Gruber,
director of the Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Core at the Imaging Center at
60 P a g e
McLean Hospital in Boston. "The imaging scans found alter ations in the fr ontal cor tex
white matter tr acts of the b r ain in the ear ly star ter s, she said, that ar e associated with
impulsiveness. "The fr ontal cor tex is the last par t of the b r ain to come online, and the
most impor tant, " Dr . Gr ub er said. "Ear ly ex posur e per haps changes the tr aj ector y of
b r ain development, such that ab ility to per for m complex ex ecutive function task s is
compr omised."' I t is clear that the adolescent b r ain is under developed and dr ugs lik e
mar ij uana fur ther complicate its matur ation b ut how is this actually play ed out in the
ar ea of per for ming in the educational setting. Cur r ent r esear ch shows us sever al ar eas
wher e childr en's mar ij uana use clear ly effects how they lear n, their lear ning
envir onment, and the outcomes of their education.
Recent studies have shown that using mar ij uana in the school-age y ear s can
r esult in ab nor malities in the b r ain. I n a study of 40 mar ij uana user s b etween 18 to 25
enr olled at Boston-ar ea colleges pub lished b y the J our nal of N eur oscience, r esear cher s
studied the ar eas of the b r ain that wer e involved with emotional pr ocesses. They found
that ther e wer e clear differ ences among those who used mar ij uana and those who did
not. "I think the findings that ther e ar e ob ser vab le differ ences in b r ain str uctur e with
mar ij uana even in these y oung adult r ecr eational user s indicate that ther e ar e significant
effects of mar ij uana on the b r ain, " say s Dr . J odi Gilman, lead author and a r esear cher in
the Massachusetts Gener al Center for Addiction Medicine. What's mor e those who
used mor e wer e mor e affected. "Those differ ences wer e ex posur e-dependent; meaning
those who used mor e mar ij uana had gr eater ab nor malities." Dr . Hans Br eiter , co-senior
author of the study and a pr ofessor of psy chiatr y and b ehavior al sciences at
N or thwester n U niver sity Feinb er g School of Medicine. "Ther e's a gener al idea out
ther e that casual use of mar ij uana does not lead to b ad effects, so we star ted out to
investigate that ver y dir ectly , " Br eiter said. "This r esear ch with the other studies we
have done have led me to b e ex tr emely concer ned ab out the effects of mar ij uana in
adolescents and y oung adults and to consider that we may need to b e ver y car eful
ab out legaliz ation policies and possib ly consider how to pr event any one under age 25
to 30 fr om using mar ij uana at all."$
Other studies have shown that mar ij uana use has an impact on I Q as concluded
b y , for ex ample, the Dunedin Multidisciplinar y Health and Development Study
(Dunedin, N ew Zealand). "P ar ticipants wer e memb er s [of this study ] a pr ospective
study of a b ir th cohor t of 1, 037 individuals followed fr om b ir th (1972/1973) to age 38 y .
Cannab is use was ascer tained in inter views at ages 18, 21, 26, 32, and 38 y .
N eur opsy chological testing was conducted at age 13 y , b efor e initiation of cannab is use,
and again at age 38 y , after a patter n of per sistent cannab is use had developed."9 The
study showed that "per sistent use of cannab is use was associated with
neur opsy chological decline b r oadly acr oss domains of functioning, even after
J effer son County Mar ij uana Task For ce
61 P a g e
c o n t r o l l i n g f o r year s o f educ at i o n . In f o r man t s al so r epo r t ed n o t i c i n g mo r e c o g n i t i v e
pr o bl ems f o r per si st en t c an n abi s user s. Impai r men t was c o n c en t r at ed amo n g
ado l esc en t-o n set c an n abi s user s, wi t h mo r e per si st en t use asso c i at ed wi t h g r eat er
dec l i n e. F ur t her , c essat i o n o f c an n abi s use di d n o t f ul l y r est o r e n eur o psyc ho l o g i c al
f un c t i o n i n g amo n g ado l esc en t-o n set c an n abi s user s."9
Sc ho o l Di sc i pl i n e an d Mar i juan a
Ado l esc en t s who use mar i juan a i mpac t t hei r educ at i o n al en v i r o n men t t hr o ug h
di sc i pl i n ar y r el at ed epi so des. A r ec en t l y r el eased r epo r t f r o m Ro c ky Mo un t ai n HIDTA,
" L eg al i z at i o n o f Mar i juan a i n C o l o r ado : The Impac t /Vo l ume 2 , " c hr o n i c l ed a Jun e 2 014
sur v ey o f 100 sc ho o l r eso ur c e o f f i c er s (SROs) who c o mpl et ed a sur v ey c o n c er n i n g
mar i juan a at sc ho o l s. The majo r i t y wer e assi g n ed t o hi g h sc ho o l s wi t h an av er ag e
t en ur e o f 5 -1/2 year s as an SRO. They wer e asked f o r t hei r o pi n i o n t o a n umber o f
quest i o n s i n c l udi n g :
Si n c e t he l eg al i z at i o n o f r ec r eat i o n al mar i juan a, what i mpac t has t her e been o n
mar i juan a-r el at ed i n c i den t s at yo ur sc ho o l ?
0 89 per c en t r epo r t ed an i n c r ease i n i n c i den t s
0 11 per c en t r epo r t ed n o c han g e i n i n c i den t s
What wer e t he mo st pr edo mi n an t mar i juan a v i o l at i o n s o n c ampus?
0 5 1 per c en t r epo r t ed po ssessi o n o f mar i juan a
0 37 per c en t r epo r t ed bei n g un der t he i n f l uen c e dur i n g sc ho o l ho ur s
0 6 per c en t r epo r t ed po ssessi o n o f mar i juan a-i n f used edi bl es
0 4 per c en t r epo r t ed shar i n g mar i juan a wi t h o t her st uden t s
0 2 per c en t r epo r t ed sel l i n g mar i juan a t o o t her st uden t s
As Jo hn Wal sh, U.S. At t o r n ey f o r C o l o r ado , n o t ed i n May o f 2 012 , f i g ur es f r o m
t he C o l o r ado Depar t men t o f Educ at i o n sho wed t hat dr ug-r el at ed sc ho o l suspen si o n s,
expul si o n s an d l aw en f o r c emen t r ef er r al s i n c r eased dr amat i c al l y af t er medi c al
mar i juan a was al l o wed i n C o l o r ado . He was quo t ed as sayi n g t hat man y sc ho o l
di st r i c t s i n C o l o r ado " hav e seen a dr amat i c i n c r ease i n st uden t abuse o f mar i juan a, wi t h
r esul t i n g st uden t suspen si o n s an d di sc i pl i n e."
Jef f er so n C o un t y Mar i juan a Task F o r c e
62 P a g e
0
. ~ ,
Q 6 , 0 0 0
x
N s , 0 0 0
4 , 0 0 0
~ ,
3 3, 0 0 0
N
p ip 2~ ~ ~ 0
t6
L
Q 1, 0 0 0
Average Drug-Related
Sus pens ions /Ex puls ions
20 0 6 -20 0 9 20 10 -20 13
SOURCE: Colorado Deparkment of Education, Academic Years 20 0 6 -20 13
In J effers on County, according to the recent Colorado School Safety Data for
20 13:
4 82 drug related incidents were reported
1, 4 87 incidents of dis ob edient/defiant b ehavior
2, 0 4 5 incidents of detrimental
b ehavior. lo
Studies s how that marijuana us e has an impact on the part of the b rain that
manages emotions and impuls ivenes s . This would help ex plain why certain
dis ciplinary-related b ehaviors are increas ing, s ince there is a ris e in marijuana us e
among teenagers .
Educational Outcomes
Marijuana us e impairs the area of the b rain that controls emotions . In an article
tying emotions and learning outcomes together, three res earchers from Arizona State
Univers ity s tudied the impact negative emotions have on the learning proces s . '1
According to the res earch outlined in the article:
6 3 P a g e
"The most common findings on emotions or emotionality and
achievement are negative associations between situ ational or disp ositional
anx iety and school ou tcomes (su ch as test p erformance, cou rse grades,
and high school comp letion; broad measu res of negative emotion or
individu al differences in negative emotionality are negatively related to
stu dents' grade p oint average (GPA) and achievement scores. "
12
I t is clear that there is a nex u s between dru g u se and learning in the life of
stu dents. A recent stu dy on legaliz ation of medical mariju ana p rovides a p recu rsor to
what legaliz ing mariju ana establishments might mean. R esu lts from a 2013 stu dy of
17,482 teenagers in Montana fou nd mariju ana u se among teenagers was higher in
cou nties where larger p ercentages of p eop le voted to legaliz e medical mariju ana in
2004. I n addition, teens in those cou nties p erceived mariju ana u se to be less risk y. The
research findings su ggest that a more accep ting attitu de toward medical mariju ana may
have a greater effect on mariju ana u se among teens, according to B ettina F riese, PhD of
the Pacific I nstitu te for R esearch and Evalu ation (PI R E).
13
The medical mariju ana legaliz ation movement has given rise to the p ercep tion
that mariju ana is a "low risk " issu e among teens. R esearch shows that u sage and
discip line in ou r local high schools is u p among ou r most vu lnerable age grou p .
Ex p anding to recreational mariju ana cou ld continu e to accelerate lower academic
achievement, school violence and disru p tion, and a fu rther decay of general health and
welfare among this imp ortant p op u lation.
Endnotes
1 National I nstitu te of Health, 2013 Monitoring the F u tu re stu dy, p u blished
12/ 18/ 2013, < http : / / www. dru gabu se. gov/ related- top ics/ trends- statistics/ monitoring-
fu tu re>
z New York Times, Janu ary 2013, National I nstitu te on Dru g Abu se
3 I bid
4 National Su rvey on Dru g Use and Health Model, 2012
5 Colorado Dep artment of Edu cation Su sp ension/ Ex p u lsion statistics
Jefferson Cou nty Mariju ana Task F orce
64 P a g e
6 Claudia Dreyfus, The New York Times, November 30, 2009, "Developmental
psychologist says teenager brain are different,"
<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/science/01 conv.html>
Roni Caryn Rabin, The New York Times, January7, 2013, "Legalizing of
Marijuana Raises Health Concerns,"
<http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/07/legalizing- of- marijuana- raises- health-
concerns/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0>
8 Saundra Young, The Chart/cnn.com, "Casual marijuana use may damage your
brain', Apri116, 2014, <http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2014/04/16/casual- marijuana- use-
may- damage- your- brain/>
9 PNAS Plus Social Sciences Psychological and Cognitive Sciences: Madeline
H. Meier, Avshalom Caspi, Antony Ambler, HonaLee Harrinton, Renate Houts, Richard
S. W. Keefe, Kay McDonald, Aimee Ward, Richie Poulton, and Terrie E. Moffitt,
"Persistent cannabis users show neuropsychological decline from childhood to midlife,"
PNAS 1020109 (40) E2657- E2664; published ahead of print August 27, 2012,
<http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/08/22/1206820109. ab stract>
to
The Denver Post, interactive database: Colorado school safety data, May, 2014,
<http://www. denverpost.com/education/ci_25786194/colorado- school- safety- data-
interactive- database>
11 Linking Students' Emotions and Academic Achievement: When and Why
Emotions Matter, Carlos V aliente, Jodi Swanson, and Nancy Eisenberg, Child
Development Perspectives, V ol. 2, Issue 6, July 2011
12
Ibid
13 American Psychological Association (APA). "Regular marijuana use bad for
teens' brains, study finds." ScienceDaily. Science Daily, 9 August 2014.
<www. scienced aily. com/releases/2014/08/140909141436.htm>
65 P a g e
66 P a g e
Some Common Misconceptions
For the purposes of this report, ta sk force members fel t tha t it wa s importa nt to
a ddress some of the common misconceptions rega rding ma rijua na .
Ina ccura cy: In Denver, which ha s the ma jority of ma rijua na esta bl ishments,
crime did not increa se a s projected but decrea sed in compa ring 2014 to 2013.
Fa ct: Some ma rijua na industry proponents "cherry pick ed" the crime sta tistics
they used a nd did not incl ude a l l crime reported by the City a nd County of Denver.
The irrefuta bl e fa cts a re tha t crime in Denver, in compa ring Ja nua ry through June of
2013 to Ja nua ry through June of 2014, a ctua l l y increa sed 6.7 percent. For insta nce:
Crimes a ga inst persons increa sed 18 .1 percent
Crimes a ga inst property decrea sed 8 percent
Crimes a ga inst society increa sed 22.8 percent
Al l other offenses increa sed 114.9 percent
Misconception: The l ega l iz a tion of ma rijua na wil l decrea se the consumption of
a l cohol a nd thus the a dverse impa cts of a l cohol a buse.
Fa ct: Since 2009 , when medica l ma rijua na wa s commercia l iz ed, a l cohol
consumption per person ha s increa sed every yea r through the l a st recorded da te of
2012. Al cohol ta x revenue ha s increa sed from 2009 through 2013 a nd is on a pa ce in
2014 to continue tha t increa se.
Misl ea ding: Since l ega l iz a tion, tra ffic fa ta l ities in Col ora do ha ve decrea sed.
Fa ct: The onl y officia l da ta for tra ffic fa ta l ities from the Col ora do Depa rtment of
Tra nsporta tion (CDOT) is 2012. 2013 a nd 2014 sta tistics a re ba sed on ra w da ta . 2013
won't be fina l iz ed until December 2014. However, to l ink a decrea se in tra ffic fa ta l ities
to l ega l iz a tion of ma rijua na is tota l l y misl ea ding beca use the da ta does not show a ny
tox icol ogy resul ts. If there is a decrea se in tra ffic fa ta l ities in 2013 a nd 2014, it coul d be
a ttributed to a number of fa ctors such a s sa fer vehicl es, fewer mil es driven, stricter
tra ffic enforcement, etc.
Jefferson County Ma rijua na Ta sk Force
67 P a g e
The measure as i t rel at es t o mari juana i s t o exami ne t o xi c o l o g y rep o rt s rel at ed t o
t raf f i c f at al i t i es. Dat a sho ws t hat t raf f i c f at al i t i es o v eral l , f ro m 2007 t hro ug h 2012, hav e
d ec reased abo ut 15 p erc ent . Ho wev er, t raf f i c f at al i t i es i nv o l v i ng o p erat o rs t est i ng
p o si t i v e f o r mari juana i nc reased 100 p erc ent . In 2006, 7 p erc ent o f t he t o t al f at al i t i es t he
o p erat o r t est ed p o si t i v e f o r mari juana. In 2012 t hat p erc ent ag e i nc reased t o 16. 5
p erc ent .
Mi sl ead i ng : Si nc e l eg al i z at i o n o f mari juana, use amo ng t eenag ers has d ro p p ed 2
p erc ent .
F ac t : Thi s st at ement was based o n a p ress rel ease o f t he Heal t hy Co l o rad o Yo ut h
Surv ey t hat has no t y et been f i nal i z ed . Co l o rad o f ai l ed t o be i nc l ud ed i n t he nat i o nal
Cent er f o r Di sease Co nt ro l (CDC) bec ause o f t he l ac k o f numbers i n t hei r samp l i ng .
Thi s st ud y o nl y i nc l ud ed st ud ent s who were at t end i ng hi g h sc ho o l and st i l l sho wed
t hat 1 i n 5 were reg ul ar users o f mari juana and t he p erc ep t i o n o f ri sk o f usi ng mari juana
had d ec reased . Dr. Wo l k , d i rec t o r o f t he Co l o rad o Dep art ment o f Publ i c Heal t h and
Env i ro nment (CDPHE) st at ed t hat t he d at a was st at i st i c al l y i nsi g ni f i c ant and t hat , as
mari juana i s no rmal i z ed , t hey exp ec t an i nc rease i n d rug use amo ng y o ut h.
Dat a f ro m t he Nat i o nal Surv ey o n Drug Use and Heal t h (NSDUH) sho ws t hat
reg ul ar mari juana use o f y o ut h ag es 12 t o 17 i nc reased 25 p erc ent i n t he y ears f o l l o wi ng
t he c o mmerc i al i z at i o n o f med i c al mari juana. Co l o rad o 's av erag e f o r t hi s ag e g ro up i s
39 p erc ent hi g her t han t he nat i o nal av erag e and rank ed 4 t " i n t he nat i o n. The st ud y al so
sho ws t hat c o l l eg e-ag e reg ul ar mari juana use was 4 2 p erc ent hi g her t han t he nat i o nal
av erag e and rank ed 3rd i n t he nat i o n.
Ot her d at a i nc l ud es a 32 p erc ent i nc rease i n susp ensi o ns and exp ul si o ns i n
Co l o rad o f o r ac ad emi c y ears 2008/2009 c o mp ared t o 2012/2013. A surv ey o f 100
Co l o rad o Sc ho o l Reso urc e Of f i c ers (SROs) sho wed t hat 89 p erc ent hav e exp eri enc ed an
i nc rease i n st ud ent mari juana-rel at ed i nc i d ent s si nc e rec reat i o nal mari juana was
l eg al i z ed . F i f t y p erc ent o f SROs hav e hand l ed an av erag e o f o ne i nc i d ent o r mo re a
week .
Mi sc o nc ep t i o n: The p ro p o nent s o f mari juana est abl i shment s t ry t o d i f f erent i at e
bet ween what t hey c al l t he reg ul at ed v ersus unreg ul at ed mari juana i nd ust ry . They
