Pubdate: Wed, 28 Apr 2010
Source: Durango Herald, The (CO)
Copyright: 2010 The Durango Herald
Contact: http://durangoherald.com/write_the_editor/
Website: http://durangoherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/866
Author: Garrett Andrews

MEDICAL MARIJUANA GETS 2ND TIMEOUT

Officials Now Worry About Growers

The Durango City Council unanimously passed another  emergency
marijuana ordinance Tuesday, this time  because of emerging concerns
about growers of the  pharmaceutical plant.

The ordinance prevents new applications for business  licenses and
will not affect current marijuana patients  or dispensaries and
growing operations currently  operating. Completed application packets
handed in  before Tuesday still will be processed.

Seven business applications were pending Monday.

This is the second emergency marijuana ordinance passed  by the City
Council; the first came last summer, after  the city's first three
dispensaries sprang up in less  than a month. In October, Durango
became one of the  first cities in the state to pass a law regulating
dispensaries.

A six-month moratorium is in effect in La Plata County.

"While the dispensary ordinance is functioning and  seems to be
operating smoothly, problems seem to be  arising with grow operations
and the city," said City  Attorney David Smith.

The city's dispensary law deals with the "time, manner  and place" the
shops may operate. But absent from the  ordinance are rules for
large-scale indoor marijuana  farms - with hot lights and high
electrical loads, and  millions of dollars worth of product -
operating in the  city's denser zones.

Councilor Christina Thompson, who formerly managed the  mixed-use
Crossroads Phase I building in downtown, said  allowing a grow center
to set up in a mixed-use area  could be unfair to neighboring tenants.

Regulating grow centers has the support of the local  insurance
community, said Tommy Tucker, an agent with  American Family Insurance
of Durango. Tucker said that,  if it were up to him, marijuana would
be legalized and  taxed because "that's the direction the country is
heading."

"But the type of crowd that this type of business is  going to draw is
not conducive to good family values,"  he said. "And from a fire and
liability standpoint,  that's something that you have to look at."

The idea also has the support of the local medicinal  marijuana
community, said attorney Stuart Prall, who  represents dispensaries
and patients in Durango. Prall  said safety already is a priority for
wise growers;  most keep a staff member on duty at all hours.

"You'll find that growers are different animals  entirely," he said.
"Whereas dispensaries are retail  operations run by entrepreneurs who
want to get their  name out there, growers want to be discreet."

And why not, he said.

A law working through the state Legislature that would  regulate
medical marijuana would limit growers to 3,000  plants. Plants go for
between $2,000 and $5,000 in  Colorado. Cart that out, Prall said, and
that could be  lot of money in one place.

Though the emergency ordinance is intended to give the  city time to
write rules for growers, entrepreneurs  hoping to set up marijuana
retail stores also will be  asked to wait the six weeks.

That category includes marijuana cardholder Peter  Clevano, a chef at
a downtown restaurant who lately has  been setting up a small
business, Ancient Edibles, to  supplement his income. He wants to
supply dispensaries  with a line of healthful food items, like pasta,
lentil  salads and couscous, as alternatives to the "sweets"  such as
brownies and lollipops that dispensaries  typically sell.

But he's out of luck until June 26.

"I'm a little upset," he said.

There are seven licensed medical marijuana dispensaries  in Durango,
one of which is considered a grow  operation. Grower Chris Rezek
operates Medical  Horticultural Services in a basement at the Durango
Tech Center.

He likes being close enough to town that police and  firefighters can
quickly respond to his security  system.

"I'm not worried about break-ins," he said. "I've got  so much
security, you'd have to be a fool to try to  break in here." 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D