By Lucas Oswald More than 5,014 companies founded in the last several decades have been the progeny of Stanford community members, according to the Wellspring of Innovation Project. While many of these companies fall squarely in the tech industry of Silicon Valley, several Stanford graduates have founded organizations that tackle social and environmental issues elsewhere.
One of these graduates is Ned Tozun B.S.'01, MBA'07, who found his true calling by utilizing his entrepreneurial skills to found light , which designs affordable and durable solar powered LED lights for people in developing countries with no or limited access to electricity.
As a computer science and earth systems double major, and later a graduate of the Graduate School of Business (GSB), Tozun never saw the need to narrow down his interests into a single profession.
Instead he decided to use his interdisciplinary education and diverse skill set in design, engineering and business to create his own start-up.
After obtaining his undergraduate degrees, Tozun worked as an engineer for seven months before dabbling in a few start-up ideas. During the same time period, Tozun and his fiancé did volunteer work with HIV/AIDS patients in Africa.
"I found doing work that had a social impact to be deeply meaningful and fulfilling," Tozun said, explaining that his work had "a very significant impact" on his view of the world.
Tozun described how returning to Silicon Valley to work on technology startups failed to give him the same feeling of fulfillment.
"I started to look for a way to blend my skills in the start-up tech world with what I really felt I was called to do," he said.
Goldman had discovered a need in the developing world that could be filled by modern technology. In slums and villages around the world, he noticed, inefficient, dangerous and expensive kerosene lamps are the main source of light. With innovations in LED and solar technology, Goldman found that better solutions existed.
With experience from a few start-ups and a greater familiarity with issues in the developing world under their belts, Tozun and Goldman attended the GSB to explore their entrepreneurial ideas.
Tozun said he chose the GSB for its social entrepreneurship focus and for a single class at the Institute of Design, "Design for Extreme Affordability."
After taking the class, Tozun and Goldman went to Southeast Asia to assess the need for affordable technology in the region.
2012年2月9日 星期四
2012年2月8日 星期三
Romeo company a finalist in MI 50 awards
The spotlight has been shined on a lighting company in Romeo.
ZON LED, a company under Ultraform Industries, has made it to the finals of the 2012 "50 Michigan Companies to Watch" awards.
The program, developed by the Edward Lowe Foundation, honors companies in Michigan that display high performances in the market or possess innovative products or processes.
Only second-stage companies are eligible to be nominated and must meet a number of qualifications. These include being commercial firms that are privately held, employing six to 99 full-time employees and having between $750,000 to $50 million in annual revenue or working capital.
According to Don Frattaroli, owner of Ultraform since 1986, ZON LED employs six full-time workers and is projecting a 203 percent increase in revenue for 2012 when compared to 2011's numbers.
"That could be on the low side," said Frattaroli. "We're working with some large orders right now."
The nomination for ZON LED was submitted by James Ahee, senior economic development specialist with Macomb County Planning and Economic Development.
The company was nominated as of Nov. 17, finding out in early January that it was a finalist for being one of 50 companies selected.
Winners are announced at the Michigan Celebrates Small Businesses gala in May and receive a trophy, a profile in a magazine and increased exposure.
Frattaroli admitted he was surprised by the news, but said the company's unique Light Emitting Diode (LED) products help place it as a front-runner.
"We do have a high-tech product here in LED lighting, and LED lighting is the future," he said. "We know we have a good product, no question."
The company manufactures LED "retrofit" fixtures and high bay lighting fixtures that replace conventional high-intensity discharge lights. Their LEDs are estimated to save 70 percent more on energy bills than traditional lighting and are quieter, safer and more durable.
ZON LED was founded in 2009 after two years of research and development of LED lighting fixtures. Since Ultraform already produces light fixtures, Frattaroli said it was only natural to branch out into another form of lighting.
"We got our first major order and purchased equipment to make in volume what we were making in the prototype area," he said.
They leased a building for the production equipment and are now shipping products throughout the United States and Canada.
"We build all the components in the state of Michigan," he said. "A lot of components are built here in Romeo."
Having been in Romeo since 1994, Frattaroli said Ultraform has had good relations with the village, such as receiving industrial facilities tax exemptions when purchasing new equipment.