i nsi nuat e t hat , sho ul d a juri sd i c t i o n l i c ense mari juana est abl i shment s, t hat wo ul d
red uc e o r ev en el i mi nat e t ho se t hat d o no t req ui re l i c enses suc h as ho me g ro ws. In
o t her wo rd s, i n uni nc o rp o rat ed J ef f erso n Co unt y , t ho se t hat are g ro wi ng mari juana f o r
p erso nal use and so met i mes f o r t he bl ac k mark et , wo ul d so meho w c ease o p erat i o n i f
t hey c o ul d buy f ro m a l i c ensed f ac i l i t y .
J ef f erso n Co unt y Mari juana Task F o rc e
68 P a g e
F a c t : There i s no s upport i ng doc ument s or f a c t s t o s upport t hi s vi ew a nd i t i s
s t ri c t l y s uppos i t i on on t he pa rt of t he pro-ma ri jua na i ndus t ry . There i s not hi ng i n
l i c ens i ng a ma ri jua na bus i nes s t ha t woul d i mpa c t t he c ons t i t ut i ona l ri ght s houl d a n
i ndi vi dua l c hoos e t o grow t hei r own ma ri jua na .
Mi s l ea di ng: The Denver rea l es t a t e ma rket ha s i nc rea s ed s i nc e t he l ega l i z a t i on of
ma ri jua na .
F a c t : The Denver rea l es t a t e ma rket ha s i nc rea s ed a nd di d s o pri or t o t he t i me
t ha t ma ri jua na wa s l ega l i z ed. However, t he l i nk t o t he l ega l i z a t i on of ma ri jua na i s
t ot a l l y mi s l ea di ng. Ac c ordi ng t o ex pert s , t he Denver rea l es t a t e ma rket , l i ke ma ny
ot hers , ha ve s urvi ved t he rec es s i on a nd i s on t he rebound. Denver home va l ues
i nc rea s ed 1 2 . 3 perc ent f rom J ul y 2 01 3 t o J ul y 2 01 4. Li kewi s e, home va l ues i nc rea s ed
1 3 . 9 perc ent i n Arva da , 1 3 . 8 perc ent i n Pa rker, 1 2 . 7 perc ent i n Ken Ca ry l , 1 2 . 6 perc ent i n
Ca s t l e Roc k a nd 1 1 . 7 perc ent i n Evergreen. None of t hes e c i t i es or a rea s ha s ma ri jua na
es t a bl i s hment s . Thi s i s ba s ed on t he Zi l l ow Home Va l ue Index a s report ed i n t he
Augus t 2 2 edi t i on of The Denver Pos t . Ac c ordi ng t o a bus i nes s report , t he overa l l ma rket
f or l ux ury homes i s a f f ec t ed by t he l ow i nvent ory a nd ri s i ng i nt eres t ra t es . A Denver
Pos t a rt i c l e da t ed Ma y 9 , 2 01 4 s hows t ha t t he t i ght i nvent ory l ea ves hous e hunt ers
s t ruggl i ng a hea d of pea k buy i ng s ea s ons . There a re numerous f a c t ors t ha t a f f ec t t he
rea l es t a t e ma rket . It i s prema t ure t o c l a i m l ega l i z ed ma ri jua na ha s ei t her a nega t i ve or
pos i t i ve i mpa c t on t he rea l es t a t e ma rket .
J ef f ers on Count y Ma ri jua na Ta s k F orc e
6 9 P a g e
70 P a g e
Attachment 1: Chamber of Commerce Retail Marijuana in Unincorporated Jefferson
County Survey
Constant Contact Survey Results
Survey Name: Retail Marihuana in Unicorporated Jeffco
Response Status: P artial &Completed
F ilter: None
Aug 04, 2014 10:0430 AM
7. P lease select which pant describes you:
Number of Reaponae(s) Response Ratio
2. if you own, manage, or work for a business in Unincorporated Jefferson County, please describe the type of business (i.e.,
clothing, restaurant, service industry, etc.)
166 ResDonse(s)
3. Are you a member of any Chambers of Commerce or local business organizations?
Number of Responses) Response Ratlo
Yes 148 68.5
eo
4. I f you answered Yes to the previous question, please select those that apply to you:
Number of Responses) Response Ratio
Jefferson County Marijuana Task F orce
71 P a g e
5. I F a r e t ai l st or e for Re cr e at i onal Mar i juana we r e t o ope n ~~~~~your busi ne ss, do you be l i e ve :
Numbe r of Re sponse ~a) Re sponse Rat i o
6. Do you be l i e ve al l owi ng Re cr e at i onal Mar i juana r e t ai l st oma i n Uni ncor por at e d Je ffe r son Count y woul d de t r act fr om or
e nhance t he qual i t y of I Ke i n Uni ncor por at e d Je ffe r son CouMy1
Numbe r of Re sponse s) Re sponse Rat i o
7. Do you be l i e ve al l owi ng Re cr e at i onal Mar i juana r e t aN at oms i n Uni ncor por abd Je ffe r son Count y woul d de t r act fr om or
e nhance t he i mage of Uni ncor por e t e d JaNar son Count y?
Numbe r of Re sponae (s) Re sponse Rat i o
34 Comme nt s)
8. Do you have any que sUona or comme nffi for t he Je Ne r son Count y Mar i juana Task F or ce
79 Re sponse s)
Je ffe r son Count y Mar i juana Task F or ce
72 P a g e
Attachment 2: Jefferson County Tele Forum Po114/12/14
broadnet
~ i I V dI ~ I V L W I ~ ~ I I I ~ V d~ i ~ uli ~ ll~ ~ i li I N . ti , ~ ; ; J~ . ~ I , d~ . ::; J~ ll~ ll ' ' ~ I ~ I I JI I I W I ~ ~ ~ l1~ 1( I ' 1~ ~ N I ~ 11~ .
Attendees Peak Attendees Entered Queue Screened Contri buted W ent L i ve V oi ce mai ls
7, 520 ( Outbound)
102 ( I nbound)
1, 693 193 76 0 29 74
10 Ho5t5
2 Screeners
Forum L ength 7
57 mi nutes Di rect
ype Total Mi nutes Avg Mi nus
Connect 60, 077 ( 3, 766 I nbound) 14
Jefferson CoontyCommi ssi oners ( websi te) ~ ~ ~
Jefferson County Commi ssloners
Qu~ sdon ~ ~ d f4sponaea
Answer Key V ohs %
#4 Do you feel the County Commi ssi oners should ask the ci ti nens i n Jeffco to wte thi s ; . - ves 1 495 73%
N ovember on whether retai l and medi cal mj sales should be allowed i n uni ncorporated 18:48
N o 2 180 27%
Jeffco?
Tote) V ohs: 675
Ml Oo you want to see retai l sales oI medi cal mari juana i n uni ncorporated Jefferson
18:57
Countyt
#2 - Do you want to see retai l sales of recreati onal mari juana i n uni ncorporated
19:02
Jefferson Coun[y7
Mswer Kay V otes %
Yes, and wi th
very li ttle
~ ~ regulatlon on 1 121 16%
where sales
occur
Yes, buc wi th
s V ong
Z 776 23%
regulati ons antl
enforcement
1 don' t want
medi cal
~ mari huana
3 480 62%
sales i n
uni ncorpofdted
Jeffco
Togl V otas: 777
Mswar Key V otes %
Yes, and wi th
very li ttle
regulati on on 1 85 11
where sales
occur
Yes, but wi th
::
strong
Z 721 16%
regulatlons and
enforcement
don' t want
recreati onal mj
~ sal5 i n 3 536 72%
uni ncorpore[ed
Jeffw
TOW I V otes: 742
Jefferson County Mari juana Task Force
73 P a g e
Mswer Key Votes q
#3 -Should commercial grow operations be allowed in unincorportated J ef f erson
19:11
~ ) -
Yes 1 198 33%
County) \l No 2 409 67%
`O~ Totai Votes: 607
#5 -Would medical and recreational marijuana sales enhance or harm the liv es of
19:18
J ef f erson County residents?
#6 Do you intend to shop f or marijuana in unincorporated J ef f co should the
moratorium be lif ted and retail sales allowed?
Mswer Key Votes %
believ e they
would enhance
the liv es of 1 136 26%
J ef f co
residents t
J I believ e they
~ ~ would harm
[he liv es of 2 383 74~
J ef f co
residents
Total Votes: 519
Answer Key Votes k
Yes, I would
buy mj in J ef f co
- if retail sales 1 105 19%
would be
allowed
19:23 ~ ~ No, I would not
buy marijuana
in
unincorporated
z q38 81%
J ef f erson
County
Total Votes: 543
eleForum Broadcast ( I d 3931161 - TeleForum: J ef f erson County TeleForum 4/21 ( I D 10646) ( xx) ( Direct Connect)
Status: Archiv ed
Graph Code Result Couni Percent
~ 1002 L iv e Answer 17. 322 40
1009 Answering Machine 11. 401 27
1006 Busy 513 1 %
1005 No Answer 2. 647 6
'~ 100H Fax 329 1 %
~ 1003 Operator lnterce( % 9,015 21 %
~ 1004 No Ring 1,643 4 %
~ 1995 Outside of Curtew 34 0 %
Total 42,904
74 P a g e
Attachment 3: Jefferson County Jurisdiction Status on Medical and Retail
Establishments
B.QULDElZCOU NTY. _. _.
i co.ec.eex SUPERIOR
i ~'^y" Retail and Medical banned
1
1
1
i
GIIPiN i
COUNTY i
~ WHEAT RIDGE
Retail and Medical allowed
i
i Norm
~ AO
i
GOLDEN
w,.narn
j Retail banned;
__ _ _ ~ Medical allowed
> i ~ 7
o
~. .. BROOMFIELD B _._
i_
~;
WESTMINSTER
Retail and Medical
banned
i
i wnea
i
CLEAR CREEK ! 'K~
COUNTY
~ i
i
Ev ~rf/ rMn
IntlM~ C
Hills
i
i MORRISON
~
~~,ny j Retail antl Medical banned I
j T;
~ l
Book ~
foras~
j LAKEWOOD
_.--._.--._..~.~ ~
1 Moratorium on Retail;
i
Medical allowed
ARVADA
Retail and Medipl
banned
ADAMS COUNTY
LAKESIDE
no data
MOUNTAIN VIEW
--- -- - - i
r~~,
Retail and Medical
allowed
___
EDGEWATER
Retail and Medical
F~l allowed
GnM
CITY 8COUNTY
OF DENVER ~ ~
.~~
L.r~ ARAPAHOE
`_ _ _ COUNTY
~ BOW MAR
Retail banned;
medical unclear.
i ~ ~
~ r'
1 ~ / A~pM ~
PHk
1 ti
~ cw,ir.. ~
~ ~ L~TTLETON
j ~~' ~~ ~ Retatlbanned;
~ ~,- i Medical av owed
i
i
N
PARK ~~Pr^ ~ DOUGLAS
COUNTY ~~~"'~ ~ COUNTY
i ~ ~
i -
~ -c- _-
i .i
Updated July 7 . 201 4 ~ . -cqy rsra m_........_..
N
~ , Legend:
~__, J Retail and Medical allowed ~ Moraronum on Retail; Medical allowed ~..~J Retail banned; Medical unclear
~ a, ~ Retail and Medical banned Retail banned; Medical allowed ~ ~ No data
Jefferson County Marij uana Task Force
7 5 P a g e
76 P a g e
Attachment 4: Adverse Health E f f ects of Marijuana Use
Volkow, 2014 -New E ngland J ournal of Medicine - Volkow, et al. , Adverse Health E f f ects
of Marijuana Use; New E ngland journal of Medicine; J une, 2014; 3 7 0;23 ; www. nejm. or~
J uly 21, 2014
7 7 P a g e
78 P a g e
79 P a g e
80 P a g e
81 P a g e
82 P a g e
83 P a g e
84 P a g e
85 P a g e
J e f f e r s o n Co un ty Mar ijuan a Tas k Fo r ce 86 P a g e
Attachment 5: The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado: The Impact
J effers on County Marijuana Tas k Force ~ 87 ~ F a g e
The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado: The Impact Vol. 2/August 2014
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Introduction
Purpose
............................................................................................................................1
TheDebate
.......................................................................................................................1
Background
...................................................................................................................... 2
Colorado's History with Marijuana Legalization ......................................................... 2
Early Medical Marijuana 2000 2008 ................................................................ 2
Medical Marijuana Commercialization and Expansion 2009 Present............3
R ecreational Marijuana 2013 -Present .................................................................4
SECTION 1: Impaired Driving
Introduction
............................................................................................................... 7
Findings
...................................................................................................................... 7
Data................................... .....................................................................................8
R elated Material
......................................................................................................16
Sources
.....................................................................................................................19
SECTION 2: Youth Marijuana Use
Introduction
.......................................................:........................................................... 23
Findings
......................................................................................................................... 24
Data
................................................................................................................................ 25
R elated Material
............................................................................................................ 3 4
Comments
...................................................................................................................... 3 8
Sources
........................................................................................................................... 40
SECTION 3 : Adult Marijuana Use
Introduction
................................................................................................................... 43
Findings
......................................................................................................................... 44
Data
................................................................................................................................ 45
R elated Material
............................................................................................................ 51
Sources
........................................................................................................................... 55
Table of Contents
88 P a g e
The L eg a l i z a t i o n o f Ma ri jua n a i n Co l o ra do : T' he Impa ct
Vo l . 2/Aug usi 2014
SECTION 4: Emerg en cy Ro o m a n d Ho spi t a l Ma ri jua n a-Rel a t ed
Admi ssi o n s
In t ro duct i o n
................................................................................................................... 59
Fi n di n g s
......................................................................................................................... 59
Da t a
................................................................................................................................ 60
Rel a t ed Ma t eri a l
............................................................................................................ b6
Co mmen t s
...................................................................................................................... b9
So urces
........................................................................................................................... 70
SECTION 5: Ma ri jua n a-Rel a t ed Expo sure
In t ro duct i o n
................................................................................................................... 73
Fi n di n g s
......................................................................................................................... 74
Da t a
................................................................................................................................ 75
Rel a t ed Ma t eri a l o r Co mmen t s
.................................................................................... 77
So urces
........................................................................................................................... 79
SECTION 6: Trea t men t
In t ro duct i o n
................................................................................................................... 81
Fi n di n g s
......................................................................................................................... 81
Da t a
................................................................................................................................ 82
P ro ject i o n
....................................................................................................................... 84
Rel a t ed Ma t eri a l a n d Co mmen t s
................................................................................. 84
So urces
........................................................................................................................... 87
SECTION 7: Di versi o n o f Co l o ra do Ma ri jua n a
In t ro duct i o n
................................................................................................................... 89
Fi n di n g s
......................................................................................................................... 90
Da t a
................................................................................................................................ 91
P ro ject i o n
....................................................................................................................... 93
Mi cro co sm o f Un repo rt ed Di versi o n ........................................................................... 94
So me Exa mpl es o f In t erdi ct i o n s
................................................................................... 94
So me Exa mpl es o f In vest i g a t i o n s ................................................................................ 98
So me Exa mpl es o f Di versi o n t o Yo ut h ......................................................................102
Co mmen t s
....................................................................................................................105
So urces
.........................................................................................................................109
