Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
A proposed six-month freeze on medical marijuana enterprises was abruptly amended Tuesday, raising more questions about how the Colorado Springs ban would affect businesses.
The final vote was pushed back two weeks as the City Council seeks to stop any expansion or advent of medical marijuana businesses.
The hastily introduced amendment would let a business owner plead a "hardship" with the City Clerk's Office for permission to move if a lease was expiring during the moratorium.
The amendment specifies no appeals process if the request is denied. Nor does it make allowances for an entrepreneur whose rent suddenly is tripled because of its artificially inflated value under the ban, Council President Pro Tem Jill Gaebler said.
Another scenario not addressed by the amendment is the state's 70-30 rule for dispensaries, which must provide 70 percent of their own pot. An owner who needs more medical marijuana but can't get a grow house license during the ban, could face serious problems.
Gaebler and Councilwoman Helen Collins voted against the revised ordinance because the amendment was introduced at the last minute. The measure passed on a preliminary 6-2 vote. Councilman Bill Murray, who has opposed the ban, is out of the country.
Collins said people hadn't had a chance to review the amendment.
Gaebler said she didn't see it until lunch Tuesday, "and I don't think that's a good process to be bringing forward legislation that will negatively affect individuals."
But Councilman Don Knight said, "Any moratorium is better than no moratorium."
Said Councilman Andres Pico, "We have already become the Colombia of the Rockies, whether you want to admit it or not," as Colorado pot moves into neighboring states.
But while recreational and homegrown pot might cross the state's borders, medical marijuana is regulated and tracked from seed to sale, industry leaders said.
"Keep it out of residential areas where people don't want it," Pico said. "To delay this any further leaves that gap open where we continue to have people expand where, frankly, they don't belong."
Several council members have expressed concern about residents not having any say on whether a pot business opens in their neighborhood.
Dispensaries don't operate in residential neighborhoods, but grow houses do. Every adult Coloradan can grow six plants for personal use, and caregivers can grow more, depending on how many patients they serve.
The council wants a task force to study potential zoning and other regulations while the moratorium is in effect.
An earlier city task force studied the issue in depth after Colorado legalized medical marijuana in 2000 and extensive state and city regulations kicked in. But residents' concerns have spurred the current council's quest for more study.
A final vote on the moratorium is scheduled for Nov. 10.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: City's Medical Marijuana Moratorium Under Review After New Amendments
Author: Billie Stanton Anleu
Contact: Email Feedback
Photo Credit: Gosia Wozniacka
Website: Colorado Springs Gazette
The final vote was pushed back two weeks as the City Council seeks to stop any expansion or advent of medical marijuana businesses.
The hastily introduced amendment would let a business owner plead a "hardship" with the City Clerk's Office for permission to move if a lease was expiring during the moratorium.
The amendment specifies no appeals process if the request is denied. Nor does it make allowances for an entrepreneur whose rent suddenly is tripled because of its artificially inflated value under the ban, Council President Pro Tem Jill Gaebler said.
Another scenario not addressed by the amendment is the state's 70-30 rule for dispensaries, which must provide 70 percent of their own pot. An owner who needs more medical marijuana but can't get a grow house license during the ban, could face serious problems.
Gaebler and Councilwoman Helen Collins voted against the revised ordinance because the amendment was introduced at the last minute. The measure passed on a preliminary 6-2 vote. Councilman Bill Murray, who has opposed the ban, is out of the country.
Collins said people hadn't had a chance to review the amendment.
Gaebler said she didn't see it until lunch Tuesday, "and I don't think that's a good process to be bringing forward legislation that will negatively affect individuals."
But Councilman Don Knight said, "Any moratorium is better than no moratorium."
Said Councilman Andres Pico, "We have already become the Colombia of the Rockies, whether you want to admit it or not," as Colorado pot moves into neighboring states.
But while recreational and homegrown pot might cross the state's borders, medical marijuana is regulated and tracked from seed to sale, industry leaders said.
"Keep it out of residential areas where people don't want it," Pico said. "To delay this any further leaves that gap open where we continue to have people expand where, frankly, they don't belong."
Several council members have expressed concern about residents not having any say on whether a pot business opens in their neighborhood.
Dispensaries don't operate in residential neighborhoods, but grow houses do. Every adult Coloradan can grow six plants for personal use, and caregivers can grow more, depending on how many patients they serve.
The council wants a task force to study potential zoning and other regulations while the moratorium is in effect.
An earlier city task force studied the issue in depth after Colorado legalized medical marijuana in 2000 and extensive state and city regulations kicked in. But residents' concerns have spurred the current council's quest for more study.
A final vote on the moratorium is scheduled for Nov. 10.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: City's Medical Marijuana Moratorium Under Review After New Amendments
Author: Billie Stanton Anleu
Contact: Email Feedback
Photo Credit: Gosia Wozniacka
Website: Colorado Springs Gazette
