If you needed any more evidence that medical marijuana is an industry whose time is now, check out KushCon II, in Denver this weekend. Reportedly, it's the world's largest cannibis conference.

Over 340,000 square feet of the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, December 17-19 will be consumed by KushCon II, the largest star-studded Cannabis Lifestyle convention ever to take place on the planet.

The event sponsored by Kush Magazine and Dailybuds is open to the public of all ages and is family-friendly. There will be no cannabis allowed at the event. The weekend will be packed with entertainment, information, and fun for all that attend. There are over 450 vendors from all over the world as well as local businesses including medical marijuana centers, edible manufacturing companies, plus many vendors selling clothing, smoke-ware and other special cannabis lifestyle gifts that are sure to complete any “Kushmas shopping” wish list.

The panels pack some serious wallop. Both New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson and Colorado Rep. Jared Polis will speak. Here's today's schedule. And tomorrow's.

The conference is open to the public, and is "family friendly." There will be no marijuana at the event, so no medical marijuana card or doctor's recommendation is necessary. The event may break prior attendance records, drawing as many as 50,000 people. NORML is streaming the event live online here.

One step forward, two steps back. Colorado's proposed regulations on medical marijuana are 90 pages long. You can read them here.

The rules would govern everything: how state officials regulate marijuana cultivation; how dispensary owners keep track of their sales; what makers of marijuana-infused pastries should put on their labels. Several of the rules would place Colorado in unprecedented territory — for instance, requiring marijuana growers to install security cameras through which state auditors could remotely monitor their crop. Others would take action on areas of long-standing concern, including inventory-control rules designed to prevent medical marijuana from leaking into the black market.

Check out the 5 pages of possible violations. [More...]

The Wall St. Journal reports on new regulations Colorado lawmakers are putting the final touches on, for medical marijuana:

The regulatory system — more rigorous and comprehensive than in any other state — will likely require pot growers to place tags on every plant and train security cameras on their cultivation rooms around the clock.

...Cannabis dispensaries, meanwhile, will likely be required to record high-resolution video of every customer's face and photo identification and then link that footage to a computer record of each purchase. Even the moment when the dried weed is weighed for sale will have to be captured on video, according to draft regulations now being finalized.

Cops can demand to see the tapes at any time, without a warrant.

"We don't ask. We just go look," said Matt Cook, senior director of the state's medical-marijuana enforcement division...."You give up a lot of your Fourth Amendment rights when you're dealing with a controlled substance," Mr. Cook said.

[More...]

The jury in Tom DeLay's Texas money laundering trial deliberated three hours today, and will be back tomorrow:

Dick DeGuerin, DeLay's lead attorney, restated what he had often said throughout the trial: that prosecutors had failed to prove the ex-lawmaker committed a crime and the money swap was legal.

Throughout his closing arguments, DeGuerin repeated one phrase in particular: no corporate money went to candidates in Texas. He even included the sentence — in bold, black letters — in a slide show he presented to jurors.

He also used his partisan politics theme: [More...]

I'll add my thanks to all who served. On Veterans' Day, I try to concentrate on those who served and are alive. Otherwise, there would be no difference between Veteran's Day and Memorial Day.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Documents were unsealed today in the felony sex case against Colorado District Attorney Myrl Serra. Serra is the elected DA for the 7th District, which includes Telluride, Montrose, Delta, and Gunnison. Serra was arrested September 30, but few factual details were released, other than it was sex related and may be related to an affair gone bad. First, the charges:

Serra, 48, is charged with felony unlawful sexual contact, felony criminal extortion and five misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure and unlawful sexual contact. He has denied the allegations.

The documents released today allege Serra harassed three women employees in his office, exposing himself, demanding sexual favors, and threatening their job positions if they didn't go along. [More...]

We all know Prop 19 lost in California, although it did get a respectable 46% of the vote. But, how did other marijuana initiatives fare across the country? Marijuana Policy Project has this recap (no link yet, received by e-mail):

• Arizona: Proposition 203, which would bring a working medical marijuana law to the state, is too-close-to-call at the moment, as tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of additional ballots remain to be counted. MPP will continue to closely monitor the outcome of this proposition over the coming days.

• South Dakota: Measure 13, which would have protected seriously ill South Dakota residents from arrest and prosecution for using medical marijuana with their doctor’s recommendation, was ultimately rejected by voters.

[More...]

Joey DiSlavo won the Pitkin County Sheriff's race to replace retiring Bob Braudis, garnering a whopping 79% of the vote.

DiSalvo’s campaign centered on a promise not to make any sweeping changes to the office Braudis has run since 1987, and to continue the local tradition of community policing and building public trust, begun by Sheriff Dick Kienast in the 1970s. In that time, the sheriff’s office has garnered attention for progressive policies like running a comfortable jail, training locals as officers rather than hiring experienced outsiders, and not conducting undercover investigations.

TalkLeft first endorsed DiSalvo in April, when he announced his candidacy. Follow-up posts on the race, including his stance in favor of legalization of drugs for personal use, opposition to use of undercover cops and views on drug policy are here, here and here. Favorite line of the campaign, considering it comes from a law enforcement officer:

[DiSalvo said] he had no interest in whether people in their own homes “fire up a joint or do a line on [their] table.”

Congrats to Aspen and Joe DiSalvo.

Voters in Larimer County, Colorado have voted not to retain Judges Jolene Blair and Terry Gilmore. Both were prosecutors in the case of wrongfully convicted Tim Masters, who received a $10 million settlement after DNA evidence proved him not guilty of murder. Masters served 10 years in prison.

Blair and Gillmore were censured by the Colorado Supreme Court for misconduct in failing to comply with proper defense discovery requests and engaging in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice. The Blair decision is here and the Gilmore decision is here.

The AP and local news stations have called the Colorado Governor's race for Denver's popular Mayor John Hickenlooper.

Tom Tancredo was 20 points behind, and Republican Dan Maes is in the single digits.

This bodes well for Senator Bennet.

Denver passed a metropolitan milestone last week with the opening of its first Four Seasons hotel. It took a few years to build, as it was done from the ground up. The first 17 floors are the hotel and the 28 floors above that are very pricey condos, ranging from $895,000 to $7.5 million.

Four Seasons are probably my favorite hotels anywhere, and I've been fortunate enough to stay in more than my fair share around the world. (The Four Seasons on 57th St in New York is one of my all time favorites. Incredible beds, and the best bathtubs ever, that fill in 60 seconds.)

So what's Denver's Four Seasons like? Does it compare to those in fancier, more sophisticated or tropical places? I spent five hours there last night, celebrating a friend's birthday with a group of friends. I was tempted to spend the night, since they are offering an introductory special rate of $180 a night until January 31, but I didn't need to. I observed enough to know the hotel is a winner and a great addition to Denver. [More...]

A new poll from the Denver Post and 9News have Sen. Michael Bennet and challenger Ken Buck in a dead heat. Three weeks ago, Buck was leading by five points.

In the Governor's race, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper has a good lead on Tom Tancredo. The poll shows he's got more support than Tancredo and the Republican candidate, Dan Maes, combined. Results here.

Tancredo is ratcheting up the ads against both Maes and Hickenlooper. [More...]