SECTION 8: Di versi o n by P a rcel
In t ro duct i o n
.................................................................................................................113
Fi n di n g s
.......................................................................................................................113
Ta bl e o f Co n t en t s
Jefferso n Co un t y Ma ri jua n a Ta sk Fo rce
89 P a g e
The L eg a l i z a t i o n o f Ma ri jua n a i n Co l o ra do : The Impa ct
Vo f. 2/Aug ust 2014
Da t a ..............................................................................................................................115
So me U.S. P o st a l Serv i ce Ca se Exa mpl es ..................................................................117
Co uri er Del i v ery Serv i ce Co mpa n i es ........................................................................118
So urces .........................................................................................................................121
SECTION 9: THC Ext ra ct i o n L a bs
In t ro duct i o n .................................................................................................................123
Fi n di n g s
.......................................................................................................................124
Da t a ..............................................................................................................................125
So me Ca se Exa mpl es ..................................................................................................127
Rel a t ed Ma t eri a l ..........................................................................................................13 1
So urces .........................................................................................................................13 2
SECTION 10: Rel a t ed Da t a
To pi cs
...........................................................................................................................13 5
Cri me............................................................................................................................13 5
Org a n i z ed Cri me .........................................................................................................13 7
Ma ri jua n a-Rel a t ed P et P o i so n i n g ..............................................................................140
Rev en ue........................................................................................................................143
Dema n d a n d Ma rket Si z e ...........................................................................................145
Ma ri jua n a Use a n d Al co ho l Co n sumpt i o n ...............................................................146
L o ca l J uri sdi ct i o n Respo n se .......................................................................................149
Number o f Ma ri jua n a Busi n esses ..............................................................................149
THC P o t en cy ................................................................................................................15 0
So urms .........:...............................................................................................................15 1
Ta bl es a n d Gra phs
Sect i o n 1: Fa t a l i t i es In v o l v i n g Opera t o rs Test i n g P o si t i v e fo r Ma ri jua n a ................................... 9
Fa t a l i t i es In v o l v i n g Opera t o rs Test i n g P o si t i v e fo r Ma ri jua n a ..................................10
P ercen t o f Al l Fa t a l i t i es Wi t h Opera t o rs Test i n g P o si t i v e fo r Ma ri jua n a ..................10
Av era g e Ma ri jua n a-Rel a t ed Fa t a l i t i es P re a n d P o st-Medi ca l
Ma ri jua n a Co mmerci a l i ut i o n Yea r (2009) ...........................................................11
Opera t o rs In v o l v ed i n Fa t a l i t i es Test i n g P o si t i v e fo r Ma ri jua n a (2) ................11 & 12
P ercen t o f Opera t o rs Test i n g P o si t i v e fo r Ma ri jua n a o f To t a l Opera t o rs
In v o l v ed i n Fa t a l i t i es .............................................................................................12
Av era g e Opera t o rs Test i n g P o si t i v e fo r Ma ri jua n a P re a n d P o st-Medi ca l
Ma ri jua n a Co mmerci a l i z a t i o n Yea r (2009) ...........................................................7 3
DUID Bl o o d Test s Co n fi rmed THC .............................................................................14
L a ri mer Sheri fYs Depa rt men t Dri v i n g Un der t he In fl uen ce o f Drug s
(DUID) Repo rt ........................................................................................................14
J efferso n Co un t y Ma ri jua n a Ta sk Fo rce
90 P a g e
The L eg a l i z a t i o n o f Ma ri jua n a i n Co l o ra do : The Impa ct Vo l . 2JAug ust 2014
DUID Co l o ra do S t a t e P a t ro l ......................................................................................15
S ect i o n 2: Avera g e P a st Mo n t h Usa g e o f Ma ri jua n a Ag es 12 t o 17 Yea rs P re- a n d
P o st- Medi ca l Ma ri jua n a Co mmerci a l i z a t i o n Yea r (2009) ....................................25
Yo ut h (Ag es 12 t o 17 Yea rs) P a st Mo n t h Ma ri jua n a Use Na t i o n a l vs. Co l o ra do ......26
P a st Mo n t h Usa g e by 12 t o 17- Yea r- 0Ids i n Medi ca l Ma ri jua n a S t a t es, 2012...........27
P a st Mo n t h Use by 12 t o 17- Yea r- Ol ds i n Medi ca l vs. No n- Medi ca l
Ma ri jua n a
S t a t es .....................................................................................................28
To p Ten S t a t es fo r Curren t Ma ri jua n a Use i n Hi g h S cho o l ........................................29
Drug- R el a t ed S uspen si o n s/Expul si o n s .......................................................................3 0
Avera g e L hvg - R el a t ed S uspen si o n s/Expul si o n s ........................................................3 0
P ercen t a g e o f To t a l S uspen si o n s i n Co l o ra do , 20Q5 - 2013 S cho o l Yea rs ....................3 1
P ercen t a g e o f To t a l Expul si o n s i n Co l o ra do , 2005 - 2013 S cho o l Yea rs ......................3 1
P ercen t a g e o f To t a l R eferra l s t o L a w En fo rcemen t i n Co l o ra do , 2005 - 2013
S cho o l Yea rs ...........................................................................................................3 2
Mo st P ro mi n en t Ma ri jua n a Vi o l a t i o n s o n Ca mpus ....................................................3 3
Where Ma ri jua n a i s Obt a i n ed ......................................................................................3 3
S ect i o n 3 : Avera g e P a st Mo n t h Use o f Ma ri jua n a Co l l eg e Ag e (18 t o 25 Yea rs)
P re- a n d P o st- Medi ca l Ma ri jua n a Co mmerci a l i z a t i o n Yea r (2009) .....................45
Co l l eg e Ag e (18 t o 25 Yea rs Ol d) P a st Mo n t h Ma ri jua n a Use ....................................46
Avera g e P a st Mo n t h Use o f Ma ri jua n a Adul t s (Ag e 26 +) P re- a n d
P o st- Medi ca l Ma ri jua n a Co mmerci a l i z a t i o n Yea r (2009) ....................................47
Adul t (26 +) P a st Mo n t h Ma ri jua n a Use .......................................................................48
Ag es 12 Yea rs a n d Ol der Ma ri jua n a Use i n t he P a st Mo n t h: Co mpa ri so n o f
2004- 2006 , 2006 - 2D08 a n d 2008 - 2010 .....................................................................5 0
Den ver Ci t a t i o n s fo r P ubl i c Use o f Ma ri jua n a ............................................................5 1
S ect i on 4: Ma ri jua n a- R el a t ed Emerg en cy R o o m Vi si t s ...............................................................6 1
Al l Emerg en cy R o o m Vi si t s P ercen t Ma ri jua n a R el a t ed ............................................6 2
Ho spi t a l i z a t i o n s R el a t ed t o Ma ri jua n a ........................................................................6 2
Avera g e Ma ri jua n a- R el a t ed Ho spi t a l i z a t i o n s P re- a n d P o st- Medi ca l
Ma ri jua n a Co mmerci a l i z a t i o n Yea r (2009) ...........................................................6 3
Al l Ho spi t a l i z a t i o n s P ercen t Ma ri jua n a - R el a t ed ........................................................6 4
Emerg en cy R o o m R a t e P er 100, 000 Ma ri jua n a- R el a t ed, 2011- 2012 ...........................6 5
Ho spi t a l R a t e P er 100, 000 Ma ri jua n a- R el a t ed, 2007- 2012 ..........................................6 5
Ma ri jua n a In g est i o n Amo n g Chi l dren Un der 12 Yea rs- o f- Ag e .................................6 6
S ect i o n 5 : Ma ri jua n a - Kel a t ed Expo sures Chi l dren Ag es 0 t o 5 ...................................................75
Avera g e P ercen t o f Chi l dren Ag es 0 t o 5 Yea rs fo r R epo rt ed
Ma ri jua n a Expo sure Ca ses ....................................................................................75
R a t e o f Un i n t en t i o n a l P edi a t ri c Ma ri jua n a Expo sure P o i so n Cen t er Ca l l s,
by Ma ri jua n a L eg a l i z a t i o n S t a t es, 2005 - 2011 ........................................................76
Ma ri jua n a- R el a t ed Expo sures ......................................................................................77
S ect i o n 6 : Trea t men t wi t h Ma ri jua n a a s P ri ma ry S ubst a n ce o f Abuse, Al l Ag es ......................8 2
Drug 'I'ype fo r Trea t men t Admi ssi o n s Al l Ag es .........................................................8 3
P ercen t o f Ma ri jua n a Trea t men t Admi ssi o n s by Ag e Gro up ....................................8 4
91 P a g e
The L eg a l i z a t i o n o f Ma ri jua n a i n Co l o ra do : The Impa ct Vo l . 2/Aug ust 2074
Sect i o n 7: Co l o ra do Ma ri jua n a In t erdi ct i o n Sei z ures ..................................................................9 1
Avera g e Po un ds o f Co l o ra do Ma ri jua n a fro m In t erdi ct i o n Sei z ures ........................9 2
St a t es t o Whi ch Co l o ra do Ma ri jua n a Wa s Dest i n ed (201 3) ........................................9 3
Sect i o n S: Pa rcel s Co n t a i n i n g Ma ri jua n a Ma i l ed fro m Co l o ra do t o An o t her St a t e .................1 1 5
Po un ds o f Co l o ra do Ma ri jua n a Sei z ed by t he U .S. Po st a l In spect i o n Servi ce ........1 1 6
Number o f St a t es Dest i n ed t o Recei ve Ma ri jua n a Ma i l ed fro m Co l o ra do ..............1 1 6
201 3 St a t es Where In t ercept ed Ma ri jua n a Pa rcel s fro m Co l o ra do Were Sen t ........1 1 7
Sect i o n 9 : Co l o ra do Repo rt ed THC E x t ra ct i o n L a b E x pl o si o n s ................................................1 25
Co l o ra do Repo rt ed THC E x t ra ct i o n L a b E x pl o si o n In juri es ....................................1 26
U n i versi t y o f Co l o ra do Ho spi t a l THC E x t ra ct i o n L a b Sel f-Admi t t ed
Bum Vi ct i ms .........................................................................................................1 26
Sect i o n 1 0: Co l o ra do Cri me ..........................................................................................................1 36
Ci t y a n d Co un t y o f Den ver Cri me .............................................................................1 37
To t a l Number o f Medi ca l Ma ri jua n a Reg i st ry Ca rds a n d Al l Do g s Wi t h
THC To x i co si s ......................................................................................................1 41
St a t e Ta x Reven ue Ja n ua ry 1 t o Ma y 3l , 201 4 ...........................................................1 43
Al co ho l Co n sumpt i o n Per Perso n i n Ga l l o n s by Yea r .............................................1 47
Co l o ra do Al co ho l Ta x Reven ue by Yea r ...................................................................1 48
Al co ho l Sa l es U p .........................................................................................................1 48
Po t en cy Mo n i t o ri n g Pro g ra m -Avera g e THC Percen t DE A-Submi t t ed
Ca n n a bi s Sa mpl es 1 9 9 5 -201 3 ............................................................................1 5 0
Po t en cy Mo n i t o ri n g Pro g ra m -Avera g e THC Percen t Al l Submi t t ed Ha sh Oi l
Sa mpl es 1 9 9 5 - 201 3 .............................................................................................1 5 1
9 2 P a g e
Executive Summary
Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (RMHIDTA) w ill attempt to
track the impact of marijuana legalization in the state of Colorado. " This report w ill
utilize, w henever possib le, a comparison of three different eras in Colorado's
legalization history:
2006 2008: Early medical marijuana era
2009 Present: Medical marijuana commercialization and expansion era
2013 Present: Recreational marijuana era
Rocky Mountain HIDTA w ill collect and report comparative data in a variety of
areas, including b ut not limited to:
Impaired driving
Youth marijuana use
Adult marijuana use
Emergency room admissions
Marijuana- related exposure cases
Diversion of Colorado marijuana outside the state
This is the second annual report on the impact of Colorado legalizing marijuana. It
is divided into ten sections w ith each providing data on the impact of legalization prior
to and during the creation of the marijuana industry in Colorado. The sections are as
follow s:
Section 1Impaired Driving
Traffic fatalities involving operators testing positive for marijuana have
increased 100 percent from 2007 to 2012.
The majority of driving- under- the- influence- of- drugs arrests involve marijuana
and 25 to 40 percent w ere marijuana alone.
Toxicology reports w ith positive marijuana results for driving under the
influence have increased 16 percent from 2011 to 2013.
93 P a g e
The L eg a l i z a t i o n o f Ma z i jua n a i n Co l o ra do : The Impa ct Vo l . 2/Aug ust 20 7 .4
Sect i o n 2 -Yo ut h Ma ri jua n a Use:
In 20 12, 10 .4 7 percen t o f yo ut h a g es 12 t o 17 were co n si dered curren t ma ri jua n a
users co mpa red t o 7 .5 5 percen t n a t i o n a l l y. Co l o ra do , ra n ked 4 ' h i n t he n a t i o n ,
wa s 39 percen t hi g her t ha n t he n a t i o n a l a vera g e.
Drug-rel a t ed suspen si o n s/ex pul si o n s i n crea sed 32 percen t fro m scho o l yea rs
20 0 8/20 0 9 t hro ug h 20 12/20 13. The va st ma jo ri t y were fo r ma ri jua n a vi o l a t i o n s.
Sect i o n 3 -Adul t Ma ri jua n a Use:
In 20 12, 26 .81 percen t o f co l l eg e a g e st uden t s (a g es 18 - 25 yea rs) were
co n si dered curren t ma ri jua n a users co mpa red t o 18.89 percen t n a t i o n a l l y.
Co l o ra do , ra n ked 3' d i n t he n a t i o n , wa s 4 2 percen t hi g her t ha n t he n a t i o n a l
a vera g e.
In 20 12, 7 .6 3 percen t o f a dul t s a g es 26 a n d o ver were co n si dered curren t
ma ri jua n a users co mpa red t o 5 .0 5 percen t n a t i o n a l l y. Co l o ra do , ra n ked 7 ' h i n t he
n a t i o n , wa s 5 1 percen t hi g her t ha n t he n a t i o n a l a vera g e.
In 20 13, 4 8.4 percen t o f Den ver a dul t a rrest ees t est ed po si t i ve fo r ma ri jua n a
whi ch i s a 16 percen t i n crea se fro m 20 0 8.
Sect i o n 4 -Emerg en cy Ro o m Ma ri jua n a Admi ssi o n s:
Fro m 20 11 t hro ug h 20 13, t here wa s a 5 7 percen t i n crea se i n ma ri jua n a-rel a t ed
emerg en cy ro o m vi si t s.
H o spi t a l i z a t i o n s rel a t ed t o ma ri jua n a ha ve i n crea sed 82 percen t fro m 20 0 8 t o
20 13.
In 20 12, t he Ci t y o f Den ver ra t e fo r ma ri jua n a-rel a t ed emerg en cy vi si t s wa s 4 5
percen t hi g her t ha n t he ra t e i n Co l o ra do .
Sect i o n 5 -Ma ri jua n a -Rel a t ed Ex po sure:
Ma ri jua n a-rel a t ed ex po sures fo r chi l dren a g es 0 t o 5 o n a vera g e ha ve i n crea sed