ZON LED, a company under Ultraform Industries, has made it to the finals of the 2012 "50 Michigan Companies to Watch" awards.
The program, developed by the Edward Lowe Foundation, honors companies in Michigan that display high performances in the market or possess innovative products or processes.
Only second-stage companies are eligible to be nominated and must meet a number of qualifications. These include being commercial firms that are privately held, employing six to 99 full-time employees and having between $750,000 to $50 million in annual revenue or working capital.
According to Don Frattaroli, owner of Ultraform since 1986, ZON LED employs six full-time workers and is projecting a 203 percent increase in revenue for 2012 when compared to 2011's numbers.
"That could be on the low side," said Frattaroli. "We're working with some large orders right now."
The nomination for ZON LED was submitted by James Ahee, senior economic development specialist with Macomb County Planning and Economic Development.
The company was nominated as of Nov. 17, finding out in early January that it was a finalist for being one of 50 companies selected.
Winners are announced at the Michigan Celebrates Small Businesses gala in May and receive a trophy, a profile in a magazine and increased exposure.
Frattaroli admitted he was surprised by the news, but said the company's unique Light Emitting Diode (LED) products help place it as a front-runner.
"We do have a high-tech product here in LED lighting, and LED lighting is the future," he said. "We know we have a good product, no question."
The company manufactures LED "retrofit" fixtures and high bay lighting fixtures that replace conventional high-intensity discharge lights. Their LEDs are estimated to save 70 percent more on energy bills than traditional lighting and are quieter, safer and more durable.
ZON LED was founded in 2009 after two years of research and development of LED lighting fixtures. Since Ultraform already produces light fixtures, Frattaroli said it was only natural to branch out into another form of lighting.
"We got our first major order and purchased equipment to make in volume what we were making in the prototype area," he said.
They leased a building for the production equipment and are now shipping products throughout the United States and Canada.
"We build all the components in the state of Michigan," he said. "A lot of components are built here in Romeo."
Having been in Romeo since 1994, Frattaroli said Ultraform has had good relations with the village, such as receiving industrial facilities tax exemptions when purchasing new equipment.
2012年2月7日 星期二
Iraqi lawmaker says he faces charges; new crisis
Iraq's Shiite-led government wants to bring charges against a member of the Sunni-backed bloc, the lawmaker said Monday, the latest step in a political crisis that erupted just after the U.S. completed its military withdrawal from the violence-wracked nation.
Iraqiya parliamentarian Haidar al-Mulla said he was informed that prosecutors were seeking to charge him for insulting the country's judiciary by publicly questioning its independence from the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Iraqiya accuses al-Maliki of sectarian bias and of trying to push the Sunni-backed bloc out of the government to consolidate his own grip on power. Security forces have launched a widespread crackdown against Sunnis, detaining hundreds for alleged ties to the deposed Baath Party of Saddam Hussein.
In parallel, there has been a wave of violence in Iraq since the U.S. pullout in mid-December, killing more than 200 people. Most of the targets have been Shiites, with some apparent reprisal attacks by Sunnis.
Without the American troops acting as a buffer between Sunnis and Shiites, the twin politician and security crises could spark a civil war.
Al-Mulla said Monday he received a notice from the parliament that authorities have requested a vote to strip him of immunity to prosecute him on charges he insulted
Al-Mulla, who is a Shiite member of the overwhelmingly Sunni bloc, said the efforts to strip him of immunity is part of a "vicious campaign against Iraqiya" that underlines the authorities' resolve to squelch any criticism of al-Maliki's five-year rule in the war-ravaged country.
"We will not be silenced. I have the right to express my opinion and criticize inappropriate acts," al-Mulla told The Associated Press by telephone. "We will continue our work and expose any mismanagement of affairs in this country."
Iraqiya lawmakers have ended a protest boycott of the parliament, but their ministers stayed away from last week's Cabinet session. The next one is set for Tuesday, and no decision about their attendance has been made public.
Lawmakers ended the boycott last week, amid accusations that it had been fueling political instability and deprived the bloc's supporters from the Sunni minority of participating in important decisions, such as the nation's $100 billion budget that has yet to be approved by the parliament.
However, the bloc's nine ministers stayed away from the Cabinet session. Iraqiya has not confirmed if the ministers will attend the next weekly meeting, set for Tuesday.
The sectarian fight in the government has been accompanied with a surge in attacks, that have killed more than 200 people last month. The twin crises have raised fears of a reprise of a conflict five years ago.
Iraqiya parliamentarian Haidar al-Mulla said he was informed that prosecutors were seeking to charge him for insulting the country's judiciary by publicly questioning its independence from the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Iraqiya accuses al-Maliki of sectarian bias and of trying to push the Sunni-backed bloc out of the government to consolidate his own grip on power. Security forces have launched a widespread crackdown against Sunnis, detaining hundreds for alleged ties to the deposed Baath Party of Saddam Hussein.
In parallel, there has been a wave of violence in Iraq since the U.S. pullout in mid-December, killing more than 200 people. Most of the targets have been Shiites, with some apparent reprisal attacks by Sunnis.
Without the American troops acting as a buffer between Sunnis and Shiites, the twin politician and security crises could spark a civil war.
Al-Mulla said Monday he received a notice from the parliament that authorities have requested a vote to strip him of immunity to prosecute him on charges he insulted
Al-Mulla, who is a Shiite member of the overwhelmingly Sunni bloc, said the efforts to strip him of immunity is part of a "vicious campaign against Iraqiya" that underlines the authorities' resolve to squelch any criticism of al-Maliki's five-year rule in the war-ravaged country.
"We will not be silenced. I have the right to express my opinion and criticize inappropriate acts," al-Mulla told The Associated Press by telephone. "We will continue our work and expose any mismanagement of affairs in this country."
Iraqiya lawmakers have ended a protest boycott of the parliament, but their ministers stayed away from last week's Cabinet session. The next one is set for Tuesday, and no decision about their attendance has been made public.
Lawmakers ended the boycott last week, amid accusations that it had been fueling political instability and deprived the bloc's supporters from the Sunni minority of participating in important decisions, such as the nation's $100 billion budget that has yet to be approved by the parliament.
However, the bloc's nine ministers stayed away from the Cabinet session. Iraqiya has not confirmed if the ministers will attend the next weekly meeting, set for Tuesday.
The sectarian fight in the government has been accompanied with a surge in attacks, that have killed more than 200 people last month. The twin crises have raised fears of a reprise of a conflict five years ago.
2012年2月6日 星期一
Redwood Systems Expands Product Line to Support All Major Lighting Technologies
Redwood Systems, the leading provider of building-performance lighting solutions, today announced it has extended its product line to support all lighting fixture types. Previously available only for LEDs, the Redwood platform can now deliver energy and cost savings, as well as the benefits of fine-grained sensing, to any lighting environment. The new offering supports all of the industry's most commonly-used light fixtures, including fluorescents, HIDs and CFLs, in addition to LEDs.
While LED installations are expected to capture the majority of the commercial building market over the next few years, many building owners today are still deploying LEDs with other lighting sources. In these mixed environments, the ability to deliver intelligent lighting control has been limited. With this new solution, Redwood can now provide any customer with its best-in-class energy savings, as well as a range of building intelligence applications such as security alerts, temperature sensing and space utilization reporting. By leveraging the new Redwood product for legacy lighting sources, customers are also ensured an easy upgrade path to LEDs.
"The move to LED technology in the commercial space is inevitable, but in the short-term, we will see mixed-use facilities that have multiple lighting types," said Michael Siminovitch, Director of the California Lighting Technology Center. "To address this trend, Redwood's universal solution now brings cost-effective energy savings and smart building applications to any lighting environment."
Redwood's new product offering consists of two components, the Redwood Universal Gateway and the Redwood Sensor. The Redwood Universal Gateway turns fixtures on, off or dims them by sending a 0-10V output signal to dimmable ballasts or by controlling one or two external relays.
The Redwood Sensor collects data on light levels, occupancy and temperature, and is extensible with up to 14 different sensor types. Once installed, the Redwood Sensor connects with the Universal Gateway to send the data it collects back to the core of the Redwood platform, the Redwood Engine, for reporting and control.
