Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak
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THEIDEA: APPROACH MARIJUANAIN SUCHAN ORGANIZED DELIBERATEWAY THATOTHER COMMUNITIES WRESTLINGWITH LEGALIZEDPOT CANLOOKTO ASPENFOR GUIDANCE. R ecreational marijuana shops started popping up statewide in January, thanks to Amendment 64, which made Colorado one of the first two US states—Washington is the other—to let weed entrepreneurs legally grow plants, make brownies, open stores, and sell to the public. Denver was quick out of the gate, with 18 such shops opening on January 1 and 47 slinging bud by the end of February. But other Colorado communi- ties that will allow pot shops—at least 35 counties have given weed sales a green light (while 29 have delayed or said no thanks)—are taking things slowly. However, Aspen's approach may be the most thoughtful. The first shop in the city, Silverpeak Apothecary, didn't open its doors until March, after months of community meetings and plan- ning get-togethers, much of it under the auspices of the Valley Marijuana Council. The Council united hospitals, schools, the ski company, major employers, dispensaries, law enforcement, and more groups to plan for the arrival of legalized recreational marijuana. Aspenites learned about the difference between sativa and indica, the two primary cannabis spe- cies. Sativa supposedly leads to a more awake, euphoric buzz, while indica is touted for its painkilling and sleep-inducing properties. They listened to a doctor talk about the effects of mari- juana on young brains. They got schooled on edibles, vaporizers (devices that pull vapor—instead of hot smoke—from marijuana), how consuming pot can alter driving abilities, and more. The idea: approach marijuana in such an organized, deliber- ate way that other communities wrestling with legalized pot can look to Aspen for guidance. "We put all of these people in a room, and we started talking about what is the responsible way to do this," says Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo. "We started the Council to educate people [on] how to use it, how to store it, and if you are going to travel with it, the responsibility that comes with that. We have an amnesty box at our airport. We don't want this to fail. It's here. What are we going to do about it? Make it succeed or work to make it fail?" Just weeks after Pitkin County's three recre- ational dispensaries—Silverpeak, Stash (near the Aspen Airport and outside of Aspen city limits), and Doctor's Garden in Carbondale—began sell- ing weed, DiSalvo said things were rolling out smoothly: no complaints, no arrests, no fights, thefts, or other law-enforcement issues. DiSalvo is vocally pro-pot. When asked about the prospect of people from surrounding states loading up on weed here and selling it illegally in their home states, DiSalvo said maybe the other states should think about legalization. But he has concerns. Anyone under 21 should not consume dope, because of what it has been proven to do to growing brains. A groundbreak- ing study published by The Journal of Neuroscience on April 16 is the first to show that "casual use of marijuana is related to major brain changes." In this study, researchers—including experts from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital—conducted MRIs on 40 live people (20 recreational users who smoke an aver- age of 11 joints per week and 20 nonusers). The scientists found that the shapes and sizes of two neural regions essential to motivation and emotion were significantly changed/altered as the result of recreational pot intake. Ideally, people who want to smoke would wait until deeper into their 20s, according to DiSalvo, but at the very least, they should follow the law and refrain until they reach legal drinking age when the brain is less vulnerable and more fully developed (although the brain continues to develop past that point). Keeping weed out of the hands of juveniles is a priority, DiSalvo says. Silverpeak Apothecary founder Jordan Lewis at the construction site of his new marijuana greenhouse in Basalt. 166 ASPENPEAK-MAGAZINE.COM 164-169_AP_F_MJ_V3_SUM_FALL_14.indd 166 5/6/14 3:39 PM