Winter Park's town council voted 6-0 Tuesday night to prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries within town limits. Only one person spoke on the issue, supporting the ban.
"The Town of Winter Park shouldn't be held hostage by what the federal or state governments want to do," said resident John Beake.
Town manager Drew Nelson said that with the legal status of Colorado's medical marijuana dispensaries seemingly up in the air, this is a way for Winter Park to protect itself until it receives more direction from the state.
"This is the culmination of numerous discussion on the issue," Nelson said.
Other reasons for enacting the ban included being sensitive to the more conservative cultural sensibilities of Winter Park's visitors and protecting the safety of the town's children.
"This legislation is only about the dispenseries, not about the patients themselves," Nelson stated in a later conversation.
Mayor Pro-Temp Rusty Thompson, who had previously said that a moratorium should be adequate until the Colorado Legislature provides better guidance for localities, voted with the majority this time around, noting that marijuana is still illegal at the federal level.
Nelson further stated that continuing to prolong the moratorium might draw the "ire" of the judge who could find such repeated action to be arbitrary and capricious.
Council member Chris Seemann was absent.
News Hawk- Ganjarden 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Sky-Hi Daily News
Author: Reid Armstrong
Contact: Sky-Hi Daily News
Copyright: 2009 Sky-Hi Daily News
Website: WP Bans Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
"The Town of Winter Park shouldn't be held hostage by what the federal or state governments want to do," said resident John Beake.
Town manager Drew Nelson said that with the legal status of Colorado's medical marijuana dispensaries seemingly up in the air, this is a way for Winter Park to protect itself until it receives more direction from the state.
"This is the culmination of numerous discussion on the issue," Nelson said.
Other reasons for enacting the ban included being sensitive to the more conservative cultural sensibilities of Winter Park's visitors and protecting the safety of the town's children.
"This legislation is only about the dispenseries, not about the patients themselves," Nelson stated in a later conversation.
Mayor Pro-Temp Rusty Thompson, who had previously said that a moratorium should be adequate until the Colorado Legislature provides better guidance for localities, voted with the majority this time around, noting that marijuana is still illegal at the federal level.
Nelson further stated that continuing to prolong the moratorium might draw the "ire" of the judge who could find such repeated action to be arbitrary and capricious.
Council member Chris Seemann was absent.
News Hawk- Ganjarden 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Sky-Hi Daily News
Author: Reid Armstrong
Contact: Sky-Hi Daily News
Copyright: 2009 Sky-Hi Daily News
Website: WP Bans Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