"Whether our customers are moving to LEDs or using other lighting technologies, they clearly want one control system to manage all of their lights," said Dave Leonard, CEO, Redwood Systems. "Considering our record growth last quarter and even stronger start to 2012, demand for LEDs remains high and will continue to be our focus. However, our customers made it clear that they want to bring our advanced energy savings and building intelligence to their facilities that haven't yet moved fully to LEDs. By designing a product that delivers the same capabilities of our existing solution, we are ensuring that anyone can reap the benefits of the Redwood technology."
Redwood Systems' building-performance lighting solutions facilitate lower cost, higher-performing workplaces. Redwood has developed the world's only smart building platform that powers and controls lights and a high-density sensor grid providing both best-in-class energy savings and granular monitoring of space utilization, temperature and power consumption.
This award-winning approach uses patented networking technology and a low-voltage DC architecture for high reliability and scalability as well as low cost installation. With a growing roster of market-leading customers and partners, Redwood is building a reputation for customer success.
While LED installations are expected to capture the majority of the commercial building market over the next few years, many building owners today are still deploying LEDs with other lighting sources. In these mixed environments, the ability to deliver intelligent lighting control has been limited. With this new solution, Redwood can now provide any customer with its best-in-class energy savings, as well as a range of building intelligence applications such as security alerts, temperature sensing and space utilization reporting. By leveraging the new Redwood product for legacy lighting sources, customers are also ensured an easy upgrade path to LEDs.
"The move to LED technology in the commercial space is inevitable, but in the short-term, we will see mixed-use facilities that have multiple lighting types," said Michael Siminovitch, Director of the California Lighting Technology Center. "To address this trend, Redwood's universal solution now brings cost-effective energy savings and smart building applications to any lighting environment."
Redwood's new product offering consists of two components, the Redwood Universal Gateway and the Redwood Sensor. The Redwood Universal Gateway turns fixtures on, off or dims them by sending a 0-10V output signal to dimmable ballasts or by controlling one or two external relays.
The Redwood Sensor collects data on light levels, occupancy and temperature, and is extensible with up to 14 different sensor types. Once installed, the Redwood Sensor connects with the Universal Gateway to send the data it collects back to the core of the Redwood platform, the Redwood Engine, for reporting and control.
"Whether our customers are moving to LEDs or using other lighting technologies, they clearly want one control system to manage all of their lights," said Dave Leonard, CEO, Redwood Systems. "Considering our record growth last quarter and even stronger start to 2012, demand for LEDs remains high and will continue to be our focus. However, our customers made it clear that they want to bring our advanced energy savings and building intelligence to their facilities that haven't yet moved fully to LEDs. By designing a product that delivers the same capabilities of our existing solution, we are ensuring that anyone can reap the benefits of the Redwood technology."
Redwood Systems' building-performance lighting solutions facilitate lower cost, higher-performing workplaces. Redwood has developed the world's only smart building platform that powers and controls lights and a high-density sensor grid providing both best-in-class energy savings and granular monitoring of space utilization, temperature and power consumption.
This award-winning approach uses patented networking technology and a low-voltage DC architecture for high reliability and scalability as well as low cost installation. With a growing roster of market-leading customers and partners, Redwood is building a reputation for customer success.
2012年2月5日 星期日
Company keeps spies out of your life
The firm conducts electronic sweeps of office buildings, conference rooms and private homes to root out listening devices, video cameras and the like.
Ordinary-looking electrical switch-plates can conceal video cameras. Listening devices called "drop-ins" can be tossed into potted plants. Even cameras behind a pin-prick sized hole in a ceiling tile can provide an opening for a tiny, prying lens.
What makes Kimmons Investigative Services special - beyond some of its well-known clients, including Donald Trump - is the makeup of its staff. Most are former police officers well-versed in undercover work and surveillance tactics.
"Sometimes the people who use us are being paranoid, but we do find a handful of devices every year," said Rob Kimmons, the company's president. "We can also tell when a device has been planted and then taken away by what's been left behind."
Contrary to old-time detective novels, with a lone private eye sitting in a dingy, smoke-filled office, the firm's headquarters has lots of glass, dark-wood furniture and natural light. Cases are handled by 11 employees and 20 contractors. Kimmons reported annual revenues of $1.6 million last year and projects to top $2 million in 2012.
