Denver Needs to Make Up Its Mind

This is just getting ridiculous.

Earlier this month, the city of Denver sent a letter to the Colorado Symphony Orchestra warning them that their planning of cannabis-friendly events violates the current law against public consumption of cannabis. The planned shows were going to be a bring-your-own event at a private art gallery, where no marijuana would actually be sold and no consumption would happen on public land.

As everyone knows at this point, Colorado became the first state in the country to legalize the sale of marijuana at approved dispensaries, and the number of dispensaries open to the public continues to grow as the tax revenue pours in without any end in sight. However, the law still says that consumption of marijuana in public is still illegal, similar to how you can’t drink a beer outside of a bar.

Luckily, the Symphony seems to have found a loophole that will allow them to do the shows anyway. But, the point has already been made that, despite allowing the sale of marijuana in stores, the city of Denver and state of Colorado need to make up their minds about cannabis.

Yes, it’s a strange situation that all of this is still in conflict with federal laws that put marijuana in the same category of drug as heroin. However, the citizens of Colorado had a fair election and made a decision, and the feds have so far decided to honor that. There is no reason that events like this, in a private setting with reasonable parameters, cannot happen, especially when the city goes out of its way to cancel other events, as well.

However, it’s been blatantly obvious from the very start that neither Denver Mayor Michael Hancock nor Governor John Hickenlooper like the fact that Colorado voters, the people they are supposed to represent, chose to do something logical. While they have reluctantly gone along with it, moves like shutting down CSO fundraisers are just a slap in the face.

It stings especially strong when I see pictures like this:

So beer and wine is ok, marijuana not so much….

That’s Governor Hickenlooper signing a bill at a winery that allows wineries to can wines, and as a gift they gave him a keg and tap of wine to put in the Governor’s mansion. (Infinite Monkey is actually a great place to enjoy wine on tap and in a can, but that’s not the point).

Oh yeah, that’s right: there are beer taps in the Governor’s mansion, because the Governor is not only a big fan of beer, but, in fact, made his first fortune as the owner of Wynkoop Brewery. So you can drink all you want, but in the words of the Governor himself, don’t break out the cheetos.

If the city wanted to shut down these fundraisers (which are not happening on city property and would not have any marijuana being sold) in a time where marijuana was not being sold to the public in dispensaries, it would not be a surprise at all. However, if the state of Colorado and the city of Denver is going to sit back and take tax revenue, allow numerous jobs to be created, and otherwise benefit from the sale of marijuana, then it’s time they actually support marijuana.

Because right now they just look like hypocrites.