March 5, 2015 VOLU M E 1 49 | I S S UE 1 3 | 5 0 ¢
GoldenTranscript.net J E F F E R S O N C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
Distillery pub guidelines pass House committee Craft brew, wineries serve as models By Amy Woodward
awoodward@colorado communitymedia.com Restaurant distilleries could be a new business choice in Colorado after a bill defining guidelines for distillery pubs passed out of its first House committee last week. Sponsored by Rep. Dan Pabon, D-Denver, with Senate co-sponsorship by Sen. Andy Kerr, D-Lakewood, the bill was unanimously approved by lawmakers, which opens doors for the state’s 73 licensed distilleries. “The distillery pub bill allows someone that does not want to be a full-blown manufacturer to open a restaurant that has a small distillery as part of the operation,” said Stephen Gould, owner of Golden Moon Distillery. A distillery pub license, approved by the state and a local government, would be similar to a brewpub or winery license, where the establishment must serve food and wholesale sales are limited. Per the bill, licensed premises could not
Jon Tewinkle, head distiller at State-38 distilling in Golden, measures the quantity of sugar in a fermentation tank on Thursday, Feb. 26. A house bill at the state capitol recently passed a house committee, which paves the way for Distillery Pubs and allows them to operate with specific guidelines similar to brew pubs such as CB Potts where craft beer and other alcohol beverages may be served in a restaurant or bar setting. Photo by Amy Woodward ferment or distill more than 2,700 liters or 300 cases per product per year on the premises, and the total limit on annual produc-
tion of spirits would be 45,000 liters or 5,000 cases. “We just want to make sure we keep it
small and local because that has been the model that’s made brew pubs so successful in Colorado,” Sen. Andy Kerr said. CB Potts and Ironworks are examples of popular brewpubs, similar to what House Bill 1204 would allow for distillers. The bill allows for recognition and opportunity for an industry that is normally in the shadows. “It puts the craft distilling industry more in line with what the craft brewing industry has been in Colorado,” said Sean Smiley, owner of State-38 Distilling in Golden. Smiley sits on the board of directors for the Colorado Distillers Guild, a trade organization whose members made several recommendations on the bill. “We’ve kind of been the stepchild in terms of alcohol manufacturing,” Smiley said. “But we’re growing in numbers and I feel like the distilling wave is kind of the second wave to the craft brew wave that came through.” Kevin Settles, owner of Bardenay, a restaurant distillery in Idaho, has been credited as the facilitator behind the bill. Settles did not comment by press time, but several sources have said that Settles is looking to expand his businesses from Idaho to Colorado.
Pot proposal gets committee’s OK State bill covers gaps in current regulation
MEDICAL MARIJUANA USERS IN COLORADO
By Amy Woodward
awoodward@colorado communitymedia.com
POSTAL ADDRESS
GOLDEN TRANSCRIPT (ISSN 0746-6382)
OFFICE: 722 Washington Ave, Unit 210 Golden, CO 80401 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Jefferson County, Colorado, the Golden Transcript is published weekly on Thursday by Mile High Newspapers, 722 Washington Ave, Unit 210, Golden, CO 80401. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT GOLDEN, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 722 Washington Ave., Unit 210 Golden, CO 80401 DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legal: Fri. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 5 p.m. GE T SOCIAL WITH US
P L EA SE R ECYC L E T H I S C OPY
Medical marijuana growers and patients are inching closer to potential regulations. The Colorado Senate’s Health and Human Services Committee has unanimously passed a comprehensive bill concerning a variety of medical marijuana issues that are not regulated by the state’s revenue department. Under the bill by Sen. Irene Aguilar, D-Denver, the Colorado medical board must adopt rules regarding guidelines for physicians who make medical marijuana recommendations for patients suffering from severe pain, the bill reads. In addition, the bill would require the state health agency to adopt rules and guidelines for primary caregivers to give informed consent to patients that products may contain contaminants and that the THC levels are not verified. The bill highlights that all primary caregivers must register with the state health agency and the state medical marijuana licensing authority as well as allowing both agency and authority to share information to ensure a patient has only one caregiver.
In 2008, there were 4,819 patients who possessed medical marijuana cards. In December 2014, that number stood at 115,467. Of the patients who have cards, 65 percent are male. The average age for medical marijuana use is 42. Severe pain accounted for 93 percent of the reported debilitating medical conditions. Source: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Finally, the bill permits money in the marijuana tax fund to be used for the application of any bills approved by the marijuana revenues interim committee. “The federal expectation is that states that have allowed marijuana to be legal, and local governments, will implement strong and an effective regulatory and enforcement systems that will protect public safety, public health and other law enforcement interests,” Aguilar said. “It (the bill) was designed to focus on preventing inappropriate access to medical marijuana by focusing on appropriate physician recommendations for medical marijuana use and severe pain.” The bill diverts medical marijuana from poorly
regulated caregivers and also provides a mechanism for law enforcement to differentiate legitimate from illegal cultivation and transportation in the state, Aguilar said. Opponents of the bill said the legislation allows for intrusion and poses constitutional issues where information gathered may be given to the federal government. “This bill, in my opinion, is based on a false premise, which is that essentially, patients and caregivers are criminals and tax evaders,” said Terri Robnett, founder of Cannabis Patients Alliance. “What this comes down to for us is whether or not we can trust that these are protections or these are opportunities for law enforcement intrusion.” However, Sens. Linda Newell, D-Littleton, and Beth Martinez Humenik, R-Thornton, argued the bill helps to protect constitutional rights afforded through the passing of Amendment 20 from those who are looking to unlawfully benefit from some of the gaps that are present with the medical marijuana industry in Colorado. “There’s a lot of gray area with this,” said Martinez Humenik. “I think when this was originally passed, it opened up Pandora’s box and this is a multi-faceted topic but I don’t think that the bill … the way it is written right now … is meant to take away the rights of people to get the medicinal marijuana … it’s just to make sure, to legitimize, those folks that are actually doing it the right way.” The bill moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Fire department hires full-time lieutenants Increasing demands spur changes at volunteer agency By Amy Woodward
awoodward@colorado communitymedia.com The men and women of Golden’s Fire Station No. 21 have reached a milestone with the hiring of three full-time shift officers in a public service sector that traditionally relies on volunteers to assist residents in times of crisis. “We have some consistency,” said Fire Chief John Bales. “This kind of moves us into a new era.” For more than 100 years, the Golden Fire Department has recruited volunteers to work as fire-
fighters, and while the bulk of its staffing will continue to be filled with dedicated men and women who typically hold a separate job, full-time supervisors will better be able to provide assistance in dayto-day operations, including emergency responses. “We’ve just seen our responses in the last five years just go through the roof,” Bales said. Last year, the fire department received 1,550 calls, an 11 percent increase over 2013, Bales reported. It was an 18-month planning process but in the end, Lieutenants Jeff Hulse, Jeff Steinhoff and Jason Mulari were selected for the Fire continues on Page 4
Firefighter Jared Stricker, left, gives an overview of the equipment found in a Rapid Intervention Team or RIT bag to fellow firemen while Lieutenant Shift Officer, Jason Mulari, right, supervises the training. From left are Jared Stricker, Jason Flicker, Casey Dragos, Jason Mulari. Photo by Amy Woodward