There’s so much going on and so many great stories to read, it’s hard to catch them all. The Denver Post team is here to help with a new newsletter highlighting our most important work of the week, with a special focus on the story we’ve decided should lead our Sunday newspaper.
This week, we bring you a look at major changes in the works for Colorado’s marijuana laws. Five-plus years into the state’s grand experiment on recreational legalization, we’re falling behind other states that have legalized more recently. The changes would be more consumer-friendly — think home delivery and looser rules on public use — and also make it easier for Colorado cannabis companies to grow.
Tackling marijuana isn’t an optional issue for lawmakers — the original rules sunset at the end of the year. Still, it’s going to take some doing to shoehorn sweeping new marijuana legislation into the five weeks left in the General Assembly’s 2019 session.
The story is a marriage of reporter Jon Murray’s marijuana expertise and reporter Nic Garcia’s legislative knowledge. Jon was a lead writer on The Denver Post’s December project about where the state’s marijuana tax money has gone. Nic, a Colorado native, is half of The Post’s statehouse team and will be following the legislation as it goes through the Capitol.
— , Politics Editor for The Denver Post
Five of The Denver Post’s best stories this week
Turning point for legal marijuana in Colorado: Big changes in the works as state plays catchup
Colorado’s reputation as the leader in legal marijuana is fading as other states like California compete by offering large-scale marijuana investment, pot delivery services and looser consumption rules. State lawmakers are proposing major marijuana changes that previously failed under former Gov. John Hickenlooper. If these bills pass, Coloradans could expect to see more corporate and out-of-state investment, social consumption in the form of tasting room and new delivery services. Read more from Jon Murray and Nic Garcia.
Colorado teen ASMR star eats iPhones, taps her fingernails on YouTube with the hopes of putting her viewers to sleep
An eighth-grader at Fort Collins’ Preston Middle School has transformed into an ASMR sensation online, drawing more than 1.4 million subscribers to her YouTube channel, Life with MaK. The genre of YouTube videos — ASMR is short for “autonomous sensory meridian response” — is famous for relaxing viewers through a series of gentle tones and noises crafted by people who aren’t afraid to get creative, whether that be by tapping their teeth with their fingernails, cutting through soap or devouring self-referential confectionery on camera. Read more from Elizabeth Hernandez.
Soaring prices leave many metro Denver homeowners sitting on a thick equity cushion
Home values in metro Denver appear to have peaked last summer and are heading lower for the first time in seven years. That may provoke a sense of dread for those who struggled to stay afloat during the last housing downturn or lost everything in a foreclosure. But on the whole, most homeowners along the northern Front Range have built a thick equity cushion, one that should help them weather whatever storm is coming. Read more from Aldo Svaldi.
If red flag bill passes, can Colorado sheriffs ignore it?
As Colorado lawmakers get close to putting a gun control bill on the governor’s desk, some law enforcement officials’ resistance is highlighting a tension between state and local governments and raising questions about how the law will be carried out — if at all. Read more from Nic Garcia.
The Great Wall of Gruby, Tyson Barrie, and guts: How the Colorado Avalanche got their Stanley Cup mojo back
Blame Barry Trotz. Or thank him. To understand how things got right with the Colorado Avalanche, Pierre McGuire says, it helps to start with where the wheels came off. He’ll even give you a date: Dec. 17, when the New York Islanders and Trotz, their sagacious coach, rolled into the Pepsi Center and left with a 4-1 win. Read more from Sean Keeler.
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Quick Hits
+ Denver’s night glow will turn from orange to white with 44,000 new LEDs
+ Whatap happening with the Rockies’ “West Lot” construction project ahead of opening day
+ Colorado Republicans hope to claw back power with recalls — but it could backfire
+ Denver food hall Avanti will not add restaurant from “Top Chef” winner who faced assault charges
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