Saturday, June 30, 2012

All Things MMJ with Jessica LeRoux - June 30, 2012


Hey Now, 

Great News, ELISA & BOB both NOT GUILTY!!!  El Paso DA Dan May bitch slapped by jurors yet again... 

This is the week of July 4th, and these mid-week holidays make life interesting... I have a plan where everybody will still get deliveries and my team of awesome employees will not be here slaving in a hot kitchen while the rest of america enjoys hotdogs! We will be Bumping the Wednesday route (boulder, longmont, louisville, berthoud, etc...) to tuesday... wednesday the 4th We will be CLOSED (yes I am taking a day kinda off), We will re-open Thursday and manufacture all of the deliveries for Denver which will have delivery pushed back to Friday for this week... Deliveries to the Mountain towns will be on Saturday and Sunday... whew!  

PLEASE RESPECT FIRE & FIREWORKS BANS THIS HOLIDAY... DO NOT BUY ANY FIREWORKS FOR PERSONAL USE,  THEY ARE LEGAL TO BUY BUT NOT TO USE...  IF YOU REALLY WANT TO SEE THE SHOW CHECK THE INTERNET FOR TOWNS THAT WILL STILL BE PROVIDING ENTERTAINMENT, ARRIVE EARLY AND BE PREPARED TO ENJOY A CROWD! IF YOU DO NOT LIVE NEAR A PLACE THAT WILL BE ABLE TO SAFELY HAVE A MUNICIPAL DISPLAY OF FIREWORKS PLEASE RESPECT THE DECISIONS OF EXPERTS AND DO NOT ATTEMPT TO HAVE YOUR OWN DISPLAY AT HOME... 
PATRIOTISM INCLUDES PROTECTING OUR STATE FROM ADDED FIRE BURDEN.... 
if you can please copy and paste, and print out to display for your patients... 

Call me if you have Fire donations to pick up this week, even if you dont have an order for pending delivery! 303 922 3661

My brother and his kids are on their way to meet me from the Airport, I only have about 7 hours to spend with them, so I am just posting a few stories with out all my comments.... more sarcasm will resume next week! 

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Should be this way all the time


June 27, 2012

Denver Pools pitch in to "Beat the Heat" with weekend special
Kids under 18 swim free, adult admission just $1

DENVER, CO ­- Denver Parks and Recreation, with support from with Mayor Michael B. Hancock's office, today announced that starting Sunday, July 1,2012, admission to the 16 Denver outdoor pools on Saturdays and Sundays will be free for Denver youth under the age of 18 and just $1 for Denver adults 18 and over. This program will run every Saturday and Sunday from July 1 through the end of the 2012 Denver outdoor pool season, which is scheduled for August 12.

"This is the right thing for us to do to help citizens cope with the unseasonably hot weather we are experiencing," said Lauri Dannemiller, Manager of Denver Parks and Recreation. "Making our pools more accessible on the weekends will provide more opportunities for kids and families all across Denver to stay cool during this hot summer."

"It's critical that we create every opportunity for our children and their families to enjoy healthy activities together," said Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock. "Denver's swimming pools throughout the City are great places for families to beat the heat during this hot summer."

Denver Parks and Recreation will make sure to appropriately staff all pools to provide a safe environment at each pool to handle the maximum capacity allowed by safety code. On weekends, as on weekdays, Denver Parks and Recreation will not allow more people into the pools or pool areas than what is allowed by the established safety regulations.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Slam Poetry



I'm becoming an accidental fan of slam poetry. My first experience was here when I just happened to catch Noah at an Occupy Denver event. Then, at the Mercury Cafe's benefit for Not-1-More-Acre, the group fighting the Army's Pinon Canyon expansion plans, I shot this video of Amal Kassir.


Powerful.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

All Things MMJ with Jessica LeRoux - June 24, 2012

Hey Now, 

This week is gonna be epic, at least I hope so! Instead of dwelling on the disappointments of this industry I am gonna dust myself off and do some things to make my state a better one, for everybody not just patients and maybe you will join me... 

As most of you know the Fire situation is really serious here in Colorado and all over the Rockies. In fact my own neighborhood was evacuated last week (big big props to the High Country Fire District, of Gilpin County for a quick and 100% successful response, great job people!) Twirling Hippy Confections would like to show our appreciation for the fine firefighters who put their lives on the line to protect lives and homes all over the state. Starting Monday we would like you to give any patient who can show that they have been involved in fighting these wildfires a free Twirling Hippy Confections Edible with ANY purchase they make from your MMC. Save the receipt and we will replace the item free of charge to you upon our next delivery to your MMC... Please help me give Firefighters who shop in your MMC a free edible, after all those folk's lungs could use a break after the stellar job they are doing against very difficult odds. 
Additionally so far this year over 300 families have lost their homes, and a few people have lost their lives. These people are gonna need so much more than insurance can provide for them, so lets show our community spirit by doing a food/clothing/supplies drive through out the state. Set up a place for your patients to drop off clothes, non-perishable food items, household goods like linens towels etc, and much needed pet supplies... we will pick them up from your shop when we make delivery to your route and distribute them to the evacuation stations for families away from their homes (hopefully only temporarily) We can do good things for all people in the name of patients... 
* We are gonna do a "fire safety" sale on edibles for patients to take camping/hiking too! see the "sales" section at the bottom of this email to participate in educating patients about non-combustable options for these blazing hot Red flag days... 

