Marijuana
Growth of county, state marijuana sales levels off in 2018
January 14, 2019 — In Colorado, marijuana has become a billion-dollar business annually, but the latest sales reports from the Colorado Department of Revenue show the sharp surges seen over the last four years are now leveling off. Across the state, Colorado has logged over $1.4 billion worth of
High Country: 99 problems but cannabis ain’t one
January 10, 2019 — On New Year's Eve, the Aspen Police Department received a staggering 99 phone calls between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 4:30 a.m. According to Assistant Police Chief Bill Linn, it wasn't a record-breaking year, but headline-making enough to make me reach out and ask
High Country: Aspen’s Top 10 Cannabis Strains of 2018
December 27, 2018 — While the mega-marijuana websites of the world like Leafly and Weedmaps serve as go-to resources for finding strain and dispensary reviews, it's more often than not a challenge to find the exact information you're seeking. Enter Smokey Town — a Basalt-based startup that provides an
Colorado sees average price of wholesale marijuana rise in second half of 2018
December 21, 2018 — Starting Jan. 1, Colorado will reap more tax revenue from wholesale deals involving marijuana intended to be sold to consumers after the average prices of those wholesale products rose in the latter part of 2018. The Colorado Department of Revenue on Thursday released updated average
High Country: 2018 Cannabis Connoisseurs Gift Guide
December 20, 2018 — 1. Kush Kards, $8 Stamped with hilarious high-minded greetings and only made better with the option of inserting a pre-rolled joint right on the front, Kush Kards are the holiday card to trump all others on the mantelpiece. A Kush Kards-branded matchbook is also included.
Cory Gardner will try to pass amendment in Senate to allow marijuana banking
December 14, 2018 — Marijuana businesses in Colorado and across the country are anxiously awaiting a move by Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colorado, next week that could completely transform the way they do business. Gardner plans to introduce an amendment Monday that, if passed, would let cannabis businesses open bank
High Country: Hello, Beboe
December 13, 2018 — For a cannabis company The New York Times coined as "the Hermès of Marijuana," it makes perfect sense for its first wave of interstate expansion to land in Aspen. Launched in Los Angeles in 2017, Beboe has since set the standard for what luxury cannabis
Denver officials want to erase low-level marijuana offenses
December 4, 2018 — DENVER — Denver officials are planning to clear thousands of marijuana convictions prosecuted before its use became legal in the state. Colorado was among the first states to broadly allow the use and sale of marijuana by adults, but cities elsewhere have led the way
High Country: The 6 best cannabis-infused salves for sore ski legs
November 29, 2018 — No matter how ready you think you are, come opening day, the sound of screaming ski legs rings louder than your alarm the next morning. Thanks to the hard work of the Aspen-Snowmass mountain operations team and 12 inches of new snow over the holiday
High Country: Arcview at altitude
November 22, 2018 — MJBizCon, marijuana's first official, national trade show started in 2012. Since then, it has grown to hosting ancillary events in Toronto and New Orleans and earlier this month, welcomed 27,600 attendees and more than 1,000 exhibitors to its flagship conference at the Las Vegas Convention
High Buy: LEVO II Oil-Infusion Machine
November 8, 2018 — With snowflakes already falling, it's a known fact that life for locals in High Country is pretty uneventful until the lifts start spinning. Aside from focusing on work and taking ski-conditioning classes, the other way I'm passing the time is experimenting in the kitchen. I
High Country: A Complete Guide to Aspen’s Downtown Dispensaries
November 1, 2018 — Earlier this month, The Aspen Times' annual Best of Aspen issue hit newsstands, revealing the top three winners for "Best Dispensary" according to our loyal readers. The Green Joint, which only officially opened for business in September, took top honors followed by Silverpeak and Best
Colorado releases 5-year marijuana study on teen use, driving stats
October 26, 2018 — After five years of data collection, the Colorado Department of Public Safety released its much-anticipated baseline report on the impacts of marijuana legalization. The data provide glimpses for the first time into the how legalization has impacted several highly-charged subjects, including usage among young people
Pot sales tax, fire district funding at center of Snowmass election
October 24, 2018 — The polls are open as of this week, and while the number of hyper-local issues in Snowmass is sparse, the two-page ballot residents will cast is anything but light. "It's a very long and complex ballot," Pitkin County clerk and recorder Janice Vos Caudill said
Colorado’s annual pot sales top $1 billion in record time
October 23, 2018 — Marijuana sales in Colorado exceeded $1 billion as of August of this year, with tax revenue from those sales coming in at $200 million, according to a report from the Colorado Department of Revenue and its Marijuana Enforcement Division. It’s the earliest point in any of
High Country: Granola goes green with Wise Bar
October 11, 2018 — Last month, I introduced you to Sopris Health & Wellness, citing their launch as part of the current CBD craze sweeping the country. The following weekend, I found an Elevated Elixirs sandwich board promoting on-site CBD infusions to its kombucha at the Basalt Sunday Market.
Federal prosecutor: Loopholes remain in Colorado’s regulated marijuana industry
October 4, 2018 — DENVER — Colorado’s system for regulating marijuana has too many loopholes that disguise illegal activity and jeopardize public safety, a federal prosecutor said Wednesday, detailing his motivation for boosting scrutiny in the first state to broadly allow cannabis sales. U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer said heColorado pot companies complying with state could face federal charges under enforcement plan
September 28, 2018 — In an aggressive new tactic, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Denver says it's shifting its marijuana enforcement from busting illegal grow operations to targeting dispensaries that use their licensed businesses and legal grows as fronts for the more lucrative illegal drug trade. This new approach,
High Country: Aspen’s own Timberado is a peace pipe dream
September 27, 2018 — I've written about cannabis since recreational legalization first started to spread its wings in Colorado and one of the perks of the gig is getting to test the latest in pot product launches. Jeff Hood first reached out to me five years ago about his
