>>>>>>Colorado Medical Marijuana Laws are changing<<<<<<

[Dirty White Boy]

LOL. Some folks.

So basically every small county without large metro population is gonna try and ban because they are rural/small with small councils and uninformed/uneducated/ignorant delegates? Sounds like Texas. HA.

:middlefinger:middlefinger JUST KIDDING, thats so freaking true though, btw, im still waiting for my thank you cards for the new school text books we approved, for the rest of the country....what you mean ya'll dont agree with our christian first, opinions second, facts third rewrite, oh well no thank you cards then :rofl:rofl:rofl:rofl:rofl

Hey it could be worse we could be like arizona....:devil:devil:devil

wow all these news rules seem great...time to start growing some :harvest::harvest::harvest:

 

[sky high]

Sounds like most of the USA to me, bro. EVERY County/town/etc reserves the right to goovern and set laws.... and in CO....onnce you get outside the concrete you'll see that the vibe isn't all that favorable to folks BIU in the rural areas. These counties have never been rich and value their lifestyles over raking in a few hundred thou a year in tax revenues to change those lifestyles....especially for MMJ/the folks that are trying to move in solely to focus on BIU in their communities.
This will be reflected time and time again in the upcoming months as bans/restrictions are put into place.

Like it or not, CO law is about far more than A-20 and 1284 solidified that in a HUGE way.

wot a mess. Just think....a year ago MMJ wasn't in the news at ALL and we had no limits on patients.

s h

 

[sky high]

Medical marijuana appears to be headed for Grand County ballot

By Reid Armstrong
Sky-Hi News
Grand County, CO Colorado

Gov. Bill Ritter has signed into law two measures intended to rein in the recent proliferation of marijuana dispensaries and growers in Colorado.

One law requires that only doctors in good standing be allowed to recommend medical marijuana. It creates strict oversight of doctors making recommendations, red-flagging those that make too many. It also specifies the level of screening and follow-up that should be provided to patients using medical marijuana.

The second law creates a uniform set of rules for marijuana dispensaries and growers statewide, giving municipalities the authority to allow or prohibit dispensaries by vote of the board or by referring a question to the voters. Citizens also may initiate the measure.

Grand County municipalities seeking to put the questions to voters in the November election must let the county clerk and recorder know that they plan to do so by July 23. Ballots for the September election must be certified Sept. 3.

As of October 2009, 101 patients in Grand County were registered medical marijuana users, according to statistics provided by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

The actual number is likely higher today, said CDPHE spokesman Mark W. Salley.

“The department has been inundated with applications in recent months,” he said. CDPHE receives more than 1,000 applications each day, and less than half of those are processed each day.

“So, as you can imagine, we have a significant backlog,” he said.

The CDPHE estimates that there are currently some 94,000 people on the registry in Colorado.

Other aspects of the state law include:

In places where dispensaries are allowed, the bill imposes a minimum 1,000-foot spacing requirement from schools, residential childcare centers and drug treatment facilities, but it allows local government to increase these distances.

The law requires owners to undergo criminal background checks and meet residency requirements. And, it limits the hours of operation for “medical marijuana centers” to between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Medical marijuana centers will be required to grow 70 percent of the marijuana they sell, a provision aimed at keeping tabs on where the drug is being sold. The legislation also regulates places that sell marijuana-infused products (such as baked goods) and independent growing operations not affiliated with dispensaries.

State and local sales taxes will apply to the sale of all medical marijuana, the legislation states, allowing towns and counties to recoup some of the cost incurred by law enforcement and staff in places where medical marijuana centers are allowed.

Localities that do prohibit the centers may not prohibit patients from growing their own medical marijuana or a caregiver from providing marijuana for up to five patients. 

The new law with regards to caregivers goes into effect July 1.

For municipalities deciding to allow medical marijuana centers, local licenses can only be issued to applicants who have filed prior to July 1. A statewide moratorium on new medical marijuana facilities goes into effect July 1, 2010, to July 1, 2011.

Any municipality or county that fails to act on the new law by July 1, 2011, will automatically default to the state's regulations regarding medical marijuana.

The status of the issue in Grand County follows.

Grand County

Operating under a moratorium county commissioners extended to Dec. 31, 2010, commissioners have resolved to direct staff to form questions to put on the November ballot. While the county's elected officials spent time debating the fiscal and social impacts of allowing medical marijuana centers, “It's more up to the people,” said commissioner James Newberry.

