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Dill Dill Carr Stonbraker & Hutchings, PC is the premiere Colorado venue for Medical Marijuana consultation and licensing services.
Medical Marijuana Licensing in Colorado
The growth and expansion of the medical marijuana industry started in the year 2000 when Amendment XX was adopted into the Colorado Constitution. The State of Colorado Constitution Article XVIII, Section XIV, Amendment XX, gives patients and their care givers the right to possess medical marijuana. Despite the Amendment, the industry struggled until approximately 2009 when the Colorado Legislature decided to adopt House Bill 1284 and Senate Bill 109, which have completely changed the regulatory scheme and brought the medical marijuana industry to focus in Colorado. Amendment XX to the Colorado Constitution exempts patients and their primary care givers from the enforcement of state criminal laws prohibiting the acquisition, possession, production, use, or transportation of medical marijuana or paraphernalia for medical uses. Patients and their care givers are required to register with the Colorado State Department of Health and obtain authorizations and approvals to possess up to two ounces of medical marijuana, and not more than six marijuana plants, three or fewer of which may be mature flowering plants that are producing the usable medical marijuana.
In 2009 the U.S. Department of Justice, under the direction of the Obama Administration, issued guidelines (the so-called Ogden Memo of Oct. 2009) explaining federal authorities would no longer make the enforcement of criminal laws, for those who use and possess medical marijuana, a priority for those persons who operate in states permitting the use of medical marijuana and for those persons who are in clear and unambiguous compliance with state law. Colorado law creates three types of licenses or permits for medical marijuana related facilities; one is a Medical Marijuana Center license, which has also been called a dispensary license, to sell marijuana at retail along with other marijuana products; an Optional Premise Cultivation license, also known as a grow facility; and finally, a Medical Marijuana Infused Products Manufacturing license (MIPS), which is a license for production of edible products which have been infused with medical marijuana, oils, or tinctures.
House Bill 1284, which is the name of the law enacted by the Colorado legislature, is a comprehensive regulatory scheme which allows local jurisdictions to opt out of the overall state system for the possession, sale, and growth of medical marijuana throughout the state. It should be noted that medical marijuana is unlawful at the Federal level.
Medical marijuana facilities will need state and local license approval and will be strictly governed by the Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division located in Denver, Colorado. The Enforcement Division will be charged with the duty to enforce the laws and regulations as they relate to all persons wishing to engage in this business and regulate the manufacture, sale, and distribution of marijuana pursuant to state and local laws. The law firm of Dill Dill Carr Stonbraker & Hutchings, P.C. participated in the drafting of House Bill 1284, meeting with state and local officials, and legislatures, to create a unique and comprehensive solution for the legalized use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
The law firm offers extensive experience with the use of attorneys and paralegals who are trained by state licensing officials in the areas of licensing, compliance with state and local rules and regulations, regulatory guidance and defense of regulatory actions. Regarding the business side of the industry, the firm offers the following services: expertise and knowledge in the areas of real estate leasing, mergers and acquisitions, zoning, land use, litigation and trials, as well as vendor agreements and employment contracts, which may be required in certain circumstances. The firm
has substantial regulatory experience with attorneys who have worked with state and local regulators for the last thirty (30) years as a result of the firm’s experience with liquor and gaming licenses in the State of Colorado. The firm has extensive contacts in state and local government offices currently regulating the medical marijuana industry and is well versed in the regulatory requirements that have been adopted as a result of the passage of House Bill 1284 and Senate Bill 109 (called the Doctor’s Bill), administered by the Colorado Department of Health and Environment. The firm provides a practical and systematic approach to all business related problems and has become known as a firm with substantial and credible business experience in connection with state and local licensing requirements.
Criminal Defense Practice
Dill Dill Carr Stonbraker & Hutchings, P.C. has a number of attorneys who are classified and characterized as Super Lawyers, or lawyers with the highest possible peer ratings from Martindale and Hubbell, commonly called AV ratings. The firm has ten attorneys on staff who have had prosecutorial experience in the State of Colorado in many different cities and counties. These attorneys have prosecuted and/or defended most criminal offenses, including but not limited to felony charges, misdemeanor charges, traffic offenses, including driving under the influence, cases. The firm operates throughout the front range in the State of Colorado in the counties of Denver, Arapahoe, Jefferson, Boulder, Douglas, El Paso, Adams, Weld, and Larimer counties. The firm takes the position that no offense is too large or too complex or too small to merit the attention of one of its experienced attorneys. The firm takes pride in its service to its clients and uses its experience as criminal defense attorneys to prepare and defend clients zealously in these sorts of matters. The firm has approximately seventy (70) years of previous experience in the prosecution and defense of matters such as these, including drug offenses, complex white collar crime, and other crimes which may be charged by state or local prosecutors. The firm also has prosecutor’s experience in the defense of cases involving the United States District Courts in dealing with the Drug Enforcement Administration. |
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