One other summer issue that the fires are compounding is blood donation, in summer donations drop off at the same time the need for blood transfusions is at it's greatest.  Blood donations can save lives of all patients not just MMJ users... I would like to do a community Blood Drive and BBQ for industry workers and patients that are physically able to donate blood and I am trying to Gage interest, would your MMC and the employees be down to donate via blood mobile  if we made it fun? Private patients willing to attend? I will be doing some sort of  meal since that is usually one of the perks of donating blood, (cant leave until you eat something!) are any of you interested in joining in on a sponsor level? Donating your time?
please respond to discuss if you are interested in helping me make this happen... we could do some real good for the State of Colorado in the name of the Cannabis community.... patients CAN donate blood, bonfils is glad to have it! 

Monday, June 18, 2012

Colorado 2012 potential upcoming ballot issues


From Ballotpedia


On the ballot

See also: 2012 ballot measures
TypeTitleSubjectDescription
CICAMarijuana LegalizationMarijuanaLegalize recreational use of marijuana with regulations.

Potential measures

See also: Potential 2012 ballot measures
The following measures have been proposed for the 2012 ballot:


Legend




• LRCA = Legislative amendments
• LRSS = Legislative state statute
• ICA = initiated constitutional amendment
• ISS = initiated state statute




• Filing cabinet.png = Initiative proposed and filed.




• Clipboard128.png = Initiative approved for circulation




• ExamineBallot.png = Initiative signatures submitted for review.




• StateLegislatures icon.jpg = State legislature reviewing initiative.[1]

Legislative referrals

TypeTitleSubjectDescription
LRCAInitiative Process AmendmentDirect democracyTo revise the initiative process to make amending the state constitution harder.
LRCAState Personnel AmendmentAdmin. of gov't.Change aspects to the state personnel system.
LRCAPay System AmendmentWagesReplace performance based pay system with system based on performance and length of service.
LRCACampaign Contributions Repeal AmendmentElectionsWould repeal language in the Colorado Constitution that limits campaign contributions from corporations.
LRCAUnion Contributions Repeal AmendmentElectionsRepeals constitutional language that defined unions as government contractors and prohibited political contributions from them.
LRCADiscrimination Repeal AmendmentLGBTRepeal language in the state constitution that prohibits laws that ban discrimination against the gay community
LRCAState Employee AmendmentAdmin. of gov't.Allow the state to revamp hiring and firing process of state employees.

Citizen initiatives

TypeTitleSubjectDescriptionResult
CICAProhibition Ban InitiativeMarijuanaLegalize recreational use of marijuana with no regulations.Clipboard128.png
CICA"Religious Freedom" AmendmentReligionWould mandate that government not burden person or group's religion.Clipboard128.png
CICAPersonhood AmendmentAbortionDefine the term "person" in the state constitution as the start of biological development.Clipboard128.png
CICAWater Law AmendmentEnvironmentWould alter state water laws.Clipboard128.png
CICAReligious Freedom AmendmentReligionWould ban the state from interfering with freedom of religion.Clipboard128.png
CICAProperty Tax AmendmentTaxesWould eliminate property taxes in the state.Clipboard128.png
CICAHandgun AmendmentFirearmsWould allow concealed carry of handguns without permit.Clipboard128.png
CICAState Primary Election AmendmentElectionsWould restructure state primary elections.Clipboard128.png
CICARedistricting AmendmentRedistrictingWould tweak state senatorial districts by county boundariesClipboard128.png
CICABusiness Tax AmendmentTaxesWould eliminate the business personal-property tax.Filing cabinet.png
CICAJudicial Reform AmendmentJudicial reformWould change how Colorado's judges are appointed and how long they could serveFiling cabinet.png
CICACourt Term Limit MeasureJudicial reformWould limit the seven Supreme Court judges to two-year termsFiling cabinet.png
CICA"Right-to-Foreclosure" AmendmentAdmin. of gov't.Require lenders to prove their right to foreclose on property.Filing cabinet.png

Not on the ballot

TypeTitleSubjectDescriptionResult
CICASame-Sex Marriage AmendmentMarriageWould allow for same-sex marriage in the state.Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot

Sunday, June 17, 2012

All things MMJ with Jessica LeRoux - 6/16/2012

Hey Now, 

Maybe it's just the heat, or maybe its the stark realization that only about 10-12% of the business owners in Colorado's MMJ industry actually care enough about the legal rights of the patients that support their businesses enough to show up and make a difference at meetings and hearings, but I dont much feel like writing this newsletter week... Yet I am still gonna share what I know with y'all and give you some deals. 

more on that story is here.... 

