Pubdate: Thu, 17 Dec 2009
Source: Summit Daily News (CO)
Copyright: 2009 Summit Daily News
Contact: http://apps.summitdaily.com/forms/letter/index.php
Website: http://www.summitdaily.com/home.php
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/587
Author: Caitlin Row

DILLON FLIPS ON POT SHOP REGS

Town Council Votes Down Ordinance To Ban Businesses That Violate Federal Law

DILLON -- After a suprise vote Tuesday, Dillon  officials are 
rethinking their stance on allowing  medical marijuana dispensaries 
in town. The town  council voted down an ordinance that prohibited 
awarding licenses to businesses considered a public  nuisance, or 
that violated state and/or federal law.  Earlier this year, council 
also voted down regulations  allowing dispensaries in Dillon.

The code change that essentially would have banned  dispensaries from 
Dillon was already approved at first  reading, but it wasn't passed 
Tuesday in a 4-3 vote.  Council members Don Parsons, Mary Forsythe 
and Doug  Roessel wanted to pass it, and council members 
Lucinda  Burns, Johnny Younger, Ron Holland and Mayor Barbara  Davis 
voted it down.

According to Davis, she doesn't advocate using  marijuana, and she 
acknowledged medical marijuana  abuse, but she also said that wasn't 
the issue for  Tuesday's meeting.

"Voters of this state voted for medical marijuana," she  said. "The 
federal government left it up to the states.  I don't think it's up 
to us to decide how many of these  should be allowed in the state and 
the county. ...  Towns don't set limits on T-shirt shops, ski shops 
and liquor stores. Why should this be any different?"

Town manager Devin Granbery said officials must  schedule a time to 
discuss the town's new direction in  the near future. Dillon 
currently has a moratorium on  medical marijuana dispensaries in 
place, which will  expire Feb. 13. Any action taken to officially bar 
dispensaries, or to come up with a new set of  regulations, must take 
place before that date. It's  also possible to extend the moratorium again.

Three residents attending the public hearing supported  the town in 
passing the ordinance for health and  welfare issues, and one citizen 
urged the town to deny  the ordinance. He asked council what the 
costs were  going to be if it had to uphold its ordinance under  litigation.

Council members previously cited concerns about abuse,  need and lack 
of state regulations as reasons for not  moving forward on approving 
medical marijuana  regulations for the town this past fall.

Regulations for dispensaries have already been approved  in 
Silverthorne, Frisco and Breckenridge -- two have  opened in Frisco, 
one in Silverthorne, and two are open  in Breckenridge -- at this 
point -- with an additional  permit approved for a third that hasn't opened yet.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart