The Colorado Legislature cannot impose restrictions to a medical marijuana affirmative defense that is expressly allowed under the stateâs Constitution, the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.
In a case involving Palisade peach grower David Cox, a three-judge panel unanimously agreed that Coxâs use of that defense against multiple felony marijuana charges is protected under Amendment 20, the constitutional provision approved by voters in 2000 that legalized medical marijuana.
In 2019, Cox was acquitted on seven felony marijuana distribution and cultivation charges after law enforcement raided his Palisade home and warehouse in 2017.
During trial, Cox invoked that affirmative defense, saying he was intending to become a medical marijuana caregiver and industrial hemp entrepreneur.
Grand Junction man Bruce Holder, 55, faces up to life in prison and a $20 million fine after a jury convicted him on charges related to the overdose death of a Carbondale man.
Holder was convicted of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and other counterfeit substances, distribution of fentanyl and distribution of a counterfeit substance after an 11-day trial in Denver, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.
“Facts presented at trial established that Holder worked in conjunction with multiple co-conspirators, including his wife, children, and other members of his family, to distribute pills which appeared to be 30mg Oxycodone pills but in fact were counterfeit and spiked with fentanyl,” the news release states.
Grand Junction man convicted of distributing street drugs containing fentanyl
Bruce Holder, 55, and co-conspirators distributed tens of thousands of pills that resulted in the death of a Carbondale man. Author: Jennifer Campbell-Hicks Updated: 2:29 PM MDT April 20, 2021
DENVER A Grand Junction man was convicted in U.S. District Court for distributing tens of thousands of pills that appeared to be Oxycodone but were in fact counterfeit and spiked with fentanyl, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said Tuesday.
Bruce Holder, 55, was found guilty after an 11-day trial in U.S. District Court in Denver. Holder worked with co-conspirators that included his wife, children and other family members to distribute the pills in 2017 and 2018, the DEA said in a news release.
Grand Junction man guilty of fentanyl distribution resulting in death of Carbondale man aspentimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from aspentimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Data released by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation this week showed a drop in DUI and drug-related arrests, but that doesnât mean drug trafficking in Mesa County has slowed, officials say.
Steven Knight, with the Drug Enforcement Agencyâs Grand Junction office, said he works with partners at the state and local level on the Western Colorado Drug Task Force and drug trafficking has not decreased in the area.
âWeâre in daily contact with all these drug task forces,â Knight said. âWeâre all working the drug cases together simultaneously. Weâre not seeing a decline in drug trafficking, not anything significant, and in fact right now just recently it seems to be on the uptick.â