Marijuana Debates Spark Up This Week

DU Hosting Three Debates on Marijuana Days After Pot Convention Concludes

As medical marijuana has become the fastest growing industry in
Colorado, discussions on the drug have gone from dorm rooms and
parties to the Colorado Convention Center and classroom.

The University of Denver this week is hosting a series of debates
tackling marijuana-relates issues, from the harms and effects of
medicinal marijuana to current and possible future Colorado laws
regulating the drug. The three debates follow last weekend's Colorado
Cannabis Convention that was, by square footage, the largest cannabis
convention in the history of the country.

Multiple vendors and attendees at the Colorado Cannabis Convention
pointed to the convention itself as proof that marijuana is becoming
more socially acceptable in Colorado. The event featured more than
300 booths offering everything from holistic healing to glass
blowing. The convention was promoted as a family friendly event; no
marijuana was allowed on the convention center's premise.

"Colorado is lucky enough to be setting a precedent for the rest of
the states that are looking to take this direction to go off of,"
said Amanda, the office manager of Green Docs, a medical marijuana
consulting firm. "I think this (convention) is a fantastic catalyst
for things to come."

Though always quick to point out the alleged medical benefits of
marijuana, every vendor interviewed at the convention said they are
pushing for the flat out legalization of marijuana. Michael Lerner,
the organizer of the Colorado Cannabis Convention, said on Thursday
that the medical marijuana movement was "absolutely" a backdoor
attempt to legalize marijuana.

Andrew Schultheiss, the district director for U.S. Rep. Jared Polis,
D-Colo., said in a public discussion at the Colorado Cannabis
Convention that the widespread legalization of marijuana could happen
in the foreseeable future.

"The number of members of Congress who are willing to say, like Jared
Polis, that marijuana should be legalized, flat out, is growing," he
said. "Ten years ago you would not have found more than two or three
members of Congress willing to say that."

However, Dane Stauder of The Fitter, a shop specializing in marijuana
pipes, pointed out that marijuana is still far from being legal in
Colorado. He said his shop often gets visitors from outside of
Colorado who are under the impression that anyone can smoke marijuana
anywhere, which is simply not the case, he said. Currently, only
Coloradans with debilitating illnesses who get a doctor's referral
for marijuana can posses the drug.

And as Colorado Cannabis Convention attendee Andrew Louzau stated,
even a cancer patient who has a medical marijuana card can get kicked
out of their home in Colorado if they live in federally assisted
housing. Federal law prohibits the consumption of drugs in federally
assisted housing, Denver law prohibits the consumption of marijuana
on-site at dispensaries, leaving some patients with no place to
consume marijuana, he said.

Lawmakers who participated in Saturday's marijuana discussion urged
for patience as they make small steps towards reducing restrictions
and penalties on marijuana.

"This is new territory," said Denver City Councilman Chris Nevitt.
"As we work through the regulatory regimes that we put in
place...we're going to have unintended consequences or
wrinkles...we'll have to iron out."