After spending 11 years with the Houston Police Department, Kimmons was recruited in 1980 by longtime private investigator Robert Newman to join his firm as vice president. In 1982, the firm's name become Kimmons Investigative Services.
"Back then we were doing mostly high-end divorces," Kimmons said. "People like Donald Trump, who didn't like it when his wife Ivana hired a PI from out of Texas during their divorce. Trump hired us to basically keep the other guy honest."
Today "keeping the other guy honest" can mean anything from sweeping a local high-tech company's boardroom for listening devices before its directors meet to searching private homes and shared offices for covert cameras planted by spouses.
"We had one woman call us in because she was convinced her husband was tapping the telephone in a conference room they shared," Kimmons said. "Sure enough, we didn't find that, but we found a camera in the ceiling. Turns out she'd been the one to put it there, but she forgot."
The investigators find these devices using some $70,000 worth of high-tech equipment, Kimmons said.
The kingpin is something called OSCOR, which is a portable microprocessor that detects audio and video transmitters and runs about $31,000.
"Other people will say they're a private investigator and come in with a wooden box with some LED lights on top," Kimmons said.
"It's criminal, because they're trying to pass themselves off as people who can actually do a thorough sweep."
Ordinary-looking electrical switch-plates can conceal video cameras. Listening devices called "drop-ins" can be tossed into potted plants. Even cameras behind a pin-prick sized hole in a ceiling tile can provide an opening for a tiny, prying lens.
What makes Kimmons Investigative Services special - beyond some of its well-known clients, including Donald Trump - is the makeup of its staff. Most are former police officers well-versed in undercover work and surveillance tactics.
"Sometimes the people who use us are being paranoid, but we do find a handful of devices every year," said Rob Kimmons, the company's president. "We can also tell when a device has been planted and then taken away by what's been left behind."
Contrary to old-time detective novels, with a lone private eye sitting in a dingy, smoke-filled office, the firm's headquarters has lots of glass, dark-wood furniture and natural light. Cases are handled by 11 employees and 20 contractors. Kimmons reported annual revenues of $1.6 million last year and projects to top $2 million in 2012.
After spending 11 years with the Houston Police Department, Kimmons was recruited in 1980 by longtime private investigator Robert Newman to join his firm as vice president. In 1982, the firm's name become Kimmons Investigative Services.
"Back then we were doing mostly high-end divorces," Kimmons said. "People like Donald Trump, who didn't like it when his wife Ivana hired a PI from out of Texas during their divorce. Trump hired us to basically keep the other guy honest."
Today "keeping the other guy honest" can mean anything from sweeping a local high-tech company's boardroom for listening devices before its directors meet to searching private homes and shared offices for covert cameras planted by spouses.
"We had one woman call us in because she was convinced her husband was tapping the telephone in a conference room they shared," Kimmons said. "Sure enough, we didn't find that, but we found a camera in the ceiling. Turns out she'd been the one to put it there, but she forgot."
The investigators find these devices using some $70,000 worth of high-tech equipment, Kimmons said.
The kingpin is something called OSCOR, which is a portable microprocessor that detects audio and video transmitters and runs about $31,000.
"Other people will say they're a private investigator and come in with a wooden box with some LED lights on top," Kimmons said.
"It's criminal, because they're trying to pass themselves off as people who can actually do a thorough sweep."
2012年2月2日 星期四
Analysis based on LED maker's data
In order to avoid the cost and effort of evaluating the photobiological safety of finished products, pressure has in the past been brought to bear on LED manufacturers to provide photobiological safety information which may be transferred to the finished product. It is clear that an IEC62471 evaluation of a bare LED is not directly transferable to a finished product, which may include multiple emitters and beam-shaping optics, so another strategy should be employed.
The irradiance of the finished product cannot in any way be predicted. However, in the case of radiance-based hazards, a measurement of the true radiance, coupled with the law of conservation of radiance, may be used to determine the maximum possible radiance of any finished product using a given LED.
IEC TR 62471-2 introduces this principle for the evaluation of the blue-light hazard (the dominant concern for retinal injury) through a measurement of true radiance of the component LED at 200-mm distance and 1.7-mrad FOV. The resulting value is adopted as the blue-light radiance of the final product, to be compared with the exposure limit values of each risk group in turn. It is important to note that care should be taken to ensure that the data provided by the manufacturer provides a correct analysis for the operating conditions of the finished product.