26 8 percen t fro m 20 0 6 -20 0 9 t o 20 10 -20 13.
Co l o ra do ' s ra t e o f ma ri jua n a-rel a t ed ex po sures i s t ri pl e t he n a t i o n a l a vera g e.
Sect i o n 6 -Trea t men t
Over t he l a st n i n e yea rs, t he t o p t hree drug s i n vo l ved i n t rea t men t a dmi ssi o n s
ha ve been a l co ho l , ma ri jua n a a n d a mphet a mi n es.
Sect i o n 7 -Di versi o n o f Co l o ra do Ma ri jua n a :
H i g hwa y i n t erdi ct i o n sei z ures o f Co l o ra do ma ri jua n a dest i n ed t o 4 0 o t her st a t es
i n crea sed 397 percen t fro m 20 0 8 t o 20 13.
The a vera g e po un ds o f Co l o ra do ma ri jua n a sei z ed, dest i n ed fo r o t her st a t es,
i n crea sed 33.5 percen t fro m 20 0 5 t o 20 0 8 co mpa red t o 20 0 9 t o 20 13.
J efferso n Co un t y Ma ri jua n a Ta sk Fo rce
94 P a g e
Section 8 -Diversion b ar P arcel:
U.S. Mail parcel interceptions, with Colorado marijuana destined for 33 other
states, increased 1 , 280 percent from 201 0 to 201 3.
U.S. Mail pounds of Colorado marijuana seized, destined for 33 other states,
increased 762 percent from 201 0 to 201 3.
Section 9 - THC E x traction Lab s:
In 201 3, there were 1 2 THC ex traction lab ex plosions and in the first half of 201 4
the amount more than doub led.
In 201 3, there were 1 8 injuries from THC ex traction lab s and in the first half of
201 4 there were 27 injuries.
Section 1 0 -Related Data:
O verall, crime in Denver increased 6.7 percent from the first six months of 201 3
to the first six months of 201 4.
The numb er of pets poisoned from ingesting marijuana has increased four-fold
in the past six y ears.
Colorado estimates for annual revenue from the sale of recreational marijuana
varies from $65 million ( .6 percent of all ex pected general fund revenue) to $1 1 8
million ( 1 2 percent of all ex pected general fund revenue)
The majority of counties and cities in Colorado have b anned recreational
marijuana b usinesses
THC potency has risen from an average of 3.96 percent in 1 995 to an average of
1 2.33 percent in 201 3
There is much more data in each of the ten sections, which can b e used as a
standalone document. All of the sections are on the Rocky Mountain HIDTA web site
and can b e printed individually ; go to www.rmhidta.org reports.
95 P a g e
96 P a g e
Attachment 6: Task Force Minority "Opt In" Report
97 P a g e
Jefferson County Marijuana
Task Force Report
September 15, 2014
Oft- I n
Jefferson County Marijuana Task Force Report - ~t In
Table of Contents
1 j Executive Summary
2) Impacts
a) Public Safety and Health
b} Youth
c) Government
d} Business
3) The Path Forward
4) Conclusion
5) Appendix
Executive ummary
Marijuana has been bought and sol d in J ef f erson County f ar decades, but has been sol d by
individual s who of ten use viol ence to dominate the market. A f ter 45 years of a f ederal and
l ocal war on marijuana casting over a tril l ion dol l ars, marijuana remains universal l y
avail abl e, p arf iicul arl y in our school s. J ef f erson County has now been given an op p ortunity
to move away f rom decades oF F ail ed p ol icy.
J ef f erson County voted decisivel y in f avor of ~~~~~~~~~~~~64. P l ease see A p p endix gage 1 ,
J ef f erson County of f icial resul ts, S4% in f avor)
J ef f erson County now f aces the f al l owing choice: Choose a model simil ar to al cohol that
embraces l icensing, regul akion, transp arency, accounf iabil ity, and taxation; or stick with the
current model where organized crime, simil ar to A l Cap one's criminal enterp rise, of ten
dominates the sal e of marijuana through viol ence, and il l egal home grow op erations
op erate unencumbered throughout J ef f erson County neighborhoods.
By op ting in, J ef f erson County wil l imp rove the economy, create hundreds of jobs, col l ect
mil l ions in new tax revenue, boast real estate and construction, and el iminate a substantial
amount oP the p robl ems caused by the il l egal sal e of marijuana by bl ack market op erators.
By op ting out, J ef f erson County residents wil l continue to buy f ratn bl ack market op erators,
or simp l y p urchase marijuana f rom l egal marijuana businesses in neighboring l ocal ities.
Under this model , J ef f erson County wil l have increased costs trying to f ight an
uncontrol l abl e bl ack market, but wil l be transf erring the economic benef its and revenue to
neighboring l ocal ities that op t in.
This rep ort recorn~ nends that the Board of County Commissioners " nnt- l n" and be one of
the many Col orado counties that are cl earl y on a p ath to increased p ubl ic saf ety, higher tax
revenue, more emp l oyment op p ortunities and a better overal l q ual ity of l if e.
Impacts
The speci f i c areas aF f o cu s f o r the Task Fo rce were to exami ne the i mpacts, bo th po si ti v e
and neg ati v e, i n f o u r key areas:
P u bl i c Heal th & S af ery
Yo u th
Go v ernment
Bu si nesses &Eco no my
i m a s o 1~o n C.o u n~r pl ~bl i c Heal th &S af ety
P ro hi bi ti o ni sts made many di re predi cti o ns abo u t the ef f ects o f mari ju ana ref o rm. These
di re predi cti o ns hav e f ai l ed to materi al i z e.
Denv er`s v i o l ent cri me rate has decreased su bstanti al l y po st l eg al i z ati o n. (App. 2,
Ci ty and Co u nty o f Denv er, Ho mi ci des dawn 32.0%, sexu al assau l ts do wn 14 .7 l 0)
t Traf f i c f atal i ti es are near reco rd l o ws i n Co l o rado . (App, 3, The Washi ng to n P o st,
Au g u st 5, 2014 . S ee al so App. 9, CDOT data wi th f atal i ti es f al l i ng f ro m 7 4 3 i n 2002
to 4 81 i n 2Q13)
Acco rdi ng to the Co l o rado S tate P atro l , "The nu mber o f f atal crashes al so dro pped
2~.5 / a f ro m 2013 to 2014 du ri ng the f i rst q u arter." (App. 1Q, CS P press rel ease,
Apri l 23, 2014 )
"Nn, mari ju ana i sn' t a,g ateway dru g ." (App. 12, Vo x, May 15, 2014 . S ee al so App. 18,
Insti tu te o f Medi ci ne, "Mari ju ana and Medi ci ne: Assessi ng the S ci ence Base" 1999)
New S tu dy: L eg al access to mari ju ana i s asso ci ated wi th f ewer o pi o i d o v erdo se
deaths. (App. 2Q, The New Yo rk Ttmes, S eptember 1, 2014 }
New stu dy: Co u pl es who smo ke mari ju ana are l ess l i kel y to eng ag e i n do mesti c
v i o l ence. (App. 22, The Hu f f i ng to n P o st, Au g u st 8, 2014 }
"U .S . Mari ju ana L eg al i z ati o n Al ready Weakeni ng Mexi can Cartel s, Vi o l ence Expected
to Decl i ne." (App. 24 , To wnhal L co m, Au g u st 11, 2014 )
2
I n a d d i t i o n , s e v e r a l o t he r l o c a l i r i e s ha v e p r o v i d e d s i m i l a r e v i d e n c e t ha t t he i n d u s t r y ha s
n o t be e n t he d i r e p u bl i c s a f e t y r i s k p r e d i c t e d by p r o hi bi t i o n i s t s , I n t e s t i m o n y p r o v i d e d t o
t he Ta s k F o r c e by Cha i r wo m a n Ra m e y Jo hn s o n , ba s e d o n i n t e r v i e ws s he c o n d u c t e d wi t h
s e v e r a l o f f i c i a l s o f Ed ge wa t e r a n d La k e wo o d , Ed ge wa t e r Chi e f o f P o l i c e Ha we s s t a t e d t ha t
i n t e r m s o f d i r e c t i m p a c t o n c a l l s a n d c r i m e , m a r i ju a n a s t o r e s ha v e be e n n e gl i gi bl e . No t e s
f r o m Cha i r wo m a n Jo hn s o n i n t e r v i e ws , Ap p 43-45.
Cha i r wo m a n Jo hn s o n a l s o i n t e r v i e we d H) S t o I F , Ci t y Ma n a ge r o f Ed ge wa t e r , who s t a t e d t ha t
l i q u o r s t o r e s a r e m o r e p r o bl e m a t i c t ha n d i s p e n s a r i e s , a n d t ha t Ed ge wa t e r wo u l d r a t he r
ha v e a d i s p e n s a r y t ha n a ba n k , a s ba n k s ge t he l d u p a n d p a y n a s a l e s t a x . I bi d .
S i m i l a r s t a t e m e n t s we r e r e c e i v e d f r o m O f f i c e r Cha d Ma r t i n e z a n d La k e wo o d Chi e f o f P o l i c e
P a d i l l a . Ac c o r d i n g t o La k e wo o d F . Q . d a t a , m e d i c a l m a r i ju a n a d i s p e n s a r i e s ha v e a l o we r
i n c i d e n c e r a t e t ha n m o s t o t he r bu s i n e s s e s , m a i n l y be c a u s e wo u l d be c r i m i n a l s k n o w t ha t
d i s p e n s a r y l o c a r i o n s a r e we l l l i t , s e c u r e a n d u n d e r c o n s t a n t s u r v e i l l a n c e . (Da t a p r e s e n t e d
a t Ta s k F o r c e Mt g, Ju n e 23r d ).
I n s ho r t , s t a t e wi d e d a t a a n d t e s t i m o n y f r o m s e v e r a l o t he r c o m m u n i t i e s s ho ws t ha t
m a r i ju a n a bu s i n e s s e s c a n be l i c e n s e d , r e gu l a t e d , a n d t a x e d i n a c o n t r o l l e d a n d s a f e m a n n e r .
For decades, marijuana has been readil y av ail abl e to J e# ' f erson County y outh.
P rohibitionists predicted that teen marijuana use woul d expl ode with marijuana ref orm,
but both state and f ederal data show the inv erse.
From 2011 to 2013, Col orado' s teen marijuana use rate decreased f rom 22a/ c, to
24%, according to the Col orado Department of P ubl rc Heath and Env ironment.
L if etime usage al so decreased f rom 39% to 37%. (App. 27, CDP HE press rel ease,
August 7, 2414).
From 2409 to 2011, during the time that Col orado l icensed and regul ated ov er 50Q
marijuana businesses, Col orado' s teen marijuana use rate decl ined f rom 24.8% to
22.0%, according to the Center f ar Disease Control and P rev ention. (App. 24 CDC}
~ Col orado' s teen marijuana use rate is wel l bel ow the national av erage. ,
o in 2{ }11, teen use in the U .S . was 23.1% whil e the Col orado rate was 22%.
[App. 30, CDC)
Q I n 2413, teen use in the tI .S . was 23.4%, whil e Col orado' s rate was 24%.
(App. 31, CDC, CDP HE)
Further, sev eral studies show that marijuana ref orm does not increase teen use.
" L egal iz ing medical marijuana doesn' t increase use among adol escents, study say s."
(App. 32, S cience Dail y , Apri123, 2014)
o S tudy S ummary : " P arents and phy sicians concerned about an increase in
adol escents' marijuana use f ol l owing the l egal iz atiot, of medical marijuana
can breathe a sigh of rel ief . According ko a new study at Rhode isl and
Hospital that compared ZO y ears worth of data f rom states with and without
medical marijuana l aws, l egal iz ing the drug did not l ead to rnrreased use
among adol escents."
a ' Teen marijuana use hasn' t expl oded amid boom in l egal iz ation support, drug
surv ey f inds." (App. 34, tJ S News &Worl d Report December 18, 2013]
4
~ "Medical Marijuana Laws and Teen U se. " (App. 37, S o cial S cience R esearch Netwo rk,
May 28, 2(1 1 ~~
~ Ab stract: "Dur results are no t co nsistent with th e h ypo th esis th at
leg uiiz ati~n leads to icrensed use o f marijuana b y teenag ers. "
I n th e meantime, h ig h sch o o l g raduatio n rates are up in Co lo rado .
"Graduatio n rates up in Co lo rado . " (App39, Th e Denver P o st, January 23, 201 4).
Th e data and studies demo nstrate marijuana refo rm, alo ng with educatio n and
enfo rcement, may lead to decreases in teen marijuana usag e. Additio nal revenue created b y
tax ing th e sale o E recreatio nai marijuana will also allo w Jefferso n Co unty to create
campaig ns to prevent teen use th at furth er suppo rt th e effo rts o f sch o o ls, th e S taCe, and
lo cal law enP arcement
C u r r e n t l y , mar iju an a is l e g al in J e f f e r s o n C o u n t y . The main qu e s t io n f o r J e f f e r s o n C o u n t y
g o ve r n me n t is whe t he r it wan t s t o c o n t r o l f ihe s al e o f mar iju an a t hr o u g h l ic e n s e d an d
r e g u l at e d b u s in e s s e s , o r s pe n d it s l imit e d r e s o u r c e s t r y in g t o c o n t r o l a d e c e n t r al iz e d b l ac k
mar k e t o pe r at in g o u t o f b as e me n t s t hr o u g ho u t t he c o u n t y .
By o pt in g o u t , J e f f e r s o n C o u n t y r e s id e n t s wil l c o n t in u e s impl y pu r c has e mar iju an a f r o m t he
b l ac k mar k e t d r l e g al b u s in e s s e s in n e ig hb o r in g iac al it ie s . J e f f e r s o n C o u n t y wo u l d b e
f o r c e d t o was t e r e s o u r c e s d e al in g wit h t he n e g ar ive e f f e ~ k s o f in c r e as e d ho me g r o w
o pe r at io n s , in c l u d in g ho me in vas io n s , e l e c t r ic al f ir e s , o d o r , an d il l e g al s al e s t o min o r s .
This s c e n ar io c o me s wit ho u t an in c r e as e in t ax r e ve n u e t o o f f s e t t he c o s h
C o n ve r s e l y , if J e f f e r s o n C o u n t y r e s id e n t s ar e g ive n t he o ppo r t u n it y t o pu r c has e mar iju an a
t hr o u g h l ic e n s e d , r e g u l af ie d , an d t ax e d b u s in e s s e s , t he r e wo u l d b e s e ve r al po s it ive impac t s :
C o n t r o I o ve r t ime , pl ac e , an d man n e r o f mar iju an a s al e s ;
r In c r e as e d pr o pe r t y t ax r e ve n u e f o r s r ho al s an d o t he r c o mmu n it y impr o ve me n t s ;
a In c r e as e d s al e s t ax r e ve n u e f o r y o u t h e d u c at io n pr o g r ams , o pe n s pac e , r o ad s an d
l aw e n f o r c e me n t ;
~ Es t imat e s b as e d an t he c u r r e n t J e f f c o t ax s t r u c t u r e ar e $416, 250. (Appe n d ix
42, J e f f e r s o n C o u n t y ) This n u mb e r c o u l d b e mu c h l ar g e r iF vo t e r s in c r e as e
t he s al e s o r e x c is e t ax r at e .
Lic e n s in g F e e s : J e f f e r s o n C o u n t y s ho u l d s e t l ic e n s in g f e e s at s u c h a r at e as t o pay f o r t he
e n t ir e c o s t o f ad min is t e r in g t he mar iju an a pr o g r am. Su c h a s t r u c t u r e wo u l d he l p e n s u r e
t hat t he pr o g r am pay s f o r it s e l f .
In c o n ve r s at io n s wit h C hair wo man Rame y J o hn s o n , o f f ic ial s f r o m t he C it y o f Ed g e wat e r
d e t ail e d t he ir po s it ive e x pe r ie n c e s wit h t he n e w c an n ab is in d u s t r y . App. 43-45. The
Ed g e wat e r C it y Man ag e r Hj St o l f e x pl ain e d t o C hair wo man J o hn s o n t hat t he mar iju an a
D
i n d u s t r y ad d ed n o c os t t o t h e c i t y an d t h at c os t s ar e c over ed by t h e ad m i n i s t r at i ve f ees .
S t ol f c on t i n u ed :
Li qu or s t ar es ar e m or e p r obl em at i c t h an d i s p en s ar i es ;
~ He wou l d r at h er h ave a d i s p en s ar y t h an a ban k, as ban ks g et h el d u p an d p ay n o
s al es t ax ;
t 10% of Ed g ewat er r even u es c om es f r om m ar i ju an a s al es ;
~ M ar i ju an a s t or es ar e r es p on s i bl e, g ood bu s i n es s own er s . Th ey as k f or h el p , an d
h ave p os i t i ve r el at i on s h i p s ,
Ed g ewat er M ay or M c Nu l t y ex p r es s ed s i m i l ar p os i t i ve s t at em en t s t o Ch ai r wom an jah n s on ,
s t at i n g t h at t h e p r obl em s d i d n ot m at c h u p t o wh at h e t h ou g h t t h ey wou l d be.
Ed g ewat er Ch i ef of P ol i c e Howes al s o h ad p os i t i ve t h i n g s t o s h ar e, s t at i n g t h at t h er e was a
p r et t y i n s i g n i f i c an t am ou n t of c r i m e f ar a c i t y of t h ei r s i z e, c r i m e h ad n ot been t i ed t o
m ar i ju an a, an d t h at t h e c os t t o t h e c i t y i s n eg l i g i bl e.
Th e Br ooki n g s i n s r i t u t e r ec en t l y r el eas ed a s t u d y , " Col or ad o' s R ol l ou t of Leg al M ar i ju an a
S u c c eed i n g . " (Ap p . 46, Br ooki n g s I n s t i t u t i on , J u l y 31, 2014). Th e s t u d y ex p l ai n s t h at t h e
s f i at e h as d on e a t h or ou g h an d r es p on s i bl e jab i m p l em en t i n g t h e p ol i c y .
J ef f er s on Cou n t y c an f ol l ow t h e l ead of t h e S t at e of Col or ad o, an d ot h er l oc al i r i es , i n
i m p l em en t i n g a r es p on s i bl e, s ec u r e, an d ac c ou n t abl e p r og r am .
Ken Keel y , Ac c ou n t an t f or t h e Ci t y of Ed g ewat er , p er h ap s s t at ed i t bes t i n h i s c on ver s at i on
wi t h Ch ai r wom an J oh n s on : Th e M ar i ju an a I n d u s t r y h as al way s been ar ou n d - n ow i t i s
t ax ed an d h el p s p ay f or s er vi c es . Ap p . 43- 45.
7
I~nacts to iefferson Cotnt~Ris~c~~ EconomT
Data suggests that marijuana reform has been a inajar benefit to Calarado businesses and
the economy.
Colorado has the fastestgrowing economy in the nation. (App. 49, B usiness J nsider,
August 4, 2014)