According to CDPHE spokesman Mark Salley, last week's meeting, and any future meetings about the database, do not fall under Colorado open meeting laws because the people involved are staff, not elected officials. Further, the meetings are not discussing policy, but figuring out how to implement policy.
"There is no attempt by the [CDPHE] to be secretive about this," Salley emphasizes. "They are not doing policy. The policy was set forth by the legislature. This is a system being created - not policy. This is staff people working out how to facilitate that -- what needs to be done in order to do that."
Salley says no future meetings planned. However, he adds that since those gatherings aren't public, the CDPHE won't be giving notification of any in the future.


Officials have repeatedly argued that the Medical Marijuana Technology Information program does not violate Colorado medical marijuana law that requires the database information to remain private. They believe vague language in HB-1284, which regulated the medical marijuana industry, authorizes the digital connection they characterize as merely a technological extension of how the system operates currently.

"The confidentiality of the information won't change...only the method of exchanging the information changes," Salley notes via e-mail. "There is no room for interpreting confidentiality of the data. That doesn't change."

The CDPHE will receive funding July 1 to begin implementation of the project. But representatives were unclear about when it would actually be online.
The Office of Information Technology draft seems to have been compiled before any bids on the project were taken from outside software companies.  According to the document, the searches were intended not only to verify "ownership and lawfulness" of medical marijuana, but also to "identify individuals to whom transferring a firearm would violate [Federal law]." According to the draft: "This purpose will be used by the CBI Instacheck unit to determine whether an individual may possess a firearm under federal law. It will also be used by law enforcement for similar activities." 


Under this draft, law enforcement would be able to search by name, date of birth and ID number on contact with a person transferring medical marijuana, during an investigation, or for a firearms background check. Proposed information that would be provided by the CDPHE upon query by a law enforcement officer include: • Name • Date of birth • ID number • Issue date • Expiration date • Whether or not a patient has state permission for an increased plant count above the standard cap of six. 
The search would be pretty much the same for private caregivers, including whether or not they can own or posses a firearm. Police would also be able to access information on the caregiver's patients. CDPHE officials tell us those documents are being revised to see what content needs to be changed." 
After reading all those articles I have two main questions re issues underlined above:

1. "Medical Marijuana Technology Information program" eh? So the "proposed information sharing" CBI meeting I crashed on June 5th where 6 state employees sat WITHOUT any documents, no laptops, no statistics, no state crime records, no record of numbers of after hours inquiries to CDPHE, A PROJECT WHICH HAS NOT BEEN DEFINED NOR EVEN HAVE IT'S WORK STATEMENT COMPLETED and only has 40 hours of collective state employee time into it... has had a formal project name from the State since March of 2011 over 15 months ago... are you feeling safe???
2. I would like to know what LEO's "Similar activities" includes?



This story is just one incident of this, we know of at least one other dragnet in Broomfield... and I am personally aware of two patient drivers who have had their license revoked because they have been charged with THC DUID,  before their blood test results have even been processed, since the "100 days of Heat" began 3-4 weeks ago. One Driver was with a child at the time and faces additional charges... These statistics will be used agains us in January when the legislative session resumes, so prevent additional numbers by keeping your car's minor repairs & tags current and keep an eye on the cars of patients you know! 

My Application to the City of Denver for my City of Denver MIPs license is spinning it's wheels until July 1st, I was told by Ruthie from Dept of Excise that the city is backburnering MIPs yet again until they wrap up licenses for MMCs and OPCs which the city anticipates doing by the end of this month... Denver based MMJ businesses, CHECK YOUR MAIL!!! the City is sending notices of scheduled licensing appt's for MMCs and OPCs and if you miss yours, you go to the back of the line... 

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Chatfield Reservoir expansion with another "public comment" period to keep us busy

Adrienne Anderson is not around any more to do the research and attend these "public comment" sessions. She died from glioblastoma multiforme, a deadly brain tumor, in 2011.





Going back to Feb. 28, 1985, Adrienne is talking about Friendly Hills, a Denver suburb, and the rash of children (17) dying of cancer, including, neuroblastoma, a type of brain tumor usually found in children.



On Oct. 20, 2007, in the first 25 sec. of this video, she references her 23-year battle against water pollution in the Chatfield Reservoir since the Friendly Hills episode.