Winter Park

In December, Winter Park became one of the first municipalities in Colorado to prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries within town limits. Reasons given for enacting the ban included the more conservative cultural sensibilities of Winter Park's visitors and protecting the safety of the town's children.

District Judge Mary Hoak upheld, June 9, the Town of Winter Park's denial of a business license application from Jerry Hidoshi Inc. and Anthony Yu to operate a medical marijuana dispensary within town limits. Hoak ruled that the case was moot in light of the recent enactment of House Bill 1248, which allows towns and municipalities to ban medical marijuana facilities.

Fraser

The Town of Fraser, which recently extended its moratorium on dispensaries in town through November, will meet Wednesday, June 16, to discuss options for complying with the new state statutes. Town manager Jeff Durbin said the planning commission has in hand a draft zoning ordinance to allow medical marijuana centers within certain areas of town. Durbin said the town board may also choose to put the issue before voters on the ballot in November.

Granby

The Town of Granby passed an emergency moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries in September 2009 and has since renewed that moratorium. The town board recently discussed putting the question to voters on the November election ballot about whether to allow medical marijuana centers in town.

Grand Lake

The Town of Grand Lake is operating under a moratorium on medical marijuana centers within town limits. On June 14, the board talked about outright banning medical marijuana centers and is in the process of planning public hearings to that effect. “I don't want to see [centers] in my little town. It would trash up the town,” said trustee Benton Johnson, who grouped medical marijuana dispensaries in the same category as adult book shops and strip clubs. If during the public hearings, however, the public speaks strongly in favor of putting the issue to vote, the board said it would also consider that possibility. The town's timeframe is tightly constrained by the county clerk's July 23 deadline for joining the ballot initiative.

Hot Sulphur Springs

The Hot Sulphur Board of Trustees adopted a moratorium in December 2009 that expires in September 2010. The issue of medical marijuana centers will return to the board's agenda when it meets June 17. “The board has really just been in a wait and see mode,” said town clerk Sandy White. “They really wanted to find out what the state was going to do first and then figure out where we need to be.”

Kremmling

In March, Kremmling became the second town in Grand County and one of the few in the state at the time to ban medical marijuana dispensaries within its borders, after a unanimous vote of trustees.

 

[sky high]

Berthoud board extends medical marijuana moritorium

Berthoud Board of Trustees had a full agenda for the June 15 meeting. Medical marijuana was eleventh on the agenda, but two business asked to speak during the Citizen Participation. Both wanted to be exempted from the moratorium and be allowed to open for business before July 1. Both had obtained a town sales tax license before the moratorium went into effect.

The first to speak had obtained a sales license and opened its doors briefly before closing. The second had obtained a license and then operated outside the town limits at the Highway 287 intersection. Neither business had made any sales tax payments to the town.

The couple from the Highway 287 location were also represented by an attorney who told the board that, based on opinion by town staff that they would be allowed to open, had leased the property at 520 Mountain Avenue, previously the Roadhouse Bicycle Shop. He said that if the board did not approve his clients that it would bring up the issue of promissory esstopple and portend possible litigation.

<snip unrelated town business info in article>

The board then went into executive session to discuss potential litigation. Upon return, Mayor Patterson said than no decisions were made in the session.

The final business before the board was the extension of the Medical Marijuana moratorium.

The board had initially adopted the issuance of a town sales tax license as the standard for determining eligibility for opening a medical marijuana dispensary. That was revised in the next revision to require that the business had actually remitted sales tax. Five sales tax licenses had been issued before the moratorium went into effect. Only two of those business have remitted tax.

Attorney Fickel advised that those entities, which have licenses, can open up a business, but they cannot dispense medical marijuana. He also gave the opinion that the issue of promissory estopple would not apply. The board voted to extend the moratorium to December so that the town could act after the state department of health had drafted its regulations.

 

[true grit]

Sounds like most of the USA to me, bro. EVERY County/town/etc reserves the right to goovern and set laws.... and in CO....onnce you get outside the concrete you'll see that the vibe isn't all that favorable to folks BIU in the rural areas. These counties have never been rich and value their lifestyles over raking in a few hundred thou a year in tax revenues to change those lifestyles....especially for MMJ/the folks that are trying to move in solely to focus on BIU in their communities.
This will be reflected time and time again in the upcoming months as bans/restrictions are put into place.

