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Boulder is seeking public input on changes to its medical marijuana regulations, including possibly raising licensing fees and restricting advertising.
The City Council won't discuss the proposed changes until November, but city officials want feedback now -- from both the public and medical marijuana business owners -- as they prepare to make recommendations.
The city has posted a survey on its website, bouldercolorado.gov, that asks residents how they feel about limiting advertising for medical marijuana, requiring medical marijuana businesses to be at least 1,000 feet from schools and raising licensing fees on marijuana businesses.
The survey also has space for general comments about the medical marijuana industry in Boulder.
The survey will be open through Sept. 21. People can also email comments to medicalmarijuanaquestions@bouldercolorado.gov.
City officials plan to meet with business owners in person on Friday.
The city has a moratorium on new marijuana business licenses that expires in November. Boulder officials want to update the code with any necessary changes before new businesses start applying for licenses.
The city already charges more than $5,000 for an application and license. However, city spokesman Michael Banuelos said that hasn't been enough to cover the cost of administering the licensing program.
Because so many city employees -- from the building department, the finance department, the police department and others -- are involved in inspecting and reviewing marijuana businesses, Banuelos said it has ended up costing more than the city expected.
However, Banuelos could not provide specific numbers Wednesday. He said those numbers should be available in October, before the City Council discussion.
"The fee has just not kept up with the scale of growth of the medical marijuana industry," Banuelos said. "How we thought that process was going to turn out, and how it actually works, it turned out to be a lot more work."
Current city ordinance bans medical marijuana businesses within 500 feet of schools and day-care centers. However, federal law provides for additional penalties for drug dealing within 1,000 feet of a school, and the Colorado U.S. Attorney's Office has been using that provision to shut down dispensaries within that buffer zone.
The new code proposes changing the city ordinance to match the 1,000-foot rule. Existing businesses would not be able to renew their licenses if they were within a buffer zone, Banuelos said. However, some of the dispensaries that would have been affected have already closed or moved in response to federal enforcement.
"It's an attempt to be consistent with the federal law," Banuelos said.
The city also is considering restricting advertising for medical marijuana to print publications and one sign in the vicinity of a business. Denver has a similar ordinance. The city also may increase enforcement of odor complaints around dispensaries and greenhouses.
There are now 64 medical marijuana licenses in the city, which represents just 26 wellness centers or dispensaries. The rest of the licenses are for grow operations or infused product manufacturing, some of them for dispensaries located in other cities.
Several dispensary owners declined to talk to the Camera about the proposed changes. Some said they didn't know enough yet about the new rules. Others did not want to be quoted criticizing the city.
Kelly Moore, owner of Flower of Life Healing Arts Center on North Broadway, said she has no problem with "reasonable regulations," but Boulder already charges higher licensing fees than most other municipalities.
Moore said she runs a responsible business. More important to her than the specifics of new regulations is good communication from city officials and consistency, both of which have been lacking at times, she said.
"Boulder has one of the strictest regulatory regimes in the state," she said. "They're known for that. As long as it's consistent, it's not a problem. Most of the people involved in this industry are very eager to be compliant, and there hasn't been a lot of openness to that. We would love the opportunity to work with them on this."
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: dailycamera.com
Author: Erica Meltzer
Contact: Contact Us - Boulder Daily Camera
Website: Boulder seeks input on medical marijuana rule changes - Boulder Daily Camera
The City Council won't discuss the proposed changes until November, but city officials want feedback now -- from both the public and medical marijuana business owners -- as they prepare to make recommendations.
The city has posted a survey on its website, bouldercolorado.gov, that asks residents how they feel about limiting advertising for medical marijuana, requiring medical marijuana businesses to be at least 1,000 feet from schools and raising licensing fees on marijuana businesses.
The survey also has space for general comments about the medical marijuana industry in Boulder.
The survey will be open through Sept. 21. People can also email comments to medicalmarijuanaquestions@bouldercolorado.gov.
City officials plan to meet with business owners in person on Friday.
The city has a moratorium on new marijuana business licenses that expires in November. Boulder officials want to update the code with any necessary changes before new businesses start applying for licenses.
The city already charges more than $5,000 for an application and license. However, city spokesman Michael Banuelos said that hasn't been enough to cover the cost of administering the licensing program.
Because so many city employees -- from the building department, the finance department, the police department and others -- are involved in inspecting and reviewing marijuana businesses, Banuelos said it has ended up costing more than the city expected.
However, Banuelos could not provide specific numbers Wednesday. He said those numbers should be available in October, before the City Council discussion.
"The fee has just not kept up with the scale of growth of the medical marijuana industry," Banuelos said. "How we thought that process was going to turn out, and how it actually works, it turned out to be a lot more work."
Current city ordinance bans medical marijuana businesses within 500 feet of schools and day-care centers. However, federal law provides for additional penalties for drug dealing within 1,000 feet of a school, and the Colorado U.S. Attorney's Office has been using that provision to shut down dispensaries within that buffer zone.
The new code proposes changing the city ordinance to match the 1,000-foot rule. Existing businesses would not be able to renew their licenses if they were within a buffer zone, Banuelos said. However, some of the dispensaries that would have been affected have already closed or moved in response to federal enforcement.
"It's an attempt to be consistent with the federal law," Banuelos said.
The city also is considering restricting advertising for medical marijuana to print publications and one sign in the vicinity of a business. Denver has a similar ordinance. The city also may increase enforcement of odor complaints around dispensaries and greenhouses.
There are now 64 medical marijuana licenses in the city, which represents just 26 wellness centers or dispensaries. The rest of the licenses are for grow operations or infused product manufacturing, some of them for dispensaries located in other cities.
Several dispensary owners declined to talk to the Camera about the proposed changes. Some said they didn't know enough yet about the new rules. Others did not want to be quoted criticizing the city.
Kelly Moore, owner of Flower of Life Healing Arts Center on North Broadway, said she has no problem with "reasonable regulations," but Boulder already charges higher licensing fees than most other municipalities.
Moore said she runs a responsible business. More important to her than the specifics of new regulations is good communication from city officials and consistency, both of which have been lacking at times, she said.
"Boulder has one of the strictest regulatory regimes in the state," she said. "They're known for that. As long as it's consistent, it's not a problem. Most of the people involved in this industry are very eager to be compliant, and there hasn't been a lot of openness to that. We would love the opportunity to work with them on this."
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: dailycamera.com
Author: Erica Meltzer
Contact: Contact Us - Boulder Daily Camera
Website: Boulder seeks input on medical marijuana rule changes - Boulder Daily Camera