This procedure leads in many cases to an over-estimation of the hazard, since account is not taken of physiological radiance. This is demonstrated in Table 2, where a comparison is made between an IEC62471 analysis and a worst-case analysis of a particular product. In the former case, each RG is considered in turn, with measurements being performed in the correct FOV and compared with the RG exposure limit. In the latter case the worst-case radiance is assumed and compared with the limits of each risk group in turn (resulting in an RG2 classification).
A similar result is obtained in many instances, especially when considering high-power LEDs used in SSL applications. According to IEC TR 62471-2, blue-light RG2 requires the use of a warning label. This means that the lighting industry has been faced with the decision of either determining how to implement the recommendation of labeling, or not accepting such worst-case analysis evaluation, which clearly has no bearing on the true hazard posed by the source in the intended application. This procedure has generally been discontinued while awaiting a more acceptable solution, as will be seen below.
Where no photobiological safety-evaluation information is available from an LED manufacturer, some have sought to make estimations based on data-sheet values, which typically report beam-emission angle and either total flux or intensity in photometric or radiometric quantities, depending on whether the LED emission wavelength is within or without the visible region.
Given the emission angle and the evaluation distance, the area illuminated by the LED may be determined and either total flux or intensity used to make an estimate of irradiance. To estimate physiological radiance, it is required to know both the intensity and the FOV area corresponding to the RG considered. Where intensity is not directly reported in the datasheet, it may be calculated from the total flux and beam-emission angle. In the case of white or colored LEDs, where photometric data is often provided, a conversion factor must be determined to convert to radiometric units.
The irradiance of the finished product cannot in any way be predicted. However, in the case of radiance-based hazards, a measurement of the true radiance, coupled with the law of conservation of radiance, may be used to determine the maximum possible radiance of any finished product using a given LED.
IEC TR 62471-2 introduces this principle for the evaluation of the blue-light hazard (the dominant concern for retinal injury) through a measurement of true radiance of the component LED at 200-mm distance and 1.7-mrad FOV. The resulting value is adopted as the blue-light radiance of the final product, to be compared with the exposure limit values of each risk group in turn. It is important to note that care should be taken to ensure that the data provided by the manufacturer provides a correct analysis for the operating conditions of the finished product.
This procedure leads in many cases to an over-estimation of the hazard, since account is not taken of physiological radiance. This is demonstrated in Table 2, where a comparison is made between an IEC62471 analysis and a worst-case analysis of a particular product. In the former case, each RG is considered in turn, with measurements being performed in the correct FOV and compared with the RG exposure limit. In the latter case the worst-case radiance is assumed and compared with the limits of each risk group in turn (resulting in an RG2 classification).
A similar result is obtained in many instances, especially when considering high-power LEDs used in SSL applications. According to IEC TR 62471-2, blue-light RG2 requires the use of a warning label. This means that the lighting industry has been faced with the decision of either determining how to implement the recommendation of labeling, or not accepting such worst-case analysis evaluation, which clearly has no bearing on the true hazard posed by the source in the intended application. This procedure has generally been discontinued while awaiting a more acceptable solution, as will be seen below.
Where no photobiological safety-evaluation information is available from an LED manufacturer, some have sought to make estimations based on data-sheet values, which typically report beam-emission angle and either total flux or intensity in photometric or radiometric quantities, depending on whether the LED emission wavelength is within or without the visible region.
Given the emission angle and the evaluation distance, the area illuminated by the LED may be determined and either total flux or intensity used to make an estimate of irradiance. To estimate physiological radiance, it is required to know both the intensity and the FOV area corresponding to the RG considered. Where intensity is not directly reported in the datasheet, it may be calculated from the total flux and beam-emission angle. In the case of white or colored LEDs, where photometric data is often provided, a conversion factor must be determined to convert to radiometric units.
2012年2月1日 星期三
Vail Valley Voices: DA candidate's take on pot
As a candidate for district attorney, I must have a position on the regulation or legalization of marijuana in order to respond to many voters' legitimate concerns over this issue.
A district attorney is responsible for the enforcement of all laws. However, there is wide latitude in how vigorously they are enforced, as well as wide perimeters for recommending appropriate sentences for people who stand convicted.