Colorado is having its best tourism season in fts htstory. (App. S0, The Denver P ost,
May 27, 2014)
Denver is having its best tourism season in its history. (App. 52, The Denver P ost,
J une 18, 2014)
i The sk i industry just had its best sk i season in its history. (App. 54, Coloradoun, J utte
12, 2014)
Over 10,000 jobs in the marijuana industry. (App. S5, Colorado Department of
Revenue)
There are thousands o~additionai jobs in supporting industries such as
construction, real estate, insurance, accounting, architecture, security, legal, general
business supplies, state and local law enforcement, etc.
"Colorado unemployment drops to 5.5 l0. (App. 56, The Denver P ost, J uly 18, 2U14].
"Denver rank s as a top mark et to watch' F or commercial real estate." [App. 58,
Denver B usiness J ournal, J onuary 17, 2414).
Qver 5 million square feet of Denver commercial real estate is occupied by
marijuana businesses. {App. 61, ~'artune, Qecember 12, 2013).
t Colorado seeing "Rock bottom vacancy rates: ' (App. 66, The Denver P ost, J une 11,
2Q14~
"Record construction activity in Denver." (App. 67, Inside ReQ~ Estate News, March
19, 214)
"Report: Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Nat Link ed to Neighborhood Crime." (App.
7Q, U.S News & Wortd Report, )une 6, 2012).
Increased customer traffic and revenue for adjacent businesses.
8
The Task Force conducted a study that was ap p arentl y di stri b uted to sev eral l ocal chamb er
of commerce g roup s, b ut the data ap p ears to b e tai nted. I t was i ntended to onl y g o out to
those who are i n fart memb ers of l ocal chamb ers of commerce, yet 28. 4% of resp ondents
i ndi cated they were NOT affi l i ated wi th such an org ani z ati on. For thi s reason we di d not
i ncl ude those fi ndi ng s i n our rep ort, nor do we consi der i t a v al i d g aug e of op i ni ons from
the l ocal b usi ness communi ty.
Accordi ng to the Edg ewater Mayor McNul ty i n an i nterv i ew conducted b y Chai rwoman
]ahnsan, the new mari j uana i ndustry had no effect on adj acent b usi nesses, and the ci ty had
recei v ed no comp l ai nts ab out mari j uana stares.
Edg ewater Ci ty Manag er Hj S tol f stated i n hi s i nterv i ew wi th Chai rwoman Johnson that
p rop erty v al ues are up i n thei r communi ty.
[n short, Col orado i s hav i ng record economi c g rowth, touri sm, real estate, constructi on, and
more. The q uesti on remai ns whether Jefferson County wi l t b enefi t from these tremendous
economi c op p ortuni ti es, or sacri fi ce i t to the b l ack market and nei g hb ori ng l ocal i ti es.
F' 7
J e f f e r s o n Co un ty s hautd o pt i n f ar r e tai l mar i juan a s al e s i n o r de r to tak e c o n tr o l away f r o m
the b l ac k mar k e t, an d e n han c e the e c o n o my an d r e ve n ue .
J e f f e r s o n Co un ty s ho ul d al s o r e je c t a mo r ato r i um as i t i s the s ame as a b an , an d wo ul d
b e n e f i t the b l ac k mar k e t, i n c r e as i n g c as ts , an d de n y the Co un ty e c o n o mi c b e n e f i ts an d
addi ti o n s ! r e ve n ue .
Whi l e J e f f e r s o n Co un ty vo te r s de c i s i ve l y vo te d i n f avo r o f Ame n dme n t 64, i f the J e F f e r s o n
Co un ty Co mmi s s i o n e r s de te r mi n e that the y ar e n o t ye t r e ady to o pt i n , the y s ho ul d put thi s
matte r b ac k up F ar a vo te to l e t the c i ti z e n s de r i de the matte r . Whi l s i t i s po s s i b l e that
s o me vo te r s wan te d l e g al i z ati o n wi tho ut l i c e n s e d b us i n e s s e s , i t i s al s o po s s i b l e that
o ppo n e n ts o f Ame n dme n t f i 4 ar e n o w r e ady to al l o w l i c e n s e d b us i n e s s e s g i ve n the po s i ti ve
s i g n s c o mi n g f r o m the r e s t o f the s tate .
The Br o o k i n g s I n s r i tute r e po r t e x pl ai n e d that Co l o r ado has do n e a tho r o ug h an d
r e s po n s i b l e jo b i mpl e me n ti n g Ame n dme n t 64. The r e po r t g i ve s s pe c i al pr ai s e to Go ve r n o r
Hi c k e n l ao pe r f ar c r e ar i n g the Ame n dme n t 64 Tas k F o r c e , whi c h was tas k e d wi th f i g ur i n g
o ut ho w to mak e the n e w l aw wo r k We wo ul d ur g e J e f f e r s o n Co un ty to do the s ame thi n g ,
an d c o n ve n e a g r o up o f s tak e ho l de r s wi th the tas k o f mak i n g I e g al mar i juan a s al e s i n
J e f f e r s o n Co un ty wo r k . To date , s e ve r al o f the the Tas k F o r c e me mb e r s ar e de di c ate d to
thwar ti n g the wi l l o f J e f f e r s o n Co un ty vo te r s , an d mak i n g the i mpl e me n tati o n o f
Ame n dme n t 64 f ai l . J e f f e r s o n Co un ty de s e r ve s a Tas k F o r c e that i s de di c ate d to
i mpl e me n ti n g the wi l l o f i ts c i ti z e n s .
I t i s the po s i r i o n o f thi s r e po r t that the vo te r s have al r e ady de c i s i ve l y s ai d ye s ' to
Ame n dme n t 64, an d' ye s ' to l i c e n s e d, r e g ul ate d, an d tax e d b us i n e s s e s .
1~
Data and s tu di e s s u g g e s t th at J e f f e r s o n Co u nty can al l o w mar i ju ana s al e s w h i l e e nh anci ng
s af e ty, th e e co no my, and o u r b as i c ci v i l l i b e r ti e s . J e f f e r s o n Co u nty r e s i de nts de ci s i v e l y
s u ppo r te d Ame ndme nt 64, and no w th e y ne e d th e i r r e pr e s e ntati v e g o v e r nme nt to r i s e to
th e o ccas i o n and i mpl e me nt th e l aw i n th e s af e s t and mo s t b e ne f i ci al w ay pas s i b l e .
Cal ar ado ' s r o l l o u t o f l e g al mar i ju ana i s s u cce e di ng o n many co u nts . Co l o r ado h as s e e n
de cr e as e s i n te e n mar i ju ana u s e and tr af f i c f atal i ti e s , and r e co r d i ncr e as e s i n th e e co no my,
jo b s , to u r i s m, and mo r e .
By o pti ng i n, J e f f e r s o n Co u nty h as th e o ppo r tu ni ty to di s r u pt th e b l ack mar k e t, i mpr o v e th e
e co no my, cr e ate jo b s , e nh ance r e v e nu e , and i ncr e as e th e ci v i l l i b e r ti e s o f i ts ci ti z e ns . Th e
path f o r w ar d w i l l no t b e e as y, b u t th e s tate and many o th e r l o cal i ti e s h av e s h o w n th at l e g al
cannab i s s al e s can b e b e s af e , r e s po ns i b l e , and b e ne f i ci al .
11
A endix
- ~- - -
Executive Summary
Amendment 64 El ectio n R es ul ts
Publ ic H eal f ih and Saf ety
Fage
1
Denver Crime Data; h o micides and s exual as s aul ts do wn 2
"H igh way f atal ities are atnear- h is to ric l o ws " 3
CDOT f atal ity data
9
CSF Fatal ity Statement, f atal ities do wn
10
"No , marijuana is n' t a gateway drug"
12
Marijuana and Medicine, As s es s ing th e Science Bas e 18
Legal acces s to marijuana is as s o ciated with f ewer o p io ici o verdo s e deaCh s 20
Co up l es wh o s mo ke marijuana are l es s l ikel y to engage in do mes tic vio l ence 22
"U . S. Marijuana Legal iz atio n Al ready Weakening Mexican Cartel s " 24
Yo uth Imp acts
CDPH E teen data, Co l o rado teen us e do wn 27
CDC data, Co l o rado teen us e do wn 29
CDC data, Co l o rado teen us e l o wer th an U . S. in 2011 30
CDC data, Co l o rado teen us e dro p s even l o wer th an U . S. in 2013 31
"Legal is ing medical marijuana do es n' t increas e us e amo ng ado l es cents " 32
"Teen marijuana us e h as n' t exp l o ded"
34
"Medical Marijuana Laws and Teen U s e" 37
"Graduatio n rates up in Co l o rado " 39
Imp acts to Jef f ers o n Co unty Go vernment
Jef f ers o n Co unty s al es tax es timates
42
Edgewater o f Ficial ' s p ubl ic co mments
43
"R o l l o ut o f Legal Marijuana Is Succeeding"- Bro o kings Ins titute A~6
Imp acEs to Jef f ers o n Co unty Bus ines s es
Co l o rado h as th e f as tes t gro wing eco no my in th e natio n 44
Co l o rado is h aving its bes t to uris m s eas o n in its h is to ry 5Q
Denver is h aving its bes t to uris m s eas o n in its h is to ry 52
Th e s ki indus try jus t h ad its bes t s ki s eas o n in its h is to ry 54
10,000 Marijuana Indus try Jo bs 55
"Co l o rado unemp l o yment dro p s to 5. 5%"
56
"Denver ranks as a to p market to watch ' f o r co mmercial real es tate" 58
S Mil l io n Square Feet o f co mmercial real es tate 61
"R o ck bo Cto m vacancy rates "
6b
"R eco rd co ns tructio n ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~in Denver" 67
"Dis p ens aries IV o t Linked to Neigh bo rh o o d Crime" 70
Bibliography
***Copyright protected articles have been removed from the appendix.
Citations for thes e articles are noted below.***
Appendix Pages 3-8
Balko, Radley. "Since marijuana legaliz ation, highway fatalities in Colorado are atnear-his toric
lows ." The Was hington Pos t 5 Aug 2014. http://www.was hin~tonpos t.com/news /the-
watch/wp/2014/08/05/s ince-marijuana-legaliz ation-highway-fatalities -in-Colorado-are-at-near-
his toric-lows /
Appendix Pages 12-17
Lopez , German. "N o, marijuana is n' t a gateway drug." Vox 15 May 2014.
http://www.vox.com/archives /
"Marijuana and Medicine: As s es s ing the Science Bas e". National Academy of Sciences .
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/6376.htm1
Bakalar, Nicholas . "A Benefit of Legal Marijuana." The New York Times 1 Sep 2014.
H illin, Taryn. "Marijuana Us e Linked With Lower Ris k Of Domes tic Violence Among Married
Couples , Study F inds ." The H uffington Pos t 3 Sep 2014.
http://www.huffin~tonpos t.com/2014/08/25/marijuana-s tudy n 5711217.html
Reis enwitz , Cathy. "US Marijuana Legaliz ation Already Weakening Mexican Cartels , Violence
Expected to Decline." Townhall.com 3 Sep 2014.
http://townhall.com/columnis ts /cathyreis enwitz /2014/08/11/us -marijuana-le~aliz ation-
alreadv-weakening-mexican-cartels -violence-expected-to-decline-n1876088#!
Lifes pan. "Legaliz ing medical marijuana does n' t Increas e us e among adoles cents , s tudy s ays ."
Science Daily 23 Apr 2014.
http://www.s ciencedaily.com/releas es /2014/04/140423102754.htm
Nelson, Steven. "Teen Marijuana Use Hasn't Exploded Amid Boom in L egaliz ation Support, Drug
Survey F inds." U.S. News 16 Dec 2013.
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/12/18/teen-marijuana-use-hasnt-exploded-amid-
boom-in-legaliz ation-support-drug-survey-finds
"Medical Marijuana L aws and Teen Marijuana Use." Social Science Research Network 28 May
2012. http://papers.ssrn.com/soli/papers.cfm?abstract id=2067431
"Graduation rates up in Colorado; South High leads Denver school gains." The Denver Post 23
Jan 2014.
Hudak, John. "Colorado's Rollout of L egal Marijuana I s Succeeding." Brookings 31 Jul 2014.
http://www.brookin~s.edu/research/reports/2014/07/colorado-marijuana-le~aliz ation-
succeedin~
Appendix Pages 49
K iersz , Andy and Holodny, Elena. "On August 4, 2014, Business I nsider ranked Colorado #1 in
economic growth." Business I nsider 4 Aug 2014. http://www.businessinsider.com/state-
economic-growth-rankings-2014-8?op=1
Blevins, Jason. "Summer spending sends Colorado resort towns toward record tourism year."
The Denver Post Business 2014 May 27.
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci 25827190/summer-spending-sends-Colorado-resort-
towns-toward-tourism
Blevins, Jason. "Denver tourists spend record $4.1 billion in 2013." The Denver Post 18 Jun
2014.
Appendix Page 54
"Colorado has record-setting 2013-2014 ski season." The Coloradoan June 12, 2014.
Pankratz , Howard. "Colorado unemployment drops to 5.5%, but 150,000 still are out of work."
DenverPost.com 18 Jul 2014. http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci 26172612/colorado-
unemployment-drops-5-5-percent-tune
Huspeni, Dennis. "Denver ranks as a top 'market to watch' f or commercial real estate." Denver
B usiness Journa117 Jan 2014.
Colorado pot laws help Mile-High City 's appetite f or real estate to grow even higher."
Fortune.com 3 Sep 2014.
http: / / f ortune.com/ 2013/ 12/ 12/ colorado-pot-laws-help-mile-hi~ h-
citvs-a ppetite-f o r-rea I -estate-to-grow-even-higher/
Appendix Page 66
Pankratz, Howard. "Rock-bottom vacancy rates push Colorado rents toall-time high." The
Denver Post 11 Jun 2014.
Rebchook, John. Record construction activity in Denver." I nside Real E state News 3 Sep 2014.
http: / / insiderealestatenews.com/ 2014/ 03/ 19/ record-construction-activity -in-denver/
Koebler, Jason. "Report: Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Not L inked to Neighborhood Crime."
U .S. News 6 Jun 2012.
a r , v ~ u i v ~ e n e r s o n - c ~ e c s i a n n e s u a s
Je ffe r s o n Co u n ty
A l l R e g i s te r e d V o te r s ~ 4 i 4 , 4 3 6 P r e c i n c ts P a r ti a l l y R e po r te d : Q o f 26 2
2x12 Ge n e r a l El e c ti o n
P r e c i n c ts Co m pl e te ty R e po r te d : 26 2 o f 26 2
P r e c i n c ts P e r c e n t Co m pl e te l y R e po r te d : 100.00 Jo
La s t u pd a te d : 12.1 ! :2~ ~ ~
11 Q9 55 A A A KIST
FINA L O~ ~ ICIA L COUNTY R ESULTS
Ta ta I A c ti v e V o te r s : 3 27, 03 4
To ta t In a c ti v e V o te r s : 87, 4 02
V i e w Sta te wi d e R e s u l ts
Se a r c h Co n te s ts P r e v i o u s ~ Ne xt ~ ~
(4 3 a f4 3 )
Go To P a g e $ ~ ! D i s pl a y' 5
r
A MEND MENT S
26 2 o f 26 2 P r e c i n c ts Co m pl e te l y R e po r te d
Ye s
No
A MENQMENT 6 4
26 2 o f 26 2 P r e c i n c ts Co m pl e te l y R e po r te d
Ye s
No
A MENQMENT 6 5
I, 26 2 o f 26 2 P r e c i n c ts Co m pl e te l y R e po r te d
Ye s
No
CITY OF ED GEWA TER BA LLOT QUESTION 2A
i o f 1 P r e c i n c ts Co m pl e te l y R e po r te d
i Ye s
INo
CITY OF WHEA T R 1D GE BA LLQT QEl ESTl ON ZA
15 o f i 5 P r e c i n c ts Co m pl e ke l y R e po r te d
P e r c e n t V o te s
56 A 4 ! o i 55, 16 4
Q4 .00 Jo ' 121, 950
277, 074
54 .23 l 0 76 4 , 903
4 5.77 Jo 13 9, 159
3 04 , 06 2
73 .13 / 4 211, 94 $
26 .87 ! 0 77, 86 2
289, 870
6 6 .3 4 l o i , 3 56
3 3 .6 6 % 6 88
2, 04 4
~ ~ ~
$5.88% 12, 6 Q7 Ye s
PART 1 CRIME IN THE CITY AN D COUN TY f~F DEN VER BASED QN UCR STAN QARDS
TYPE OF OFFEN SE
Homicide
VIOLEN T Sexua! As s aul t
CRIME
Robbery ~ ---
Aggravat ed As s aul t
JAN 1 ~l UL 34,
201 3'
#
JAN 7.l UL 3'1 ,
201 4*
#
CHAN GE
# ` %
_ ~..~_ _ _ ~._ .
-8 -32.0%
JAN 1 ~l UL 37, 201 4
Incl uding !!SC
# l ~ Change
-T-
77 -32.0 ~
243 -1 4.79 6
25
_
1 7
2a3 285 -42 -74.79 6
&51 ~--V 6 06 -45 -6 .9 % 6 06 -6 .9 9 6
1 ,4Q5 1 ,41 2
~ 2,278
--- 2,582
7
-88.
-23Q~
-71
-1 ,255
0.5 e6
-3.79 6
1 ,41 8
2,284
0.9 9 b
-3.59 0
SUBTOTAL . ~ ~_ _ 2,36 6
PART 1
PROPERTY
Burgl ary 2,81 2 -8.2 ~
~ -0.2%
2,583 ~ y ~ -8.1 9 L
5,2i8R 1 7.1 9 6
2,840 -30.6 9 fo
~-arceny (Except Theft from M~ 4,457 4,446
Then from Mot or Vehicl e 4,49 5 2,840 -30.6 %
Aut oTheQ
Ars on -- ------~ - --- ---
SUBTCl TAL
1 ,9 9 2 1 ,9 6 4 -28 -i.49 k 1 ,9 6 6 -i.3 k
-- 53 82
----
1 1 ,9 1 4
29 54.7 k 84 58.5%
1 3,449
--
-1 ,485 -1 7.i ~
-
1 2,6 9 1 -5.4%
} 1 4,9 75 -5.1 r6
PART 1 TOTAL 9 5,'778 1 4,79 2 -1 ,583' -1 0.Q~
'The dat a exGudes offens es rel at ed t o t he USC proces s for comparat ive purpos es
Al l fil es ut il iz ed in t he creat ion of t his report are dynamic pynamic fil es al l ow addit ions del et ions andl or modificat ions at any t ime. res ul t ing in more w mp et e
and accurat e records in t he dat abas es . Due t o cont inuous dat a ent ry aft er report s are corrz piied numbers may vary in previous ar s ubs equent report s Dat a
ex~w rt ed an Q8l D7J20i4
PREPARED TO DEPARTMEN T OF SAFEl Y PUBLIC IN FORMATION STAN QAROS
Excl udes Vaffic acpdent s , t rat fiC moving viol at ions and ot her Uaffic offens es
In t ~Aay 20't 3 t he Denver Pogce Depart ment impl ement ed t he Unified Summons and Compl al ni {USBC) proces s . This proces s unifies mul t ipl e t ypes at paper
s t at ions , exGuding Vat fic Gck et S iot a an el ecUDniC proces s That int ort nat ian is t rans mit t ed t o t he Denver Sheriff, Count y Court , Cit y At t orney and Dis t nCi
At t orney t hrough a dat a exchange pl at form as needed. As a res ul t of t his proces s a report ed aHens e ~s generat ed w hich w as previous l y not ppt ured in N aiionai
Inadent Bas ed Repohing Sys t em t N IBRS) For comparis on purpos es . cl imes w hich w ere capt ureQ due t o t he l l SBC proces s w ere exGuded from t t ~e dat a
w hen comparing 2Q72 t o 201 3 M addit ional col umn has been added t o t he t abl es w hich refl ect s t he act ual number of crimes .
t
C
o
l
o
r
a
d
o

