Richard A. Harris is President of The Harris Law Firm one of Colorado’s largest divorce and family law firms. A passionate advocate who prioritizes personal attention, Mr. Harris has been named among The Best Lawyers in America®, Colorado Super Lawyers®, and a Top Lawyer of Colorado by The Denver Post. Outside of the courtroom, Mr. Harris has published articles across a range of family law topics. He is a co-author of the Colorado Family Law Deskbook. Mr. Harris is actively involved in many international and domestic humanitarian organizations, including The Road to Hope, a non-profit dedicated to promoting development in Haiti.
of the Colorado Bar Association, and is active in Rotary International and The Denver Bar Association. In 2009 Rich was appointed as Chair of the Board of Metro Volunteer Lawyers, an organization that coordinates pro bono service to indigent people throughout the Denver metropolitan area. Rich currently serves on the Board of Directors for Denver Rotary. He also founded and currently serves as the President of ""The Road to Hope"", a Colorado-based non-profit organization dedicated to helping to promote development in Haiti, with a particular emphasis on children. Recent Press Releases about Rich Harris:Parenting Time, Marijuana, and Amendment 64 ""With the recent passage of Amendment 64 in Colorado, marijuana use is sure to become more of a factor in future Colorado family law cases. "" - Rich Harris, President and Managing Partner of The Harris Law Firm. Colorado Amendment 64: In 2012, Colorado voters amended the state constitution by passing Amendment 64 and making the limited possession and private recreational use of marijuana legal under Colorado law, Colorado became one of the first states to face many of the issues regarding marijuana regulation and enforcement at the state and local level, One of the major areas of concern is how the legal recreational use of marijuana will affect Colorado Family Law. Colorado Family Law: Parental drug use is a common issue in cases involving parenting time disputes, In some cases, the Courts will order parenting time restrictions when there is persuasive evidence that drug abuse endangers the minor children involved. The questions that Colorado family law attorneys are now asking are: 1. How will the legalization of marijuana affect parenting time? 2. Will the Courts now view a parent who occasionally uses marijuana in the same way they would a parent who has a glass of wine with dinner? 3. Will the Courts treat a parent who grows marijuana the same as it treats a parent who brews his or her own beer?; Colorado Case Law: In a Colorado divorce case in 2010, the Court ordered a parenting plan limiting the father's parenting time to supervised visits because the parent had a history of smoking marijuana, In addition, the Court ordered that he submit to a series of regular urinary analyses to prove that he no longer used marijuana, Shortly thereafter, the father obtained a medical marijuana license, and filed a motion to dismiss the supervision provision in the parenting plan, The Colorado Court of Appeals ruled that it could not require supervised parenting time absent specific findings of child endangerment. Evidence of Endangerment: If a parent wants the Court to restrict the other parent's parenting time because of marijuana use then they prove that endangerment issues apply, The legal use of marijuana alone will probably not be sufficient because the parent must prove that the marijuana use endangers the child's physical health or significantly impairs the child's emotional development. Conclusion: The legalization of marijuana in the State of Colorado presents a number of issues that may affect parenting time in this state. Family law attorneys are aware of the potential complexities that may arise when a parent uses a formerly illegal substance during his or her parenting time. The appointment of a substance abuse expert may have to be employed in order to determine whether a parent's use of marijuana impairs his or her ability to behave in a responsible manner when the children are in their care. Colorado family law attorneys are anticipating that the passage of Amendment 64 will create many questions when the court is considering if a pot smoking parent is interacting with their children in a dependable, consistent, and reliable way, and whether or not the best interests of the children are being served. More Infomation: As we obtain more clarity on this issue, the lawyers at The Harris Law Firm will continue to comment on Amendment 64 and its effect on parenting issues in The State of Colorado. Information will be posted online at www. harrisfamlilylaw. com regarding how the Courts are dealing with the complexities associated with this new legislation, and how this amendment is affecting family law cases in the State of Colorado. Fellow: of the Colorado Bar Association, and is active in Rotary International and The Denver Bar Association. In 2009 Rich was appointed as Chair of the Board of Metro Volunteer Lawyers, an organization that coordinates pro bono service to indigent people throughout the Denver metropolitan area. Rich currently serves on the Board of Directors for Denver Rotary. He also founded and currently serves as the President of ""The Road to Hope"", a Colorado-based non-profit organization dedicated to helping to promote development in Haiti, with a particular emphasis on children. Recent Press Releases about Rich Harris:; Parenting Time, Marijuana, and Amendment 64; ""With the recent passage of Amendment 64 in Colorado, marijuana use is sure to become more of a factor in future Colorado family law cases.' - Rich Harris, President and Managing Partner of The Harris Law Firm. Colorado Amendment 64:; In 2012, Colorado voters amended the state constitution by passing Amendment 64 and making the limited possession and private recreational use of marijuana legal under Colorado law. Colorado became one of the first states to face many of the issues regarding marijuana regulation and enforcement at the state and local level. One of the major areas of concern is how the legal recreational use of marijuana will affect Colorado Family Law. Colorado Family Law:; Parental drug use is a common issue in cases involving parenting time disputes. In some cases, the Courts will order parenting time restrictions when there is persuasive evidence that drug abuse endangers the minor children involved. The questions that Colorado family law attorneys are now asking are:; 1. How will the legalization of marijuana affect parenting time?; 2. Will the Courts now view a parent who occasionally uses marijuana in the same way they would a parent who has a glass of wine with dinner?; 3. Will the Courts treat a parent who grows marijuana the same as it treats a parent who brews his or her own beer?; Colorado Case Law:; In a Colorado divorce case in 2010, the Court ordered a parenting plan limiting