Pubdate: Tue, 23 Jul 2013
Source: Gazette, The (Colorado Springs, CO)
Copyright: 2013 The Gazette
Contact: http://www.gazette.com/sections/opinion/submitletter/
Website: http://www.gazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/165

CITY COUNCIL, JUST SAY 'NO' TO RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA SALES

City Council will likely decide this week on whether to allow retail 
sales of recreational marijuana, and the related grow operations, 
within our city. This is a big decision and inflection point for 
Colorado Springs.

We are beginning to hear positive news about the economy. 
Unemployment is beginning to improve, jobs are being created by new 
companies that have relocated to the Springs, and many current local 
employers indicate they will be hiring thousands of new workers in 
the next year or so. A new generation of civic and business leaders 
are beginning to emerge, driving a new commitment to strengthening 
our economic and cultural base. After two devastating fires in a 
year, the resolve and character of our community was on display in 
the swift and brave actions of our first responders, including city, 
county and military personnel. Those who lost so much were comforted 
and aided through the efforts of neighbors and our world class 
nonprofit sector. Local businesses pitched in to help as well. A 
renewed sense of community pride abounds, the future is ours to 
create and prospects are bright.

So the decision being made this week is not just about selling 
marijuana openly at retail stores, it is about the type of community 
and culture we want to create. It is about the "brand" for Colorado 
Springs going forward. Will it be a brand that further enables the 
current positive trends or one that creates questions about our city 
to tourists thinking about where to vacation, businesses wondering if 
they should locate here, or current business and military 
installations that might expand or contract based on local market conditions?

And make no mistake, our state brand is already being effected by 
earlier changes in state law. In 2012, seizures of pot grown and 
packaged in Colorado - some 7,200 pounds of dope - surfaced in 
neighboring states, making Colorado a huge and illegal exporter of pot.

So today is decision day for City Council, a group that by all 
accounts is among the most engaged and hard-working councils ever. 
There can be only one objective in this decision, and that is to make 
a choice that is the best for the future health and welfare of our 
city. So as council members carefully considers the facts in this 
case, we urge them to consider the following: Who is standing up to 
oppose retail sales and grow operations, and who is standing up for them?

A partial list of local organizations and employers opposing 
commercial operations includes the following: our largest health care 
employers; aerospace and manufacturing sectors; city government; 
education leaders; the largest religious groups; key foundations; 
other key business sectors and all military operations. Here's who we 
know of lining up in favor commercial operations: Southern Colorado 
Medical Marijuana. The number of employees, current and future jobs 
represented by the opposition has to be 100 times larger than those 
represented by proponents. The weight of this comparison is clear and 
the distinction between the two lists is stark. Seems like a 
no-brainer, except to some who point to voter counts on Amendment 64 
as an indicator of how City Council should vote.

The people voted, on Amendment 64, to legalize the personal 
possession, consumption and ability to grow small amounts for 
personal pot use. Essentially it was a decriminalization bill adopted 
out of frustration with a policy that did not prevent black market 
and other illegal operations - like what is going on now with the 
exporting of pot grown in our state.

Amendment 64 also called for local governments to decide on whether 
they would like to sell recreational marijuana and allow for the 
large grow operations that support them. This was specifically 
approved for local entities to decide what is best for them with 
regards to this last, important element.

It is time for City Council to decide on our future with their 
decision on this very important issue. The downside of approving 
retail sales is clear and large. All those organizations lining up 
against assure us of the negative impact on our city. The projected 
upside? Estimates of net tax revenues - or revenues minus the expense 
of regulation, public safety and health - range from negative numbers 
to a high of $3 million dollars, or a little over 1 percent of our 
city's general fund budget of $223 million.

So it's time to weigh the information and vote for the best choice to 
achieve the objective: making our city a vibrant, growing and world 
class place to live and work.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom