Gard Law Firm, LLC

03/18/2026

CGH knows how to treat referring law firms. Thanks! Go Nuggets!

10/19/2022

02/15/2022

A little fun tomorrow. Oral argument in support of one of my appeals in front of the Colorado Court of Appeals.

12/23/2021

A few months ago we learned that some major cannabis players were trying to game the system for a lottery for licensing in Broomfield, Colorado. The rule was one application per group/person. But, these folks were using multiple companies and other inside people to stack the deck for the lottery. We brought this to the attention of the licensing folks, but got nowhere. However, the press picked it up and another applicant filed suit. Today we learned that the City Council is passing an ordinance setting things right. The ordinance is attached here.
https://drive.google.com/.../1O2tMtQ1EjiivxepR.../view

08/13/2021

On Wednesday July 14, 2021, Chuck Schumer and other Senate Democrats unveiled a bill that proposes sweeping reforms to the Federal regulation of cannabis. The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act seeks to correct the injustices perpetrated during the prolonged war on drugs, provide opportunities for those most affected by these injustices, and impose federal regulations to facilitate and ensure a healthy national cannabis market within the United States.
First, this Act would finally end the federal prohibition on cannabis by removing ma*****na from the Controlled Substances Act, formally recognizing the validity of individual state’s laws regarding cannabis use and possession, and establishing 21 as the federal minimum age for retail ma*****na purchasing. Additionally, jurisdiction for the enforcement of cannabis regulations and laws would be removed from the DEA and transferred to the FDA and Treasury Department. The new treatment of cannabis will also allow for greater federal research into the benefits of legalization in states where possession and use have ben legalized, as well as the long-term medical impact and benefits of ma*****na use.
Aside from preventing further harm by ending the federal prohibition on cannabis possession and use, the Act contain several provision that seek to correct and remedy the wrongs perpetrated during the war on drugs. For instance, the Act would establish a federal grant program for those harmed by the war on drugs to obtain funding for things such as job training or legal assistance, as well as require federal jurisdictions to expunge all convictions and arrests for non-violent cannabis offenses. Other provisions would make assistance programs under the Small Business Act available to ma*****na businesses across the nation.
Similarly, one of the most harmful affects felt by those convicted or charged with cannabis violations, the loss of federal benefits, will be eliminated. Under this Act, an individual could not be denied any federal benefit, immigration benefit, or security clearance, on the basis on ma*****na possession or use. This critical inclusion will help to ensure that innocent people are not being denied access to crucial programs such as federal housing simply for ma*****na use or possession.
If this Act was passed, ma*****na businesses would need to register with the Treasury Department, comply with any additional federal operational requirements that the legislature decides to impose, and pay a federal excise tax similar to that on alcohol and to***co products, but no longer be at risk of federal sanctions or penalties.
This Act would be massively beneficial to cannabis businesses and individuals alike, and as such, we at Gard Law Firm will be following its progress closely. We will continue to provide updates as this bill advances, and hopefully is passed soon.

08/05/2021

For the past six months in Denver, mental health professionals, not police officers, have been responding to certain nonviolent 911 calls. A new program in Denver, known as the Support Team Assisted Response Program, or STAR, directs a two-person team consisting of a paramedic and a mental health clinician in a van to respond to nonviolent 911 calls instead of traditional uniformed police officers. STAR currently operates from 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. on weekdays, and in just that limited operating window, STAR has been able to respond to 748 calls. In the nearly 750 calls that STAR responded to, not a single person was arrested, and police assistance was not needed a single time.

Even on the currently limited hours that STAR is operating on, it is projected that STAR could successfully divert 3% of 911 calls away from the police, a result that has both criminal justice reform advocates and law enforcement officers excited. Chief Paul Pazen of the Denver Police Department has voiced his support for expanding the STAR program to be available at all hours and suggested an additional 3 million in funding be provided for the expansion of STAR. In 2021, STAR’s budget will total 1.4 million dollars which will be used to acquire four new vans and six new two-person teams to add to STAR’s response services.

STAR has been incredibly effective, particularly in addressing homelessness and mental health needs previously only dealt with through the criminal justice system. Of the people STAR has interacted with, 68% have been homeless, and 61% struggle with some sort of mental health condition, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression. These early results are promising, as one of the major critiques of the current American justice system by both police and reform advocates is that the police have been used as a catch all to deal not just with crime, but with America’s homelessness and mental health issues as well, which in the past has resulted in tragic and at times fatal results. Expanding STAR will help to ease the pressure on the police department and reduce the number of potentially highly confrontational interactions between someone experiencing a mental health episode and a police officer who has not been properly trained to respond to such a crisis.

06/09/2021

Back trial again today. Thank you Covid!!!!

05/26/2021

Well, I am back in trial mode again. We were listed as the 5th case in priority to be tried, but my fellow defense attorneys disappeared and we moved into #1. Yesterday, I tried the case and the jury came back with "not guilty" on the 4 counts (assault, harassment, resisting arrest and obstructing a police officer). I have three more trials in June and two in July. Should be a fun summer.

02/14/2021

Again, I am having to take a stand about court closure due to COVID. Beginning in August, I was able to convince the courts to hold jury trials and tried 3 of the first 4 cases after the courts reconvened. We worked together to create a safe(r) environment to conduct jury trials and juries were both willing and able to come to court and decide cases. There were no issues and no one was diagnosed with COVID following those trials. Meanwhile, many people languish in jail awaiting trial where COVID is a serious problem. On January 19, the courts closed again. This made no sense because the state already moved from "red" to "orange" and COVID numbers were dropping. The judicial departments are considered "1b" and able to get vaccines now. I have objected to continuing two of my cases and these cases will join the case I already have on appeal for violation of my client's right to a speedy trial. Mitchell Byars and the Daily Camera was kind enough to reach out and report on this matter.

As Colorado jury trials continue to be delayed amid health concerns, attorneys are worried that a flood of appeals by defendants who felt they were not given timely trials could be coming in from a…

02/10/2021

No fluff! A classic review.