H
i
s
t
o
r
i
c
a
l

F
a
~
`
a
l
i
t
y

T
r
e
n
d
s

-
U
p
d
a
t
e
d

9
/
2
/
2
0
1
4
C
a
l
u
r
a
d
o

F
a
t
a
l
i
t
y

R
e
d
a
c
t
i
o
n

S
i
n
c
e

2
0
0
2
F
a
t
a
f
i
s
e
s

~
c
+
.
~
M
v
t
~
t
r
2
0
0
2

2
9
0
3

2
0
0
4

2
0
0
5

2
0
0
6

2
0
0
7

2
0
0
8

2
0
0
9

2
0
1
0

2
0
1
1

2
0
1
2

2
0
1
9

'

2
0
1
4
8
0
0

6
5
t
l
7
'
~
t
3
7
0
f
l

~
~

'
,

.
.

.
_

5
0
0
8
4
1
8
0
8
t

_
_
.

_
.

_
.
.
_
.
.
.
_
~

-

_

d
5
0
8
0
0
.
.

_

'

-

-

5
5
5

3
d
8

~
~
_

_
.
~

T

~
3
3
5
d

~

_

1
_
_

_

_
~

_
.

_

-
-
~
~
~

e
e
t

-
.
:
-

-

-

a
o
o
a
o
o

I

~

a
s
s
=
'

~
A
s
o

~
~
~

~
~

.
.

~
,
u
F

g
o
o

-
-

=

_

~

_

_

.
.
.
.
_

_
_

a
s
o

~
o

~
w

~
3
1
4
.
O
3

3
~

i

_
.
.
_

,
+
'

-
-

-
-
.
_

3
0
0
Z
2
0
0

-

.
_
.

t
e
r
:

_

-
-
~
-
-

-
-
'
.

