Story Archive

Nose See Um

“What are you doing?” the pot dealer asked the government investigator. Jimmy Smith owns Higher Expectations, a marijuana dispensary in Denver, Colo. Ben Siller, an investigator with the Denver Department of Environmental Health, was standing on a street corner with a large conical device attached to his nose. Siller investigates odor complaints, but an odor is only illegal in Denver if five residents complain, or if it can still be detected even when the smelly air is mixed with seven times as much nonodorous air. That ratio hasn’t been hit since 1994, but Siller still goes out and clamps the Nasal Ranger on his face to investigate complaints. The Mile-High City is considering changing its smell laws now that recreational pot is legal for most residents. (AC/Denver Post) ...When you end the war on pot, the Nasal Ranger is what you replace it with.