Pubdate: Fri, 30 Oct 2009
Source: Grand Junction Free Press (CO)
Copyright: 2009 Grand Junction Free Press
Contact:  http://www.gjfreepress.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4327

PROPOSED MARIJUANA MORATORIUM MAKES SENSE

The business of selling medical marijuana in Grand  Junction has gone
from a snail's pace to warp speed in  the past few months.

The city legislative committee decided this week to  recommend a
moratorium on new medical marijuana  dispensaries. The City Council is
expected to review a  proposal on a possible moratorium in November.

Addressing this issue now is a wise move on the part of  the
legislative committee. While the dispensaries are  legal, contribute
to the sales tax base, and provide a  service to patients who have
state-issued medical  marijuana cards, the number of new pot stores
popping  up in town has caught the attention of not only Grand 
Junction but other cities in Colorado. Montrose,  Durango, Steamboat
Springs, Craig and Kremmling all  have moratoriums in place.

Colorado voters passed Amendment 20 in the November  2000. The
amendment authorized the medical use of  marijuana for people
suffering from debilitating  medical conditions. The Colorado
Department of Public  Health and Environment administers the Medical 
Marijuana Registry program.

In June 2001, the registry began accepting and  processing
applications for registry identification  cards, also known as
"medical marijuana" cards.

So, the state oversees the registry side which deals  with patients
and caregivers, but what about the  business side? The registry is,
according to the state  Web site, "silent on the issue of
dispensaries." The  state does not license dispensaries, nor does it 
regulate dispensaries.

That is where local municipalities come in. In Grand  Junction, the
city requires that a person have a  business permit and sales tax
license to operate a  medical marijuana dispensary.

If a moratorium is approved, dispensaries that are  already conducting
business can continue to do so,  which is fair. But a moratorium will
simply give the  council some time to research and plan for this 
fast-growing business sector. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr