Shawn Eric Gillum on Blogger: A Primer on Colorado's Marijuana Laws

Sunday, March 29, 2020

A Primer on Colorado's Marijuana Laws

Shawn Gillum has worked in law for more than a decade. During this time, he has worked on a number of cases involving marijuana. Before marijuana laws were relaxed, Shawn Gillum helped dismiss all charges against his client that was at the time the biggest marijuana farming case in Colorado.

After Amendment 64 was passed on the 2012 November ballot, Colorado became one of the states with the most progressive marijuana laws. Amendment 64 provides that all adults aged 21 or over can posses one ounce of marijuana. It also made recreational use of marijuana legal in the state of Colorado. On the other hand, users of medical marijuana still must register to obtain the medications they need.

Stores selling marijuana and other cannabis products can stay open until midnight, though cities can have custom rules. Smoking marijuana in public is still not allowed, only in private venues. Driving under the influence of THC is still illegal, with the maximum allowed concentration being five nanograms per ml of blood. Having marijuana in an open container inside a car’s passenger section is also illegal. Finally, it is illegal to carry marijuana when leaving Colorado, as is sending it via mail.

About Shawn Eric Gillum

The recipient of a bachelor's degree in journalism from Colorado State University, Shawn Eric Gillum graduated cum laude from the school in 1998 and soon after earned a juris doctor from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, where he was a Most Outstanding Graduate finalist and technical editor of the Transportation Law Journal. Upon graduating, Shawn Eric Gillum began working as deputy district attorney at the Office of the District Attorney for the First Judicial District in Golden, Colorado. Through one year in this role, he prosecuted several jury trials and legal motion hearings.

From 2005 to 2008, Shawn Gillum worked at Isaacson Rosenbaum, PC, where he defended criminal cases involving first-degree murder, securities fraud, and possession and distribution of controlled substances. He was responsible for negotiating a dismissal of all charges stemming from the largest marijuana farming case in Colorado at the time. He later worked as general counsel at the Hope Online Learning Academy and oversaw legal research at The Orr Law Firm, LLC.

In recent years, Mr. Gillum has leveraged his journalism education to work as a news anchor and reporter. He worked in the former role with KCWY News 13 in Casper, Wyoming, and served in a writing and reporting capacity with WOOD TV8 in Grand Rapids, Michigan from 2017 to 2019.