Pubdate: Wed, 23 Sep 2015
Source: Colorado Springs Independent (CO)
Column: CannaBiz
Copyright: 2015 Colorado Springs Independent
Contact:  http://www.csindy.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1536
Author: Griffin Swartzell

CITY POT MORATORIUM, STATE SALES TAX FIGURES, AND MORE

Heavy hit from city

Colorado Springs has taken a hard-line stance against cannabis clubs 
- - and may have thrown the baby out with the bathwater. In an 
emergency resolution proposed Monday, Sept. 21, the city declared an 
emergency six-month moratorium on new cannabis clubs, pending updated 
land use and/or zoning regulations. Considering the lack of clear 
conclusions at the stakeholders' meeting discussed in last week's 
CannaBiz, and considering Councilor Jill Gaebler's early departure 
from that meeting, the city's "wait and see" approach on clubs should 
come as no surprise.

But this resolution also bans the city from "the processing of any 
land use approval for a new medical marijuana facility within the 
city limits." The text of the resolution claims processing such 
approvals without revising land use and zoning regulations first 
"will cause irreparable harm to the public health, safety and welfare."

According to a Facebook post by Councilor Bill Murray, the proposed 
moratorium text he and Council received Tuesday morning as part of 
their regular-meeting agenda package was very different from what 
they'd discussed Monday.

"I would not have had a problem with the [moratorium on cannabis 
clubs], but to suggest that any 'additional' medical marijuana 
facilities would cause irreparable harm is not only disingenuous but 
a clear violation of the use of emergency powers for an agenda that 
should be part of a comprehensive public discussion," Murray said in 
his post. "The City Council has had almost 12 months to work on 
concrete proposals to resolve these issues, yet has placed neither 
importance nor priority on its resolution."

As of press time, the City Council had not yet voted on the 
resolution. Check csindy.com for the results.

Getting green

Colorado made more money from marijuana than alcohol between July 1, 
2014 and June 30, 2015, according to a Sept. 20 story from the Times 
of India. During that period, the state made $70 million in marijuana 
tax revenue, compared to only $42 million with alcohol. Of course, 
that $70 mil includes general sales tax, whereas the $42 million 
figure does not - Colorado doesn't track general sales tax from 
alcohol separately.

With that in mind, Sept. 16 was Colorado's one-time marijuana tax 
holiday. Across the state, recreational buyers were not charged the 
usual 10 percent state sales tax. Dispensaries also saved a chunk of 
change - the 15 percent tax they pay for purchases from wholesalers 
was also waived.

According to a spokesperson for Maggie's Farm, "[It was] a record 
day. It exceeded our expectations."

Caitlin Murphy, Emerald Fields' head of marketing, said she was 
"thrilled with the number of people who came out."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom