Colorado - Chuck Teeples is a true believer in medical marijuana.
Teeples, 44, is a resident of Broomfield`s Front Range Mobile Community. A broken back and botched surgeries damaged his spine, and he is largely dependent on a wheelchair.
Teeples consumes up to a half-ounce of marijuana every day, either by smoking it, baking it into brownies and pastries or adding tinctures to his coffee and soft drinks.
Teeples also runs Broomfield`s only known medical marijuana distributor out of his cramped mobile home. As owner of North Metro Caregivers LLC, Teeples grows marijuana plants, offers it to clients or patients, makes referrals to doctors, teaches people how to grow their own and sells an assortment of pipes. He provides cannabis products for about 125 people, Teeples said.
Police know about Teeples` operation, and the city considers it to be operating unlawfully, but it continues to provide clients with marijuana.
How long it will continue to do so, and in what form, is unclear. City Council on Tuesday took the first step toward instituting a six-month moratorium on the operation of marijuana dispensaries and growers in Broomfield.
The moratorium was proposed by City and County Attorney Bill Tuthill as a way to allow the city to get some breathing room as Colorado comes to grips with an industry that has seen 600 dispensaries open in the past year.
Several cities across the state have instituted moratoriums, including Federal Heights, Golden, Lafayette, Longmont, Louisville, Silverthorne and Westminster. Superior also is considering a moratorium.
Tuthill recommended a moratorium in Broomfield because it would let the Legislature enact a law before the moratorium expires. A formal moratorium also will allow Broomfield to study how other cities are dealing with the issue, Tuthill said, and also might keep Broomfield out of court.
"It gives us a chance to explore what regulatory scheme might best fit Broomfield," Tuthill said after the meeting.
It also would give the city time to figure out what to do about Teeples.
Broomfield thought it had dealt with the medical marijuana controversy in September, when City Council told the Planning Department not to issue sales tax licenses to medical marijuana providers. Its reasoning was that distributing marijuana violated federal laws, and all businesses in Broomfield must operate on the right side of local, state and federal statutes.
Council`s decision came after the city was contacted by a handful of dispensaries seeking licenses.
But Teeples and North Metro Caregivers` story is different. Teeples lives in Broomfield and has certificates allowing him to grow marijuana in his home.
In his eyes, he is not an entrepreneur coming to Broomfield to make money.
Police have been to Teeples` home several times, he said. His home was robbed on Christmas Eve and police have identified a suspect in the robbery. They were aided by Teeples` expensive video surveillance system.
Police Chief Tom Deland declined to comment on the burglary, because police are still investigating. He thinks North Metro Caregivers is operating illegally, because it violates city regulations for operating a home business and doesn`t have a sales tax license.
"It`s clearly in violation of city ordinances," Deland said.
But police aren`t pursuing those violations. The matter has been passed on to the City and County Attorney`s Office and Community Development Department, Deland said.
The city is treating North Metro Caregivers` alleged violations as a code enforcement issue, Tuthill said.
What will happen if Broomfield adopts a moratorium isn`t clear. City Council on Tuesday gave Tuthill the authority to draft a moratorium. His office will submit it to City Council for approval, most likely at its Jan. 26 meeting.
That might shut down North Metro Caregivers.
"I don`t anticipate we`re going to be in a position where we have any lawfully operated medical marijuana dispensaries," Tuthill said.
Teeples is sorting things out as he goes. He said he wants to cooperate with the city, and if the residents of Broomfield voted to close him down, he`d go.
"Whatever the law says, I`ve got to do, I`ll do. I didn`t start this to get in trouble," Teeples said. "I don`t want to be a problem for the community, I want to be an aid for the community."
But Teeples is adamant in his support of the cause. He said medical marijuana use gave him his "life back" by helping him get off heavy-duty narcotics, such as Percocet and Oxycontin, which left him in a stupor and tore up his digestive system.
"It`s my right as a citizen of the state of Colorado to obtain this medicine and to grow this medicine. The citizens of Colorado decided this, not council members. If anyone wants to take my rights away, I will fight them tooth and nail."
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Boulder Daily Camera
Author: Michael Davidson
Copyright: 2010 Media News group
Teeples, 44, is a resident of Broomfield`s Front Range Mobile Community. A broken back and botched surgeries damaged his spine, and he is largely dependent on a wheelchair.
Teeples consumes up to a half-ounce of marijuana every day, either by smoking it, baking it into brownies and pastries or adding tinctures to his coffee and soft drinks.
Teeples also runs Broomfield`s only known medical marijuana distributor out of his cramped mobile home. As owner of North Metro Caregivers LLC, Teeples grows marijuana plants, offers it to clients or patients, makes referrals to doctors, teaches people how to grow their own and sells an assortment of pipes. He provides cannabis products for about 125 people, Teeples said.
Police know about Teeples` operation, and the city considers it to be operating unlawfully, but it continues to provide clients with marijuana.
How long it will continue to do so, and in what form, is unclear. City Council on Tuesday took the first step toward instituting a six-month moratorium on the operation of marijuana dispensaries and growers in Broomfield.
The moratorium was proposed by City and County Attorney Bill Tuthill as a way to allow the city to get some breathing room as Colorado comes to grips with an industry that has seen 600 dispensaries open in the past year.
Several cities across the state have instituted moratoriums, including Federal Heights, Golden, Lafayette, Longmont, Louisville, Silverthorne and Westminster. Superior also is considering a moratorium.
Tuthill recommended a moratorium in Broomfield because it would let the Legislature enact a law before the moratorium expires. A formal moratorium also will allow Broomfield to study how other cities are dealing with the issue, Tuthill said, and also might keep Broomfield out of court.
"It gives us a chance to explore what regulatory scheme might best fit Broomfield," Tuthill said after the meeting.
It also would give the city time to figure out what to do about Teeples.
Broomfield thought it had dealt with the medical marijuana controversy in September, when City Council told the Planning Department not to issue sales tax licenses to medical marijuana providers. Its reasoning was that distributing marijuana violated federal laws, and all businesses in Broomfield must operate on the right side of local, state and federal statutes.
Council`s decision came after the city was contacted by a handful of dispensaries seeking licenses.
But Teeples and North Metro Caregivers` story is different. Teeples lives in Broomfield and has certificates allowing him to grow marijuana in his home.
In his eyes, he is not an entrepreneur coming to Broomfield to make money.
Police have been to Teeples` home several times, he said. His home was robbed on Christmas Eve and police have identified a suspect in the robbery. They were aided by Teeples` expensive video surveillance system.
Police Chief Tom Deland declined to comment on the burglary, because police are still investigating. He thinks North Metro Caregivers is operating illegally, because it violates city regulations for operating a home business and doesn`t have a sales tax license.
"It`s clearly in violation of city ordinances," Deland said.
But police aren`t pursuing those violations. The matter has been passed on to the City and County Attorney`s Office and Community Development Department, Deland said.
The city is treating North Metro Caregivers` alleged violations as a code enforcement issue, Tuthill said.
What will happen if Broomfield adopts a moratorium isn`t clear. City Council on Tuesday gave Tuthill the authority to draft a moratorium. His office will submit it to City Council for approval, most likely at its Jan. 26 meeting.
That might shut down North Metro Caregivers.
"I don`t anticipate we`re going to be in a position where we have any lawfully operated medical marijuana dispensaries," Tuthill said.
Teeples is sorting things out as he goes. He said he wants to cooperate with the city, and if the residents of Broomfield voted to close him down, he`d go.
"Whatever the law says, I`ve got to do, I`ll do. I didn`t start this to get in trouble," Teeples said. "I don`t want to be a problem for the community, I want to be an aid for the community."
But Teeples is adamant in his support of the cause. He said medical marijuana use gave him his "life back" by helping him get off heavy-duty narcotics, such as Percocet and Oxycontin, which left him in a stupor and tore up his digestive system.
"It`s my right as a citizen of the state of Colorado to obtain this medicine and to grow this medicine. The citizens of Colorado decided this, not council members. If anyone wants to take my rights away, I will fight them tooth and nail."
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Boulder Daily Camera
Author: Michael Davidson
Copyright: 2010 Media News group
