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An "amnesty box" is needed at the Aspen airport, where tourists hazy on marijuana laws can deposit product they acquired legally here, but could land them in jail at home, Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo said Wednesday at a forum on legal pot. The Aspen Chamber Resort Association-sponsored meeting attracted about 30 people, many from the tourism industry, as well as DiSalvo and Aspen police officers. They heard a presentation from Jordan Lewis, the owner of Silverpeak Apothecary, which is set to become the first Aspen medical marijuana dispensary to serve the recreational market.
The conversation centered on questions about the legal nuances of marijuana regulation in Colorado, how to deal with tourists for whom using cannabis could be a new experience, and how to talk kids and teenagers about pot. According to DiSalvo, there already have been numerous instances when a traveler has shown up at airport security with marijuana that was discovered by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). According to DiSalvo, it would be legal to fly with pot to Denver, since it wouldn't be crossing state lines, but no farther. There should be a no-questions-asked way for people to relinquish their weed at airport security, he added, predicting such a system will be in place in the near future. According to the TSA, legal marijuana doesn't change how it does its job, and the agency remains focused on stopping terrorism.
"As has always been the case, if during the security screening procedures an officer discovers an item that may violate the law, TSA refers the matter to law enforcement," according to a statement from the TSA press office. " ... Law enforcement officials will determine whether to initiate a criminal investigation." The state of Colorado will begin issuing retail pot-selling licenses on Jan. 1. But as it stands now, retail recreational pot sales aren't likely to occur in Aspen until late February, when Lewis predicted he would be able to begin selling to the general public. The gap is due to a delay in local jurisdictions approving rules for recreational production where Lewis has growing facilities.
Yan Baczkowski, director of the Snowmass Tourism office, said he has been contacted by at least one tour operator interested in running marijuana tours in the Roaring Fork Valley, akin to taking a wine tour in Napa Valley, Calif. "I had no idea what to tell them," Baczkowski said. He ran through other scenarios. What should a concierge tell a group of out-of-staters who want to go to the Maroon Bells and toke up "so they can hear the bells ring?" Baczkowski asked. Since the Maroon Bells are on Forest Service land owned by the federal government, marijuana use and possession remains illegal there, Lewis said. Same goes for most of the ski resorts, which also are on federal property.
Without a legal place to smoke their drugs – since most hotels don't allow guests to light up in their rooms, and going to a designated cigarette smoking area outside would violate the ban on smoking pot in public places – it stands to reason that many tourists may opt for edible marijuana products instead. But Lewis cautioned that these may lead to a bad trip for unseasoned users, since it can be easy to overdose with edibles. They can't kill you, but you may have a bad time, he said. Part of the problem, Lewis said, is that prohibition has made marijuana taboo, and has denied people the chance to experiment and know their limits. As such, Lewis said he plans to make education a component of his business – making sure people know the dangers of overdosing and are familiar with laws about where they can and can't use marijuana.
One component of the law is that marijuana can't be carried across state lines, where it is still illegal. But with human nature being what it is, that will surely happen, and Lewis predicted that is where federal marijuana prohibition will begin to unravel. Once those states see that the world hasn't come to an end in Colorado, and that they are losing out on significant tax revenue and economic activity, it will speed up the process for legalization, Lewis said.
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Aspendailynews.com
Author: Curtis Wackerle
Contact: Contact Us | Aspen Daily News Online
Website: Amnesty box
The conversation centered on questions about the legal nuances of marijuana regulation in Colorado, how to deal with tourists for whom using cannabis could be a new experience, and how to talk kids and teenagers about pot. According to DiSalvo, there already have been numerous instances when a traveler has shown up at airport security with marijuana that was discovered by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). According to DiSalvo, it would be legal to fly with pot to Denver, since it wouldn't be crossing state lines, but no farther. There should be a no-questions-asked way for people to relinquish their weed at airport security, he added, predicting such a system will be in place in the near future. According to the TSA, legal marijuana doesn't change how it does its job, and the agency remains focused on stopping terrorism.
"As has always been the case, if during the security screening procedures an officer discovers an item that may violate the law, TSA refers the matter to law enforcement," according to a statement from the TSA press office. " ... Law enforcement officials will determine whether to initiate a criminal investigation." The state of Colorado will begin issuing retail pot-selling licenses on Jan. 1. But as it stands now, retail recreational pot sales aren't likely to occur in Aspen until late February, when Lewis predicted he would be able to begin selling to the general public. The gap is due to a delay in local jurisdictions approving rules for recreational production where Lewis has growing facilities.
Yan Baczkowski, director of the Snowmass Tourism office, said he has been contacted by at least one tour operator interested in running marijuana tours in the Roaring Fork Valley, akin to taking a wine tour in Napa Valley, Calif. "I had no idea what to tell them," Baczkowski said. He ran through other scenarios. What should a concierge tell a group of out-of-staters who want to go to the Maroon Bells and toke up "so they can hear the bells ring?" Baczkowski asked. Since the Maroon Bells are on Forest Service land owned by the federal government, marijuana use and possession remains illegal there, Lewis said. Same goes for most of the ski resorts, which also are on federal property.
Without a legal place to smoke their drugs – since most hotels don't allow guests to light up in their rooms, and going to a designated cigarette smoking area outside would violate the ban on smoking pot in public places – it stands to reason that many tourists may opt for edible marijuana products instead. But Lewis cautioned that these may lead to a bad trip for unseasoned users, since it can be easy to overdose with edibles. They can't kill you, but you may have a bad time, he said. Part of the problem, Lewis said, is that prohibition has made marijuana taboo, and has denied people the chance to experiment and know their limits. As such, Lewis said he plans to make education a component of his business – making sure people know the dangers of overdosing and are familiar with laws about where they can and can't use marijuana.
One component of the law is that marijuana can't be carried across state lines, where it is still illegal. But with human nature being what it is, that will surely happen, and Lewis predicted that is where federal marijuana prohibition will begin to unravel. Once those states see that the world hasn't come to an end in Colorado, and that they are losing out on significant tax revenue and economic activity, it will speed up the process for legalization, Lewis said.
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Aspendailynews.com
Author: Curtis Wackerle
Contact: Contact Us | Aspen Daily News Online
Website: Amnesty box