Like it or not, CO law is about far more than A-20 and 1284 solidified that in a HUGE way.

wot a mess. Just think....a year ago MMJ wasn't in the news at ALL and we had no limits on patients.

s h

I'm not referring to rights to "govern" at the municipal level. Not referring to their potential tax income...I was simply referring to the fact that they don't like pot. Bro it aint about "blowin it up". Some big business isn't gonna waste millions setting up shop in a county with a patient number of 200-300. Not with the now associated costs. I mean fuck Grand Lake, if he doesn't want a dispensary in his town, fine. the population of 500 isn't enough business to support one and is the type of area that the caregiver system IS designed for. Majority of all these towns posted getting ready to vote on bans are counties/cities that SHOULD be under the caregiver system. They are small populations where zoning would be an issue and there are not enough patients to run some licensed giant grow op, kitchen to make your edibles, MMC, and all associated compliance, construction and licensing fees. Just not worth it, why are they worried and why is it a big deal? Because they don't know what they are talking about. Let the real growers step up and give them the right to provide for as many as necessary. Pretty soon they will be requiring those caregivers to get tax licenses and space to grow outside of their cozy neighborhood. Lol...

I don't understand how 1284 solidifed that in a big way? It opened up legit business in the areas that were already in business, and will continue to do business. It provides an overly regulated, strict model- BUT that is a legit model that is now going to provide a model to every state interested in MMJ nationwide. HB1284 just set precedent bro, not by givin municipalities the right to be backwards and limit freedoms, but by giving every state in the nation fuel for MMJ platform and legislation for such. And in the months to come, yeah the little towns will put in bans (I mean i thought these were larger communities trying to impose immediate bans). The big towns that want and will pay for the big ops will continue to do so. And in that time, caregivers in the ban communities will start stacking patient cards just like you don't like.

And I feel ya gettin outside the concrete- I'm from Texas bro, more dirt than concrete for sure but its doesn't mean those people holding to values are necessarily right. IMHO, its in the news cuz its being hyped up by a bunch of folks who can't even spell estoppel correctly when directly citing litigation and threats. It's hype bro, and we are the only folks concerned who always pay attention and have truly vested interest. Talk to folks outside our circles- They could give a shit less. lol. They are just stoked that they can pretty much smoke pot now. Ha

 

[sky high]

Yo bro.

It solidified the powers the towns/muni's/counties have to ban MMJ dispensaries and related businesses without going through a zoning process...which they already had the right to do but which takes time/money/manpower/tax dollars to complete.

either way, things are changing....and not for the better....just as I said they would when I first saw this thread and the sizeable interest folks had in moving here to take (financial)advantage of this program.

And hey...if we're talking about "limiting freedom" and "backwards" actions....

Hmm....like folks comin here in record numbers to "get high" and in the process, changing the laws (Freedoms) for the patients who have been here for years adhering to A-20?

Nah...nevermind. Fuck those sick people always gettin in the way of the party! Woohooo!

:mooning:smiley_joint::mooning:smiley_joint::mooning

Nope bro...the families who Homesteaded here aren't always right...

but I can fuckin guarantee you 100% that they are listened to:character0110: over a buncha stoners who...um...don't even show up for the meetings.:scared0016:

wot a mess....

s h

 

[true grit]

Indeed and the way I'm seeing it roll out is that may have seemed like a big deal, but if they are indeed allowing stacked caregiving -whats the difference? and to me that also shows the ban was just to keep the people who don't want dispensaries happy in the small communities who are concerned. Its obvious that the politics shaping it are happening in areas away from those communities in areas where politicians are benefiting.

Many don't have dispensaries, and will just keep continuing to do the same damn thing they are now with more profitability and less taxation to the caregiver. Bad? Not for the caregiver who was already doing it. Just for the public/patient who doesn't want to have to find a home grower and would like that option afforded to them that is taken away by a certain few.

Why are you so deadset that there is SOOO many people moving here to take advantage of this? Its the desire of the resident Coloradans to purchase all this dank and take advantage of the system (aka demand) that is bringing all the outta state business capitalist. When everyone who lives here wants to not get arrested, go to stores to get pot, and smoke pot- then yeah, people are gonna try to capitalize on it. Just like any other market. I do see the people who move here being more of the capitalist and not just patients trying to get "high", and those have changed the laws because that is the supply side. The demand side is only increasing daily... again thats like saying the over 50% who voted for it all had sole intent of it being for seriously ill patients....just not the case. Ideally yes, but not realistic.

