Course Overview:
In 2012, Colorado was the first state to legalize recreational marijuana and Denver was the first city in the world to license its’ production and sale. Eventually Denver would have over 220 locations where marijuana could be sold and over 1100 licenses issued to businesses where marijuana could be grown, tested, refined, or dispensed. Legalization was a ‘tidal wave’ of unexpected impacts and problems that hit every city agency. To address these issues, the City had to create numerous new policies, procedures, and laws. In 2014 the Denver Marijuana Policy Team was formed to build collaboration between city agencies, the state, and the new industry to build the required governmental infrastructure.
This course is designed to familiarize the students with what they can expect during the legalization process and provide steps they can take now to prepare their police department and city. This course includes an overview of what Colorado agencies wished they would have known when legalization was implemented. Lessons learned include the boom in the black market, crime trends, demand for data collection, employee policy, officer training, industry cooperation, the neighborhood impacts of home grows, the dangers of THC extractions, and the political pressures that accompany the marijuana legalization movement.
Finally, the new types of THC products being produced and sold go far beyond the low potency marijuana citizens thought they were legalizing. This course will outline the risks and the impact the new high potency marijuana is having on children, teens, families, and our communities.