Records show that NDMA, a potent carcinogen, leeches into the Chatfield Reservor from the old Martin Marietta/Lockheed-Martin site.  Here's what took place at a meeting of the Lockheed Martin / USAF Restoration Advisory Board back in Nov 7, 2007. Note that the Denver Water representative admits that the NDMA discharge from the Lockheed Martin/USAF site "impacts" the Chatfield Reservoir (but falsely claims that Chatfield water is used for drinking water only in "emergency" situations).



In this clip, Dave Walker of CDPHE, admits that NDMA has been leeching down gradient into the Chatfield Reservoir, and has been for decades.



Now, 28 years later, we are invited to make yet another public comment:

Notice of Availability of the Draft Feasibility Study/Environmental Impact Statement for the Chatfield Reservoir Storage Reallocation, Littleton, CO

(Note: I uploaded this document here, so you won't have to download all 544 pages of the pdf. A search of this document finds no reference to NDMA)


The comment period will be open from June 8, 2012 to August 7, 2012. 
The Corps has scheduled public involvement meetings from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the following locations:
Show citation box
1. Monday, June 25th—The Wildlife Experience, 10035 S. Peoria St. Parker, CO 80134, (720) 488-3300.Show citation box
2. Tuesday, June 26th—Dakota Ridge High School, 13399 West Coal Mine Avenue, Littleton, CO 80127, (303) 982-1970.Show citation box
3. Wednesday, June 27th—Valley High School, 1001 Birch St, Gilcrest, CO 80623, (970) 737-2494.



Kristen Iverson's book “Full Body Burden, Growing up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flats” is out now


 She talks about it in this Denver Direct clip from Aug. 5, 2010, on the Capitol steps. 


Friday, June 8, 2012

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Monday, June 4, 2012

All Things MMJ with Jessica LeRoux

Cross-posted from FB
Hey Now, 

Just a quick update, those of you who've read the last newsletter know that the CDPHE is going ahead and paying for the CBI computer patient database to link to law enforcement with the money that they did not have to transfer to the MMED in the last legislative session... 

A meeting was announced at the end of the work day today for tomorrow so if you can re-arrange your schedule please be there in person, if not I have re-arranged my own schedule to close my shop during the mid-day (I will be back late night to hand make every item for wednesdays delivery) and you can count on me to do your political homework for you again, and give you the cliff notes in my newsletter, but honestly it would be more responsible if you did something to help the patients that make up our industry for yourself! I really find people who give back to patients instead of always taking from this new industry are much more sexy! (shameless attempt  to shame you into participation, we'd like to see some new faces, why not you?) 

PATIENTS AND CAREGIVERS IN COLORADO:
THE MEETING BETWEEN THE CDPHE & CBI TO DISCUSS A (ILLEGAL) DATABASE OF PATIENTS TAKES PLACE TOMORROW, 

TUESDAY, JUNE 5 
AT 1:00PM 
AT 710 KIPLING STREET, SUITE 303 
(THE RE-MAX BUILDING FACING KIPLING, ON THE THIRD FLOOR).
BE THERE!

Thanks for making the effort.

Jessica LeRoux
Twirling Hippy Confections, LLC
2145 W Evans, Denver CO
303 922 3661 

Sunday, June 3, 2012

All things MMJ


  • Ed. note: this is from Jessica LeRoux, aka Beth Gonnaget, who owns and operates Twirling Hippy Confections, and may contain some self-promotion, along with much news coverage.
Hey Now, 
Whoa this year is flying by, here is is time to send your monthly employee and patient logs to the MMED again, they're due by Tuesday the 5th!  And just because the enforcers are falling apart trying to live by these rules on the budget provided (insert ironic comment about budgetary disparity here!), it is no excuse for us to fall all apart too. Lets keep the paperwork coming, after all they asked for it right? 

We all have a little bit of political homework to do so lets get to it on a rainy day like today so we can enjoy tomorrow!  And of course if you read the all of this news, there will be savings at the bottom for those of you who place your orders in a timely manner.(by monday!) I say Fires be damned I am gonna blaze on through the line and make my way to the 4 corners this weekend, since I will be appearing in person at the grand re-opening of Green Essentials in Glenwood next week! Western Slope folks please help spread the word to get patients from all over the region to come out on June 16th and here my talks about medicating with edibles, and my Q&A about the MMED,CDPHE, the new laws, and getting active outside Denver.  It should be a good time and I promise I will answer ANY Question, and if I do not know the legal answer I will take people's email and get them a proper answer within 7 days! Come out and see a lil bit of the rest of this lovely state! (if you wanna do an in store event like this at your location contact me at 303 922 3661 with at least 3 weeks notice and lets try to make it happen!)