I mean shit, more new COLLEGE STUDENTS move to Colorado in a semester than probably have for this MMJ program. And they probably stay and open businesses too. And they probably get their MMJ cards....

 

[Mr.Sputnik]

Indeed and the way I'm seeing it roll out is that may have seemed like a big deal, but if they are indeed allowing stacked caregiving -whats the difference?

Out of sight out of mind. Farming communities don't want commercial MMJ to ruin their way of life in their respective communities. They don't want a bunch of gangsters driving through eastern Colorado flashing MMJ profits.

I'm pretty sure the only place you'll see MMJ commercial business is in very liberal cities that are pretty much established MMJ communities. Examples: Denver, Boulder, Aspen, ect. Big tobacco could potentially just buy out the politicians in a poor farming county (crowley?) and really blow it up. Imagine 1 infused products license with 10,000 acres of greenhouses tied to it. It's now legal under HB 1284.

 

[kuz]

15 of us could move to Bonanza and be a majority.

The ranching communities are pretty leery of outsiders period, protective of their way of life and not liking any kind of change. If you live out in the middle of nowhere you dont really think about asking permission to grow anything.

 

[sky high]

LOL, kuz. I wonder what color the pot would be if you used that local "Bonanza" water to irrigate with?

 

[kuz]

We could get a grant from the epa for a study of mj as a remediation of the acidic water.

 

[Mr.Sputnik]

or eads..

 

[sky high]

Was anyone here in attendance?


Heated exchanges punctuate medical marijuana meeting

June 17, 2010 10:17 PM
CARLYN RAY MITCHELL

An emotional town hall meeting on Colorado Springs’ north side Thursday night was dominated by medical marijuana proponents.

The meeting packed far more than the 71 people allowed by fire code into the community room at Fire Station No. 19.

It was hosted by Councilman Darryl Glenn and El Paso County Commissioner Wayne Williams, who represent the northern part of the city, to address city and county policies on medical marijuana regulation and pending ballot issues on the subject.

“I believe there is enough ambiguity in Amendment 20 that this issue could ultimately be decided in the courts,” Glenn said. “Much of the discussions at City Council have turned into debates about the validity of medical marijuana. But to me, the real issue is the definition of a caregiver. I believe the best ones to answer that is the voters.”

There was little progress made toward defining what Glenn’s constituents believe a “caregiver” is.

Glenn spent a lot of time refusing to engage in debates on his opinion of medical marijuana, throwing one man out of the meeting and threatening to remove Councilman Tom Gallagher when he challenged Glenn’s interpretations on recently passed state regulations on dispensaries.

Before the meeting, Glenn said “a lot of people” in his district had sending him e-mails requesting a community discussion about dispensaries.

Few people who identified themselves as district residents spoke, and the majority of those who did were in favor of the dispensary model of distributing medical marijuana.

Glenn said the three Springs residents who want to place an initiative on the November ballot asking voters whether dispensaries should be banned in the city live in his district.

Steve Wind, who heads the group Let Us Vote Colorado Springs, which wants to place a measure as early as November asking voters whether medical marijuana dispensaries should be banned from the city, did not speak.

“I am going to force this to a vote,” Glenn said.

 

[pikes peak 69]

Glenn is a DICK.
No I wasn't there but have seen him in action (actually inaction) towards Patients.

pp69

 

[sky high]

More support in the Springs:

Paige to skip mayor's speech in protest

Posted by Bryce Crawford

As reported on Wednesday by the inestimable John Hazlehurst, Vice Mayor Larry Small and Councilman Sean Paige will not be attending Mayor Lionel Rivera's June 30 "State of the City" speech.

In the Business Journal's article, Small says he "appreciate that this is an important event for the [Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce], but considering the City’s financial condition and the cuts to staff and services we have had to make, I cannot support the use of tax dollars for this event."

And while Paige was in philosophical agreement with Small, his protest was for a different reason: the Chamber came out against medical marijuana in Colorado Springs. Here's what he wrote in a commented response to the CSBJ:


My decision not to attend the State of the City is not in any way a commentary on the mayor, but on the event’s host, The Chamber of Commerce. First, I share the Vice Mayor’s questions about why a cash-strapped city is buying tables at this (or any other private) event.

