A parent's use of medical marijuana does not necessarily constitute child endangerment, the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled yesterday. The determination of whether medical marijuana use presents a threat to a child's safety should be made on a case-by-case basis, the court held.
Under the Patient Self-Determination Act of 1990, every adult in the United States has the legal right to consent to or refuse medical treatment. All medical facilities receiving Medicare or Medicaid benefits must tell their patients about this law. The legal forms used for stating these terms are called "advance medical directives.
The government says about 45 million Americans are not buckling up in their cars. The Transportation Department released its estimate of seat belt use on Monday as it kicked off the annual "Click It or Ticket" campaign. The department says about 84 percent of motorists wear seat belts, an all-time high.
A toddler who fell from a third-story window in Northglenn is home again after a brief hospital stay. The accident happened in the early evening last Monday. The eighteen-month-old pushed through a window screen and fell to rocks below. Doctors believe a bush may have helped break her fall.
She was taken by helicopter to Children's Hospital in Aurora. Her injuries were originally described as "traumatic" but ended up being bumps and bruises.
Independence Institute President Jon Caldara has filed a federal complaint challenging Colorado's new rules for gathering petition signatures for ballot initiatives. Almost exactly one year ago, Gov. Bill Ritter signed a major bill aimed at reforming Colorado's initiative petition process, one week after a Republican secretary of state candidate made criticism of the bill a centerpiece of one of his first e-mails to supporters. The law clamps down on signature-gathering firms by prohibiting them from paying petition circulators by the signature and imposing a number of requirements designed to prevent fraud. When passed, the bill had bi-partisan support.
Administrators of the state community college system decided Monday to repeal the policy banning concealed weapons from campuses in response to an April 15 court ruling against a similar ban on University of Colorado campuses. Colorado State University decided on May 5 to also rescind its proposed ban on concealed weapons.
Citing a Colorado Court of Appeals ruling that struck down a similar ban at the University of Colorado, the CSU governors voted unanimously Wednesday to pull back their own rule. The CSU board directed campus presidents to work with legal counsel to revise and implement "appropriate weapons control policies that are compliant with state law." Gun-rights advocates, spurred by the Colorado State University Board of Governors' order rescinding a system-wide ban on concealed weapons, pledged Wednesday to challenge any future attempts to restrict students' rights to carry firearms on other campuses.
Colorado watchdog group Colorado Ethics Watch today filed a campaign finance complaint against Clear the Bench Colorado, a committee dedicated to the ouster of four state Supreme Court justices in the retention election this fall. The complaint filed with the Colorado Secretary of State's office alleges Clear the Bench violated state campaign finance law by registering as an issue committee rather than a political committee.
May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. Throughout May, the National Safety Council will encourage motorists to share the road with motorcyclists and be extra alert when they are nearby.