the father's parenting time to supervised visits because the parent had a history of smoking marijuana. In addition, the Court ordered that he submit to a series of regular urinary analyses to prove that he no longer used marijuana. Shortly thereafter, the father obtained a medical marijuana license, and filed a motion to dismiss the supervision provision in the parenting plan. The Colorado Court of Appeals ruled that it could not require supervised parenting time absent specific findings of child endangerment. Evidence of Endangerment:; If a parent wants the Court to restrict the other parent's parenting time because of marijuana use then they prove that endangerment issues apply. The legal use of marijuana alone will probably not be sufficient because the parent must prove that the marijuana use endangers the child's physical health or significantly impairs the child's emotional development. Conclusion:; The legalization of marijuana in the State of Colorado presents a number of issues that may affect parenting time in this state. Family law attorneys are aware of the potential complexities that may arise when a parent uses a formerly illegal substance during his or her parenting time. The appointment of a substance abuse expert may have to be employed in order to determine whether a parent's use of marijuana impairs his or her ability to behave in a responsible manner when the children are in their care. Colorado family law attorneys are anticipating that the passage of Amendment 64 will create many questions when the court is considering if a pot smoking parent is interacting with their children in a dependable, consistent, and reliable way, and whether or not the best interests of the children are being served. More Infomation:; As we obtain more clarity on this issue, the lawyers at The Harris Law Firm will continue to comment on Amendment 64 and its effect on parenting issues in The State of Colorado. Information will be posted online at www.harrisfamlilylaw.com regarding how the Courts are dealing with the complexities associated with this new legislation, and how this amendment is affecting family law cases in the State of Colorado. Recent Articles featuring Rich Harris:; ## Filing for Divorce and Obtaining the Best Possible Outcome - Read Article; ## Rich Harris Featured in KMGH Denver 7News Story About Parenting & Marijuana - Watch Video; ## Rich Harris Discusses Updates to Antiquated Colorado Adultery Law on KDVR Fox31 - Watch Video; ## Should Family Lawyers Take A Hippocratic Oath?, Law Week Colorado - Read Article; ## Rich Harris: Family Lawyer, Business Leader, and Humanitarian, Memphisdivorce.com - Read Article; ## Preserving Children's Rights, Law Week Colorado - Read Article; ## Non-Nuclear Families Change Courts, Law Week Colorado - Read Article; ## Dividing Debt a Contentious Issue in Divorce Cases, Denver Business Journal - Read Article; ## Top Five Questions to Ask a Divorce Attorney - Read Article; ## List to Rich's Testimonial for Colorado Public Radio - Listen Now; ## http://www.harrisfamilylaw.com/parenting-time-marijuana-and-amendment-64 Fellow: of the Colorado Bar Association, and is active in Rotary International and The Denver Bar Association. In 2009 Rich was appointed as Chair of the Board of Metro Volunteer Lawyers, an organization that coordinates pro bono service to indigent people throughout the Denver metropolitan area. Rich currently serves on the Board of Directors for Denver Rotary. He also founded and currently serves as the President of ""The Road to Hope"", a Colorado-based non-profit organization dedicated to helping to promote development in Haiti, with a particular emphasis on children; Recent Press Releases about Rich Harris:; Parenting Time, Marijuana, and Amendment 64 ""With the recent passage of Amendment 64 in Colorado, marijuana use is sure to become more of a factor in future Colorado family law cases."" - Rich Harris, President and Managing Partner of The Harris Law Firm; Colorado Amendment 64: In 2012, Colorado voters amended the state constitution by passing Amendment 64 and making the limited possession and private recreational use of marijuana legal under Colorado law. Colorado became one of the first states to face many of the issues regarding marijuana regulation and enforcement at the state and local level. One of the major areas of concern is how the legal recreational use of marijuana will affect Colorado Family Law; Colorado Family Law: Parental drug use is a common issue in cases involving parenting time disputes. In some cases, the Courts will order parenting time restrictions when there is persuasive evidence that drug abuse endangers the minor children involved. The questions that Colorado family law attorneys are now asking are: 1. How will the legalization of marijuana affect parenting time? 2. Will the Courts now view a parent who occasionally uses marijuana in the same way they would a parent who has a glass of wine with dinner? 3. Will the Courts treat a parent who grows marijuana the same as it treats a parent who brews his or her own beer?; Colorado Case Law: In a Colorado divorce case in 2010, the Court ordered a parenting plan limiting the father's parenting time to supervised visits because the parent had a history of smoking marijuana. In addition, the Court ordered that he submit to a series of regular urinary analyses to prove that he no longer used marijuana. Shortly thereafter, the father obtained a medical marijuana license, and filed a motion to dismiss the supervision provision in the parenting plan. The Colorado Court of Appeals ruled that it could not require supervised parenting time absent specific findings of child endangerment. Evidence of Endangerment: If a parent wants the Court to restrict the other parent's parenting time because of marijuana use then they prove that endangerment issues apply. The legal use of marijuana alone will probably not be sufficient because the parent must prove that the marijuana use endangers the child's physical health or significantly impairs the child's emotional development; Conclusion: The legalization of marijuana in the State of Colorado presents a number of issues that may affect parenting time in this state. Family law attorneys are aware of the potential complexities that may arise when a parent uses a formerly illegal substance during his or her parenting time. The appointment of a substance abuse expert may have to be employed in order to determine whether a parent's use of marijuana impairs his or her ability to behave in a responsible manner when the children are in their care. Colorado family law attorneys are anticipating that the passage of Amendment 64 will create many questions when the court is considering if a pot smoking parent is interacting with their children in a dependable, consistent, and reliable way, and whether or not the best interests of the children are being served. Member: Denver Bar Association
