{"id":2454811,"date":"2020-02-20T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-20T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=321238"},"modified":"2020-02-20T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-02-20T20:00:00","slug":"high-country-roadside-cdot-censorship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/high-country-roadside-cdot-censorship\/","title":{"rendered":"High Country: Roadside CDOT Censorship"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.5787037037037\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-321238-824\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/highcountry-atw-022020-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/highcountry-atw-022020-2-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | The Dalwhinnie Group\u2019s sponsorship of Highway 82 includes 11 total segments with a branded sign for each. \" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>The Dalwhinnie Group\u2019s sponsorship of Highway 82 includes 11 total segments with a branded sign for each. <\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/highcountry-atw-022020-2-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"The Dalwhinnie Group\u2019s sponsorship of Highway 82 includes 11 total segments with a branded sign for each. \"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/highcountry-atw-022020-2-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/highcountry-atw-022020-2-1-1024x576.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy Dalwhinnie Group | Dalwhinnie Farms is located three hours from Aspen in Ridgway, where their cannabis is cultivated. \" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Dalwhinnie Farms is located three hours from Aspen in Ridgway, where their cannabis is cultivated. <\/strong><br \/>Courtesy Dalwhinnie Group<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/highcountry-atw-022020-2-1-1024x576.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Dalwhinnie Farms is located three hours from Aspen in Ridgway, where their cannabis is cultivated. \"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/highcountry-atw-022020-2-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/highcountry-atw-022020-2-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy CDOT | CDOT\u2019s \u201cNip It In The Bud\u201d campaign distributed Valentine\u2019s Day bouquets at Lightshade dispensaries across metro Denver.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>CDOT\u2019s \u201cNip It In The Bud\u201d campaign distributed Valentine\u2019s Day bouquets at Lightshade dispensaries across metro Denver.<\/strong><br \/>Courtesy CDOT<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/highcountry-atw-022020-2-2.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"CDOT\u2019s \u201cNip It In The Bud\u201d campaign distributed Valentine\u2019s Day bouquets at Lightshade dispensaries across metro Denver.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/marijuana\/high-country-roadside-cdot-censorship\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/marijuana\/high-country-roadside-cdot-censorship\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Earlier this month, The Aspen Times\u2019 Jason Auslander <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/cannabis-companys-signs-dotting-highway-82-near-aspen-are-legal-through-cdot-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"reported on Pitkin County officials\u2019 concern (opens in a new tab)\">reported on Pitkin County officials\u2019 concern<\/a> about the 10-plus Dalwhinnie Colorado Cannabis signs dotting Highway 82. County Manager Jon Peacock formalized the government\u2019s worries in a letter to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) on Dec. 18. In it, he wrote that the county is \u201ctrying to discourage use of marijuana, tobacco, alcohol and other drugs among our youth and youth who are visiting\u201d and argued \u201cthis appears to be a partnership that was rolled out hastily and as a result will vex local communities (I\u2019m sure we\u2019re not the only one complaining).\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">As it turns out, Pitkin County is the only one in the state complaining, according to CDOT Northwest region communications manager Elise Thatcher.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cThis is the first time a county has complained about the program,\u201d Thatcher shared with me,<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">And for what it\u2019s worth, I doubt many backseat passengers who fall into the \u201cyouth\u201d category are paying more attention to the \u201cColorado Cannabis\u201d fine print on the signage than what\u2019s streaming on the screens of their handheld devices. I personally noticed the signs in September and promptly sent an email to Dalwhinnie, excited to learn about a new, presumably local cannabis company in our city, which to my longtime local knowledge, was the first to take up real estate along Aspen\u2019s only state thoroughfare (a fact also confirmed by Thatcher).<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Curious about what specific complaints county officials have received pertaining to the signs, I inquired with Peacock, to which he replied, \u201cMany of the complaints have been informal and directly to board (of county commissioners) members, so we do not have an exact count. However, this has been an issue board members have been hearing about for several months, and complaints continue to roll in.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">For Pitkin County Commissioner Patti Clapper, the subject matter is less of an issue than the size and frequency of the actual signage and the fact that Dalwhinnie hasn\u2019t personally cleaned up its section of Highway 82 since the campaign began.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cThe signs do not appear to be in compliance with CDOT\u2019s rules and regulations for signage along state highways,\u201d Clapper told me during a phone interview. \u201cWe never saw anybody out there putting up these new signs, they just suddenly appeared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Clapper added: \u201cWe only received a few (complaints) and it was a while ago \u2026 not significant numbers. The main thing is that when you drive the highway you can\u2019t help but notice (the signs). They are just too big and in your face. The board is concerned as a whole as to if they are legal and are they (Dalwhinnie) going to clean up the highway?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Thatcher confirmed the signs do follow program requirements. And it\u2019s not Dalwhinnie\u2019s responsibility to clean the road as a sign sponsor, which were bought under the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.codot.gov\/programs\/adopt-a-highway\/sponsor-a-highway.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Clean Colorado (opens in a new tab)\">Clean Colorado<\/a> program \u2014 not the better-known <a href=\"https:\/\/codot.gov\/programs\/adopt-a-highway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Adopt a Highway. (opens in a new tab)\">Adopt a Highway.<\/a> As such, when businesses enlist in the Clean Colorado sponsorship program, they pay a fee to cover the cost of a cleanup crew for their designated stretch of highway. It\u2019s an increasingly popular marketing workaround for the cannabis industry, which faces a multitude of restrictions when it comes to advertising on TV, radio, billboards and social media.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Peacock says Pitkin County is still awaiting a formal response from CDOT as to how the program is being implemented and overseen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cWe have seen no evidence of cleanups. We want to know how many times sections of Highway 82 with these signs have actually been cleaned by the company receiving (Dalwhinnie\u2019s) advertising revenues,\u201d Peacock added. \u201cIt appears there was more responsiveness to The Aspen Times than the county. The board has requested that we pursue further scrutiny of the program.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Commissioner Clapper agreed: \u201cThe responses that Jason reported in the newspaper are of concern to us as far as public safety. We are not letting it go at this point until we have answers to our questions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2020\/02\/14\/cannabis-clean-colorado-highway-sponsorship\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Feb. 14 news story in the Denver Post (opens in a new tab)\">Feb. 14 news story in the Denver Post<\/a>, \u201cCannabis companies are the leading sponsors of Colorado highways, accounting for cleanup on two-thirds of the roads maintained by Clean Colorado \u2014 a program the industry has leveraged as a loophole in the state\u2019s strict limits on marijuana advertising.\u201d Currently, 50 cannabis-related businesses (including dispensaries, cultivators, manufacturers and edible producers) sponsor highway miles throughout the state, accounting for 48% (versus the 66% reported in The Denver Post, clarified by Thatcher) of all sponsored roadways part of the Clean Colorado program.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">In addition to cultivating the cannabis industry\u2019s support for its Clean Colorado initiative, CDOT is also dedicated to impaired driving awareness. The state agency, which manages more than 23,000 lane miles of highway and 3,429 bridges in Colorado, recently wrapped a Valentine\u2019s Day \u201cNip It In The Bud\u201d promotion in partnership with Lightshade dispensaries across metro Denver to give customers cannabis-themed bouquets adorned with safety messages and cards with reminders of driving laws.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">The holiday effort is part of CDOT\u2019s ongoing \u201cCannabis Conversation\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.codot.gov\/safety\/alcohol-and-impaired-driving\/druggeddriving\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"campaign (opens in a new tab)\">campaign<\/a>, a two-year initiative that researched cannabis driving behaviors and perspectives from more than 18,000 Coloradans. CDOT results found that dispensaries and budtenders are among the most trusted messengers when it comes to information about cannabis safety, laws and regulations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Dalwhinnie embarked on the Clean Colorado campaign as a prelude to the grand opening of its flagship location, which will be downtown Aspen\u2019s ninth cannabis dispensary when it opens this spring (the final step is getting approval from the Historic Preservation Commission for its nearly-finished home on the corner of Mill and Main Street).<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">With its cultivation operation more than three hours away in Ridgway, Dalwhinnie thought a Clean Colorado campaign was the best possible way to participate without having any staff yet on the ground in Aspen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cBecause cannabis is so regulated, I think we\u2019re just getting extra scrutiny on top of it,\u201d said Dalwhinnie Group chief strategy and brand officer Jenny Diggles, who recently relocated from Portland, Oregon, to Aspen proper full time. \u201cIt\u2019s a shame to get caught in the crosshairs of this confusion between CDOT and the city, but here we are. We really were trying to do something good and support the community before we could even open officially. We were very thoughtful about where we wanted to place our brand and look at Aspen as our home. We want the community to see us as a company that cares about their community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Don\u2019t worry, Dalwhinnie, there are a lot of locals that appreciate your support of keeping Highway 82 clean are ready to welcome your store with open arms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Shirttail\"><em>Katie Shapiro can be reached at <a href=\"mailto:katie@katieshapiromedia.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"katie@katieshapiromedia.com (opens in a new tab)\">katie@katieshapiromedia.com<\/a> and followed on Twitter <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bykatieshapiro\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">@bykatieshapiro<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/marijuana\/high-country-roadside-cdot-censorship\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Dalwhinnie Group\u2019s sponsorship of Highway 82 includes 11 total segments with a branded sign for each. Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times Dalwhinnie Farms is located three hours from Aspen in Ridgway, where their cannabis is cultivated. Courtesy Dalwhinnie Group CDOT\u2019s \u201cNip It In The Bud\u201d campaign distributed Valentine\u2019s Day bouquets at Lightshade dispensaries across metro [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2454811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 14:29:02","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2454811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2454811"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2454811\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2454811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2454811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2454811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}