2
5
d
~

,
.
r

~
.
a

~

r
,

2
Q
0
1
0
0
i

,
,
0

y
s
o
"
N
o
t
e
:

D
a
t
a

i
s

p
r
e
l
i
m
i
n
a
r
y

a
s

o
f

r
e
t
~
a
s
a

o
f

t
h
i
s

R
e
p
o
r
t
!
S
o
u
r
c
e

o
f

D
a
t
a
:

C
o
l
o
r
a
d
o

O
O
T

&
"
A
s

R
e
p
o
r
t
e
d
"
t
o

N
M
T
S
A

b
y

F
A
R
S
a ~ s i t u i s ~ r r e s s . K e i e a s e ~ c e r o r a s a i n i e s , c e r o ~ o i e r a ~ c e - wko r a a o a t ~ t e r a ~ r o i s ~ a s e wi o e e n r o r c e m e n t e n o n s t r n s we e K e n a
[Pr e s s . Re le a s e ] Ze r o F a t a li t i e s , Ze r o To le r a n c e :
Co lo r a do St a t e Pa t r o l s t a t e wi de e n fo r c e m e n t
e ffo r t s t h i s we e ke n d
pr e s s r e le a s e a t c dps - l. s t a t e . c o . u s pr e s s . r e le a s e a t c d~ s - I . s t a t e . c o . u s
We d Apr 23 19:52: 491~ fL7T 2014
Pr e vi o u s m e s s a ge : j Pr e s s , Re le a s e ~ Ho m i c i de , m a n s la u gh t e r c h a r ge s fa llo w h u n t i n g i n c i de n t , fa t a l c r a s h
Ne xt m e s s a ge : j Pr e s s . Re le a s e J CBI t o Ho s t M u lt i ple Sh r e d- A- Tli o n a n d RX Ta ke Ba c k Eve n s o n Apr i !
~ ~
M e s s a ge s s o r t e d by: da t e t h r e a d s u b" e c t a u t h o r
*Co lo r a do St a t e Pa t r o l*
*Pr e s s Re le a s e *
www. c s p. s t a t e . c a . u s
*Se r ge a n t M i ke Ba ke r *
*Pu bli c I n fo r m a t i o n o ffi c e r *
*3@3- 234- 4583 <303- 239- 4583>*
F flR I M M EDI ATE RELEASE: pa t e : Apr i l 24, 2014
Ti m e :
8 p. m .
Tr o o pe r s s t a t e wi de wi ll pa r t i c i pa t e i n a h i gh - vi s i bi li t y, s t r i c t
e n fo r c e m e n t o pe r a t i o n be gi n n i n g F r i da y n i gh t , Apr i l 25, t h r o u gh M o n da y
m o r n i n g. Eve r y u n i fo r m e d r ~ e m be r a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n o ffi c e r i n t h e Co lo r a do
St a t e Pa t r o l wi ll wo r k t h r o u gh t h e we e ke n d, s u ppo r t i n g t h e o pe r a t i o n 's
" Ze r o F a t a li t i e s , Ze r o To le r a n c e " t i t le .
Th e o pe r a t i o n 's go a l i s t o u t i li ze e ve r y r e s o u r c e a va i la ble t o a c t i ve ly
pr e ve n t fa t a l c r a s h e s o ve r t h e we e ke n d a n d t o de m o n s t r a t e t h e e ffe c t o f a
u n i fi e d e n fo r c e m e n t e ffo r t t h r o u gh o u t t h e s t a t e .
" Th e m e n a n d wo m e n o f t h e Co lo r a do St a t e Pa t r o l wo r k h a r d e ve r y da y t o ke e p
o u r r a a Qwa ys s a fe fo r e ve r yo n e , " s a i d Co lo n e l St At t He r n a n de z, Ch i e f o f t h e
Co lo r a do St a t e Pa t r o l. " I e n c o u r a ge o u r Tr o o pe r s t o h a ve ze r o t o le r a n c e
fa r dr i vi n g be h a vi o r s t h a t e n da n ge r m o t o r i s t s o n o u r s t a t e 's r o a dwa ys , a s
we s t r i ve t o wa r ds ze r o fa t a li t i e s . "
Co m pa r e d t o t h e fi r s t qu a r t e r o f 2013, i n 2014, Tr o o pe r s h a ve i n c r e a s e d t h e ~ P~ +/~
n u m be r o f c i t a t i o n s i s s u e d fo r pr o a c t i ve DUI J D a r r e s t s {by 12. 80 , s pe e di n g
(17. 2%), a n d s e a t be lt vi o la t i o n s (14. 90 , wh i le i n c r e a s i n g m i s de m e a n o r a n d
h Hn l/r r i n e _I e }a !a r n t i e /n i n o r t n a U/n r o c c r a lo n e o 19R14_4~ r i 11~ 7(1(1Rfi 11 h i m l '~ ~
ais~tU i ~r r e ss. r c e ~e ase ~ tar o r a~aimas, c e r o i oie r anCe . ~aor aao state r atr oi state wtoe e nr or ~e me ni snor ts vus we e Ke no
fe lony ar r e sts ~ 7%. the numbe r Af fatal c r isl~e ~ alsn ~c ~' 2 p . ~e c T ~2 S . 5 ~X ~r Q~.
X 013 to 2 14 Qur ip g ~ f~r s~ ~r te r .
"I am ve r y p r oud of our e ffor ts to imp r ove tr affic safe ty," He r nane z said,
"and I be lie ve that our c ontinue d e nfor c e me nt and e duc ational p r ogr ams will
save live s e ve r y hour of e ve r y day. "
T he state wide e nfor c e me nt e ffor t be gins
at 6 p . m. on Fr iday, r unning until 12 a. m. Monday mor ning.
Me dia r ide -alongs for the me dia will be available (whe n p ossible ) up on
r e que st for S atur day and S unday. Inte r e ste d me dia oufile ts should c ontac t
the on -c all PIO at 303-2 39-45 83 by no late r fihan 5 p . m. an Fr iday, Ap r il
2 5 , to disc uss and fac ilitate a r ide -along.
*Date of Inc ide nt: Ap r il 2 5 -2 7, 2 614*
Dr aft Re le ase
*Initial Re le ase *
Case Re p or t Numbe r :
*Public Re le ase *
Up date ar Follow-Up Re le ase
Color adoS tate Patr ol. c om
Fac e book. c omjColor ada5 tate Patr ol
T wit#e r . c om/CS P_Ne ws
-------------- ne xt p ar t --------------
An HT ML attac hme nt was sc r ubbe d. . .
URL: http ://c das-I. state . c o Luis[oive r mail/p r e ss. r e le ase /attac hme ntsJ2 @14042 3/h6lddde e lattac hme nt. html
Pr e vious me ssage : [Pr e ss. Re le ase J Homic ide , manslaughte r c har d= . e s follow hunting inc ide nt. fatat B r ash
Ne xt me ssage : jPr e ss. Re le ase ] CB I to Host Multip le S hr e d-A-T hon and RX T ake B ac k Eve nts on Ap r il
~~
Me ssage s sor te d by: date thr e ad sub' e c t a tl r
Mar c infor nlati~n shout the Pr e ss. Rc le asc mailine list / l
~p ~
F. ttntlr r ina_I e tafo ~n iie lnh. ar m ~4t~r Ae a r aln ae nMflld_Ge vil(t1flf1Rf1f1 I~1ml
' ll7
News: New su r v ey docu ments y ou th mar lJnana u se, need (or p r ev enti on I Dep ar tment of P u b li c H ealth and Env i r onment
i Y anslate
~ ~ CC~ LC~ RADC~
~ Dep aztment o~ P u b i i c
,. H ealth F r Env i r onment
H ome S er v i ces F ~ i nfor mati on Boar ds & t commi ssi ons Di v i S i ans
Concer ns ~ emer genci es Data
News: New su r v ey docu ments y ou th
mar i ju ana u se, need far p r ev enti on
9!2!14. 5 17 P M
Mar k S alley , Commu ni cati ons Di r ector ( 303-692-2013 ( mar k. salley Cstate. co. u s
F OR I MMEDI ATE RELEAS E: Au g. 7, 2014
DENVER -- fewer hi gh school stu dents i n Cator ado thi nk u si ng mar i ju ana i s r i sky .
P r eli mi nar y r esu lts fr om the 2Q13 H ealthy K i ds Color ado S u r v ey show the p er centage of
stu dents who p er cei v ed a moder ate or gr eat r i sk fr om mar i ju ana u se decli ned fr om 58
p er cent i n 2011 to 54 p er cent i n 2Q13.
The su r v ey also shows ci gar ette u se aman~ hi gh school stu dents tr endi ng downwar d, at
a faster p ace than mar i ju ana. Dr . Lar r y Walk, execu ti v e di r ector and chi ef medi cal
offi cer for the Color ado Dep ar tment of P u b li c H ealth and Env i r onment noted that p u b li c
smoki ng b ans, tob acco taxes, awar eness camp ai gns and enfor cement of u nder age
tob acco sales accou nt far the conti nu ed decr ease i n u nder age ci gar ette smoki ng,
"We know what wor ks to p r otect y ou ng p eop le fr om u nhealthy su b stances," Wolk sai d.
"As wi th tob acco, y ou th p r ev enti on camp ai gns wi lt help ensu r e adu lt te~ ali zati on of
~ ~ ~ , ~ 7
hop s:)/wti v w. cob r ado. gov )p aci ftc)cdp helnewsi news-new-su r v ey -docu ments-y ou th-maNJu ana-u se-need-p r ev enti on P age 1 of;
News: New wrvey documents youth marijuana use, need F or p revention 1 Dep attmeot of P ub l ic H eal th and nvironmaat 4(2 J 1 4, 5.1 7 P M
marijuana in Col orado does not imp act fihe heal th of Col orado k ids."
Qne in five Col orado hig h school students used marijuana in the p ast 30 days, and mare
than a third have used it at some p oint in their l ives, the survey shows.
and l ifetime use
decl ined from 34 p ercent to 37 p ercent during the same two years. None of the decl ines
shown in the p rel iminary data rep resent a statistical l y sig nificant drop in rates.
But heal th ex p erts worry that the normal iz ation of marijuana use in Col orado coul d l ead
more young p eop l e to try it.
" I f we want Col orado to b e the heal thiest state in the nation, then we need to mak e
sure our young est citiz ens understand the risk s of using p otential l y harmful sub stances, "
said Dr. Wal k . " L ater this month, we' l l l aunch a youth p revention camp aig n that
encourag es k ids not to risk damag ing their g rowing b rains b y ex p erimenting with
marijuana."
Whil e studies show using marijuana has an effect on b rain devel op ment, the ex tent of
that effect wil l tak e years to determine concl usivel y, The camp aig n is desig ned to g rab
k ids' attention, p resent them with the ex isting science and emp ower them to mak e
informed decisions.
The H eal thy K ids Col orado Survey col l ects anonymous heal th information from CoE orado
middl e and hig h school students every other year. I n 201 3, the state dep artments of
heal th, education, and human services l aunched a unified version of the survey to
ap p rox imatel y 40, OQ0 randoml y- sel ected students from more than 220 middl e and hig h
school s. F inal state and re~ ianal resul ts wiU b e avail ab l e this fal l at
http : / /www.chd.dp he.state.co.us/.
2Q
~ , y ~ ,
~ 2
74veet u~ c~ 4~ Share
, ~ p ~ ~ ~ - g
http s:l /www.Col orado.g ovl p acifl cicdp hetnewstnews- new- survey- dx umenu- youth- marq uana- use- need- p reventb n P ag e 2 of:
CDC-Youth O n l i n e : Hi gh S c hool YQBS Col orado 20D4 an d 20F1 R c s ul ts
Ce n te rs f or Di s e as e Con trol an d P re v e n ti on
Your Qn ! n e S ourc e f or Cre d~l a He oC1h I n f arm atl on
Youth O n l i n e : Hi gh S c hool YR BS
Col orado 2009 an d 2o~i R e s ul ts
Curre n tl y Us e d Mari juan a
{on e or m ore ti m e s duri n g the 30 days be f ore the s urv e y}
Col orado, Hi gh S c hool Youth R i s k Be hav i or S urv e y
T otg~ Z oos z ou
' T otal 2~t. 8 ( 20R --29. 7 } 22. 0 i 19. b-24. 5 )
I ; ~i 5 9~
1; 18 !
Footn ote s
j' P e rc e n tage , c on f i de n c e i n te rv al , c c U s i z e
9!2!14, 5 : 11 P M
A p p l i c ati on i J R L : http : / i n e e d. c dc . gov l youthon l i n c l A p p l R e s ul ts . s + s p x 7
T T =F&O UT =O &S I ~HS &Q[D=H~9&L I R =CO &YI D=2009&UD2=C0&Y[D2=201 ! &C01. . =T &R O W 1=N&R O W2=N&HT =QQ&L CT =L L &FS =S I
&FR =R I &FG=G 1 &FS L =S I &FR L =R l &FGI . . G I &P V=Bc T S T =Fal s e &C f =&C2~8 c QP =G&DP =1 &VA =CI &CS =Y&S YI D--Bc hl ' I D=&S C=DEFA UL T
&S O =A S CBc P F-1
r"^~
ti
~F e
Ce n re rs f i r A i s e us e Coi um t un J P m rroi i : n l GtX l ~~+T ~`1~ t ~ `
Cl i f ton / 4!. A tl an ta. GA 30333, US . 1 L J ~l 1~~~v ~
tt[X ~CD[-l NFD ( R f X / -231. 6361 T 7 Y: ~ ( ti R l t1232. 63dH. 2~t Nc wrr~r' ry v `-~i r7 oc t Cd"- , FD
http : l / ac c d. c dc . gw/ youthon l i n e / A p p ( R e s ul u. up x 7 T f =F6~O UT -O bS . ,,&C2=&QP ~GbDP . 1bVA . Ct6C5 ~YbS Y1D. &EYI D~&S C~O EFA UL T &S O A S Cd~p f . 1 P age 1 of
CQC-Youth ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~Hl~h 5chooi YRBS U n ite d Sta te s 2011 a n d Colora d o 2011 Re s ults
Ce n te rs f or Dis e os e Con trol a n d P re v e n tion
Your On i.n e Sa s rce f or Cre d ible FEe a gh in f orm a t{ on
Youth On lin e : High School YRBS
U n ite d Sta te s 2011 a n d Colora d o 20~~ Re s ults
Curre n tly U s e d Ma rijua n a
(on e or m ore tim e s d urin g the 30 d a ys be f ore the s urv e y)
High School Youth Ris k Be ha v ior Surv e y
Tota ls U n ite d Sta te s 2011 Colora d o 2011
Ta a l 23.1 (21 S 24.7) 22.0 (t9.6-245)
11t, 970~
1; 18 l
Footn ote s
t P e cre n ta ge , con 6d e n cc in te rv a l, ccU s iz e
9/ 2/ 14, 5.13 P M
Applica tion U RL ; http:lln ce d .cd c.Dov lyouthon lin e tApp/ Re s ults .us gx ?
TT=E&OU l'~0&SID=HS&QID=H~19&L I~XX&YID=201 !&L [D2=C0&YID2-201 l&COL rT&ROW 1=N&ROW2=N&HT=QQ&L .CT=L L &FS=S!
&FR=R i &FG=(~ I &FSL -S I &FRG=R I &FGl., d i t &P Y=&TST=~a I s e &C i ~&C2=&QP -G&DP =1 &VA~I&CS=Y&SYID=&EY iD=&SC=DEFAU L T
&50=ASC&P F=1
""
`z
w l
Ce n J rrs or Dls e rue Com m ! a ra ! P rcv e Nion 16t)0 ~j 'T~QA ~ / ~
Cllf to~ Rd .Attv n lu. GA30333. U SA L , J I`7ll.~~~V `~, _
~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ ~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ Mie~'n ~r~icrCD~', FO
~ p~ { 30
http:/ J n ccd .cd c.gov lyouthon lln e (App/ Re s uhs .a s px 7f T~ESOU T~O&S...d Ctw bQP +~GbDP ~l&VA-C1&CS~YbSYlO~bEYID~bSC-DEFAU L T&50=A5C&pF=1 P a ge Eot"
CbC-Youth O n tl n e . High School YRBS U n ite d Sta te s 2013 Re s ul ts
Ce n te rs f or Dis e a s e Con trol a n d P re v e n tion
Your CM' n e Source f or Cre d ibia } l e a l th I n f orm a tion
Youth O n l in e : High School YRBS
U n ite d Sta te s 203 Re s ul ts
Curre n tl y U s e d Ma rijua n a
(a n e ~r m a re tim e s d urin g the 30 d a ys be f ore the s urv e y)
U n i#e d Sta te s , High School Youth Ris k Be ha v ior Surv e y,
2013
Ye a r T ota l s
:D I ~ 23. 4 (2 l _ 3-25 . 7 }
13,314
Footn ote s
P e rce n ta ge , con f id e n ce in te rv a l , ce l l s iz e
9/3/iR, I :35 P M
A p p l ie a kion U RL :http :'~n e cd . cd e . ga v ~youthon iin e :A p p /Re s uits . a s p x ?
T T =C&f JU "I '=d &SI D=HS&Q[D=H~1R8cL iQ=XX&YI D=20i 3&L l D2=&Y1D2=&CO L =T &RO W l =N&RO W2=N&HT =QQ&L C'i'=L L &~S=SI &FR=R
t &FG=G 1 &FSI . ,-31 &FRL =R 1 &FG[. ~G 1
&P VC&T ST =Fa l s e &C1=&CZ=&QP =G&DP =1&VA =G&CS=Y&SYI D=8cEYI Q-&SC=DEFA l 1L T &5 0=A
3C&FF=1
~~~~
a h r
Ce n te rs jor Dis rus r Con rm f ruu( P rcre n ~irm l 6 G10 ~"~j' T ~~ ~O~
Cf if tun Rd . A rtv n tu, GA 3tJ333. U SA
~~~r,,,,
n i u. a
NGYJCA Cd NFO {&x 1. 232-i6 3b) T 7 Y. ' {tiI 3N1 ? 3:-6 3~1l i. 2~t Nn urs ~t7 ~ v ~ucr CD , FO
http :(Jn ccd . cd c. gov Jyouthon l f n e l A p p )Re s ul u. a s p x 7 T T =C&O U T -0&5 . . &C2~&QP =G&DP -1&VA =CI &CS-Y&SYI D-SEYI O -&5 C-DEFA U L T d ~5 0-A SC&p f ~ 1 P a ge 1 of I
E s t i m a t e of P ot e n t i a l Re ve n ue from M a ri j ua n a Re t a i l S a l e s i n U n i n c orp ora t e d J e ffe rs on Coun t y
A s s um p t i on s :
1 . 9 oun c e s of c on s um p t i on p e r us e r p e r ye a r ( Col ora d o L e g i s l a t i ve Coun c i l M a ri j ua n a Re ve n ue s
I n t e ri m Com m i t t e e )
$z00 p e r oun c e ( Col ora d o be p a rt m e n i of Re ve n ue M a rke t S i ze a n d De m a n d for M a ri j ua n a i n
Col ora d o)
1 2 . 9 9 ' 0 of a d ul t s c on s um e m a ri j ua n a ( Col ora d o L e g i s l a t i ve Coun c i l M a ri j ua n a Re ve n ue s I n t e ri m
Com m i t t e e )
A d ul t p op ul a t i on i n J e ffe rs on Coun t y 405,61 7 ~ Col ora d a S t a t e De m og ra p he r a s of J ul y 1 , 2 01 2 )
~ A d ul t p op ul a t i on i n a re a s of J e ffe rs on Coun t y whe re re t a i l s a l e s a re n ot a l l owe d a n d /or a re n ot
c on ve n i e n t l y a va i l a bl e 377,440 ( J e a n i e Ros s i l l on e xc l ud e d p op ul a t i on s from E d g e wa t e r,
L a ke s i d e , M oun t a i n Vi e w a n d Whe a t Ri d g e )
% z c e n t S a l e s t a x for Op e n S p a t e ( 0. 005}
' l : c e n t s a l e s t a x for S E J e ffc a Roa d wa y L I D { 0. 005)
H a l f of re t a i l s a l e s g ra s s re ve n ue i n 5E l e ffc o ( J e a n i e Ros s i l l on )
J e ffe rs on Coun t y s ha re of S t a t e S a l e s Ta x 1 5% of 1 09 0 { 0. 01 5)
Ca l c ul a t i on s
377,440 a d ul t p op ul a t i on x 1 2 . 9 9 ` o p e rc e n t = 48,b9 0 a d ul t c on s um e rs
48,69 0 a d ul t c on s um e rs x 1 . 9 oun c e s p e r ye a r = 9 2 ,51 1 oun c e s p urc ha s e d a n n ua l l y
9 2 ,51 1 oun c e s x $2 0{ ~ /oun c e = $1 8,502 ,000 g ros s a n n ua l re t a i l s a l e s re ve n ue
J 7a x Re ve n ue t o J e ffe rs on Coun ~ i
$1 8,502 ,2 0Q s a l e s x 0. 005 t a x ~ $9 2 ,50Q a n n ua l re ve n ue for Op e n S p a c e
$1 8,502 ,2 00 s a l e s x O. U 05 t a x x % ~ ' $46,z5Q a n n ua l re ve n ue for S E J e ffc o Roa d wa y L I D
$1 8,502 ,2 0Q s a l e s x 0. 01 5 t a x _ $2 77,500 a n n ua l re ve n ue from Coun t y s ha re of S t a t e s a l e s t a x
EDGEWATER
Noe r a s a l es t a x - s a me a s ot h er p u r c h a s es , 3.5%
Ret a i l l i c en s e fee=$53 a n n u a l b u s i n es s l i c en s e , l i c en s e t h r ou gh s t a t e
fi r s t a n d t h en get a l oc a l l i c en s e a p p r oved
Edgewa t er i s on e s qu a r e mi l e- di s p en s a r i es c a n n ot b e c l os er t h a n 500
feet fr om on e a n ot h er a s c h ool or da yc a r e- i t s n u mb er
Al l medi c a l s t a r es h a ve c on ver t ed t o du a l = medi c a l a n d r et a i l - h a ve a
door t h a t di vi des b u s i n es s es
Rega r di n g s a l es t a x r even u e- c a n on l y gi ve a ggr ega t e n u mb er s of
r even u e du e t o s t a t e l a w- c a n n ot s a y h ow mu c h s a l es t a x a n y
p a r t i c u l a r s t or e c ol l ec t ed (a n ot h er p er s on s t a t ed t h a t r ec r ea t i on a l MIJ
s a l es t a x i s b r i n gi n g i n $14, 004- $12- 000/mon t h )
~T~or IV Ic l ~fu i ~y i n n s di d n od ~[ a t ~~[ u ~r t o- -~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ t ~' t s u ~r t ;
t h e wou l " c ~ di e"
Ma yor :
Ma ki n g s u r e t h a t Edgewa t er i s n ot c ou n t i n g on s a l es t a x dol l a r s
t h i n k of i t a s ex t r a mon ey " gr a vy"
7~n ~' fec ~ ot ~~~.~a r ~n t l ws ~~es s es
~omp l a i n fs a b ou t ~?t ITs t a r s
Pr ob a b l y n ot h a ve mor e t h a n t h e 4 a n d on e on l i n e du e t o s ma l l s p a c e
Mor e fol ks c a me ou t a ga i n s t t ob a c c o s moke- n o on e c a n e ou t a ga i n s t
h a vi n g r et a i l MIJ s t or es
Ab l e t o p u r c h a s e 3 n ew p ol i c e c a r s i n fi r s t yea r of medi c a l s a l es
Ch i ef Howes : 72U- 763- 3000
Si n c e t h e op en i n g of r et a i l , Edgewa t er h a s h a d 2 i n c i den t s - }b u r gl a r y
wi t h u n op en ed s a fe, vi deo i n s t or e n ot wor ki n g, emp l oyee fi r ed on e
week ea r l i er- s u s p ec t ) {s ec on d i n c i den t , s omeon e mu gged ou t s i de of
s t or e for s ma l l a mou n t of MIJ}
~r e~ i n s i ~n i ~i c a n Y t i n t .a ' ~c r r t e ~t ~ i t ~t .h i s . ~, ~e- r , ~n ~l , ~ _ l i d`
' ~ee~.~d t o.I~