The current medical-marijuana system has flaws and benefits for patients experiencing real benefit to its use. The harder question is in prescribing a course, improving upon the current system of regulations —should we throw our hands in the air and surrender any form of marijuana regulation, should we return to a system where no marijuana possession is legal or should we adopt a compromise between these extremes?
I believe that unless legalization occurs, law enforcement and prosecutors should consider unlawful marijuana possession and regulated distribution a low priority, and persons breaking the laws should be subjected to a drug evaluation, paid for by the person who enters the criminal-justice system, to determine whether or not they are marijuana addicts.
Those identified as such should be monitored for usage and given an opportunity to be treated, rather than aggressively prosecuted and punished. Those who were evaluated not addicted or at risk would be required to pay the monetary cost associated with their criminal-justice contact and have their cases dismissed.
Marijuana users coming into the criminal-justice system for illegal possession, who are evaluated to be addicted and then fail to complete an appropriate rehabilitation regimen, would suffer convictions that, under current Colorado law, would remain on their records for at least 10 years.
Local police, courts and prosecutors continue to be challenged by marijuana's regulation and the possibility that marijuana use and distribution could become legal.
The state of Colorado in 2000, through a voter-approved initiative, began to license the use and sale of medical marijuana with a special class distinguished from otherwise illegal drug users to grow, sell, possess and get high on marijuana, still leaving people without a medical-marijuana card at risk of arrest and prosecution.
Muddying the legal waters, however, permitted users who light up are not exclusively protected by state statutes but must contend with the federal government's laws that classify marijuana use, possession and distribution as illegal.
As distinguished from Colorado law, federal regulations identify marijuana as a substance without any medicinal benefit, setting up a tug-o-war with a state's ability to permit a usage that the U.S. government criminalizes.
Though confusing, this dichotomy is consistent with the general rule that each governmental layer can regulate the same person's actions differently, reaching opposing conclusions upon what is legal. These inconsistencies are not confined to drug laws but appear elsewhere in our legal fabric.
A district attorney is responsible for the enforcement of all laws. However, there is wide latitude in how vigorously they are enforced, as well as wide perimeters for recommending appropriate sentences for people who stand convicted.
The current medical-marijuana system has flaws and benefits for patients experiencing real benefit to its use. The harder question is in prescribing a course, improving upon the current system of regulations —should we throw our hands in the air and surrender any form of marijuana regulation, should we return to a system where no marijuana possession is legal or should we adopt a compromise between these extremes?
I believe that unless legalization occurs, law enforcement and prosecutors should consider unlawful marijuana possession and regulated distribution a low priority, and persons breaking the laws should be subjected to a drug evaluation, paid for by the person who enters the criminal-justice system, to determine whether or not they are marijuana addicts.
Those identified as such should be monitored for usage and given an opportunity to be treated, rather than aggressively prosecuted and punished. Those who were evaluated not addicted or at risk would be required to pay the monetary cost associated with their criminal-justice contact and have their cases dismissed.
Marijuana users coming into the criminal-justice system for illegal possession, who are evaluated to be addicted and then fail to complete an appropriate rehabilitation regimen, would suffer convictions that, under current Colorado law, would remain on their records for at least 10 years.
Local police, courts and prosecutors continue to be challenged by marijuana's regulation and the possibility that marijuana use and distribution could become legal.
The state of Colorado in 2000, through a voter-approved initiative, began to license the use and sale of medical marijuana with a special class distinguished from otherwise illegal drug users to grow, sell, possess and get high on marijuana, still leaving people without a medical-marijuana card at risk of arrest and prosecution.
Muddying the legal waters, however, permitted users who light up are not exclusively protected by state statutes but must contend with the federal government's laws that classify marijuana use, possession and distribution as illegal.
As distinguished from Colorado law, federal regulations identify marijuana as a substance without any medicinal benefit, setting up a tug-o-war with a state's ability to permit a usage that the U.S. government criminalizes.
Though confusing, this dichotomy is consistent with the general rule that each governmental layer can regulate the same person's actions differently, reaching opposing conclusions upon what is legal. These inconsistencies are not confined to drug laws but appear elsewhere in our legal fabric.
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