~S~~o ~e.~i t ~u i s x ~g~gi ~i T~.~.~~ec ~
c or r ~I~L 4~~e~we~i i
~~s p er r s a r i es a r r c ~ ~r i n T~
Fr om p a c e p er s p ec t i ve, n o c h a n ge i n p r op er t y va l u es - Ch i ef r ea l l y
does n ot kn ow for s u r e
MIJ s t a r es a r e b r i n gi n g i n i n c r ea s ed mon ey i n b u s i n es s es , s o
l a n dl or ds a r e i n c r ea s i n g r en t t o MIJ s t or es ~~~ , ~3
Chiefs a s a group ha ve pushed for ma re money, but in ters of direc t
impa c t on c a l l s a nd c rime MIJ stores a re negl igibl e
HJ S tol f- City Ma na ger: 720- 763- 3008
; ~ " ropet~ y ya ues a te u~ L
(one sta re is next to bike store a nd brew pub
a nd sec ond business is nea r Dunkin Donuts a nd Chix F il l et} these
reta il a re a l l very importa nt fa r Edgewa ter ec onomic a l l y
~ ~ . guor sores a rk mire ~ r~ ~ I~ ma tic ~ is~ a nes,
~ t' ~ ~ v~ ~ di' spe " ~ ~ ia n a ba d, ~ .a ~ ~ p,~ ih~ ug .~ n~ pa y no
~ f~ s Z a i~
l ~ [z ES L tII } ' - Gists 3~ E: C6~ t~ 19ed.h~
i n i ~
tiup ~ ee
~ ~ ~ ~ .Q{~ $eWa ~ 81~ ~ VeI' 1L 18S C0117~ ~ .~ C4II11Y11.1'
c itizens a re very supportive- 73 ' o voted yes for a mendment 64
" did not ha ve l ega l reta il fa r the money but bec a use it wa s the right
thing to do"
never ha d a nyone spea k out a ga inst it

~ 1dL i stc ~ ~ s_ h~ r~ ~ .t~ s~ Qnsibl ~ good business. owne_ r_ ~ They a sk for hel p.
P ositive rel a tionships
Ken Keel y Ac c ounta nt
Ca n not disc l ose a c tua l revenues- onl y ha ve 4 stores giving this out
c oul d a l l ow someone to guesstima te sa l es ta x of a ny one store- a ga inst
the l a ws
Edgewa ter ha s no industria l ba se- onl y reta il , resta ura nts or sma l l
reta il {ha s ta rget, a nd King S oogers a nd Mc Dona l ds tha t bring in
l a rge a mounts of sa l es ta kes)
MIJ owners a re exc el l ent to work with
P ros a nd c ons
If the pol itic a l proc ess ha s a pproved- for me it is j ust a nother business
No impa c t on property va l ues
S ee how this experiment pl a y out
F rom a n a c c ounta nt perspec tive- it is a ma tter of dol l a rs a nd c ents- I
a m not pa rt of the pol itic a l proc ess- my rol e is to effec tivel y
impl ement it. Ones perspec tive ra dic a l l y c ha nges if wea ring a
" pol itic a l ha t"
Col ora do emba rking on a n experiment- in the end it is a va l ues
dec ision. Va l ues c ha nge over tie. S o do the peopl e impl ementing
pol ic y- c ha nge. No right or wrong a nswer ~ P ~ ~ y
End of da y - b i z a r r e - ne w de ma nd? P r ob a b l y a ffe c t s t ou r i s m
Moe a q u e s t i on of p ol i t i c a l v a l u e s
B i g g e s t i s s u e i s b a nk i ng - s a fe t y c onc e r ns wi t h t h e a mou nt of c a s h i n
s t or e s
L e g i t i ma t e l a w e nfor c e me nt c onc e r ns . To h i s k nowl e dg e , Edg e wa t e r
h a s h a d no p r ob l e ms
Se e h ow i t p l a y s ou t
Edi b l e s r a i s e c onc e r ns- dr u g c omp one nt
- - ;,. ~- _ ,~_ ,4 . ,. ~.
- - ~- ~
~. ~~
For ma j or i t y of p e op l e MIJ i s r e r e c r e a t i ona l a nd r a i s e s c onc e r ns
~~~ y s
Mike E l l io t t
Fro m: B ry a n t - DOR, N a t riet e < n a t riec e. b ry a n t @ s t a t e. c a . u s >
S en t : Wedn es da y , J u l y 3 Q , 2014 427 PM
To : Mike E l l io t t
S u b j ec t : Re: # o f o c c u p a t io n a l l ic en s es
H i Mike,
As o f J u l y ' i, 2014, t h ere h a ve b een 11,289 a c t ive a c c u p a t ia n a l l ic en s es is s u ed b y ME D.
N a t riec e B ry a n t
Co mmu n ic a t ia u s S p ec ia l is t
S t a t e o f Co l o ra do , Dep a rt men t o f Reven u e
E x ec u t ive Direc t o r' s Of f ic e
13 75 S h erma n S t . , Den ver, CO 80261
Ph o n e: 3 03 . $66. 553 6
Cel l : 3 03 . 842. 2741
E ma il : n a t riec e. b rva n t Cc r~ . s t a t e. c o . u s
www. c o l o ra do . p o v/reven u e
On Wed, J u l 3 0, 2014 a t 1:20 PM, Mike E l l io t t
< mike( c ~ ma rij u a n a in du s t ry g ro u p . a r~ > wro t e:
H i N a t riec e,
A rep o rt er men t io n ed t o me t h a t DOR rel ea s ed t h e n u mb er o f o c c u p a t io n a l l ic en s es it h a s is s u ed, 1 l t h o u s a n d
a n d c h a n g e.
Ca n y o u s en d me t h a t in f o ? Th ere a re do zen s Q f rep o rt ers t h a t wo u l d l ike t h a t in f o , a n d t h ey h a ve a l l b een
q u o t in g my es t ima t io n o f l OK. Gl a d t o kn o w my es t ima t e wa s c l o s e.
Mic h a el E l l io t t , E s q .
E x ec u t ive Direc t o r
Ma rij u a n a I n du s t ry Gro u p
Prepared b y :
Septemb er 2014

Jefferson County Marijuana Task Force Report

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Jefferson County Marijuana Task Force Report

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

J e f f e r s o n Co un ty Mar ijuan a Tas k Fo r ce

You might also like