But second, and more importantly, I’m signaling my displeasure with the Chamber’s discriminatory, close-minded and anti-business attitude about legal medical marijuana-related enterprises in the city. I think it sets a bad precedent for the “voice of business” to treat some businesses as less-equal, or less-acceptable, than others — for the Chamber to treat these businesses (and, by extension, their patrons) like second class people and pariahs.

In his own blog for Local Liberty Online, Paige again stated his support for medical marijuana centers:


I have listened to both sides, as a layperson, and come down on the side of a broad reading of the amendment. The deciding factor for me is that the people for whom the law was written — MMJ patients, remember them? — seem content with the dispensary model. They are voting for it with their feet and their pocketbooks. And as a non-patient, I don't feel qualified or comfortable trying to override that choice. Some patients can and do grow their own. Others (who may be too ill or scared to do so, or who lack the know-how) can go to a mom and pop provider. Others prefer to patronize a so-called dispensary. I'm not sure why so many non-patients want to interfere in those private and personal choices, since no one can buy from a dispensary without a doctor's recommendation. But I find that presumptuous.

 

[true grit]

Very well stated, good for this dude. Lets get him on the side of some new legislation!!

 

[altitudefarmer]

I am in contact with Mr Paige occasionally; I came to know him at our town meetings. He is a defender of the constitution, and a server of the people- IMO, what every politician should be. I would go to battle for him- I just hope the "machine" doesn't end up getting to him. Until then, PATIENTS DO HAVE A VOICE IN THE CITY COUNCIL. Also, another councilman is an ally; his wife is a patient whose quality of life has increased 1000% since she started her cannatherapy. For obvious reasons, he's asked me to tell the story without mentioning names.
If the Springs does outlaw the dispensary model, it'll be because there was some shady, shady business most likely perpetrated by Imbecile Dan May.

 

[sky high]

Just in case some of you newer arrivals to the State haven't heard of "Scrot" um....here's a brief peek....


Scott McInnis zipping lips about jobs -- if they have to do with medical marijuana

By Michael Roberts, Wednesday, Jun. 23 2010 @ 7:32AM

Scott McInnis pledges that he will be a jobs governor.

But if those jobs are related to the burgeoning medical marijuana industry, he -- or at least his spokesman, Sean Duffy -- isn't all that interested in talking about them these days.

In covering a McInnis appearance in Colorado Springs last Thursday, the Colorado Springs Gazette focused on remarks the gubernatorial hopeful made about MMJ. He criticized the comparatively hands-off policy of the Obama administration in relation to states where medical marijuana has been legalized, maintaining that "if I was governor, I would call the president and say, 'What are you doing?'"

In addition, McInnis voiced support for the portion of HB 1284, the measure designed to regulate the medical marijuana industry, that allows municipalities to ban dispensaries either by way of ballot measures or votes by city councils and the like.

Hoping to get more details about McInnis's thoughts on this issue, particularly in light of likely dispensary votes in Colorado Springs and Aurora (now joined by Douglas County), I phoned and e-mailed spokesman Sean Duffy on Monday, asking to chat on the topic. Via e-mail, he wrote that he had a very busy day, but he'd try to get back to me.

He didn't, so yesterday morning, I gave him another e-mail nudge. Finally, at just past 8 p.m. last night, he responded with a polite but very brief reply, noting, "I think we will pass on this."

Does that mean Obama shouldn't expect any phone calls from McInnis on this subject after all? Imagine his disappointment.

 

[another_sellout]

I read all ten pages of this, and not once has anyone mention the new legislation removes taxes on the herb in lieu of these new fees, which allow you to simply pay more to grow more plants. What's wrong with that? As a caregiver, I've had the sheriff to my home twice (my wife's ex, another story) and both times they've smiled and walked away. This law makes me bullet proof. Also gives me time to build enough capital to open a shop, meanwhile all these bullshit dispensaries with no knowledge of the plant and only the money for a store front go away? Sweet. I'm thankful most people can't make weight. It'll allow the better growers to provide a better product and all the bullshit artists can get the fuck out! As a grower, a full time, I have no other job, this is how I support my family grower, this law is a blessing. I want 80% of the shops to close. I want the market to come back to the organic outdoor, not whatever bags of chemical trash with a fake name the shop managed to buy off the street that day. I want this industry to be professional and adult, nothing else. You want it legal, it's time to learn the legalese. I'm already having dispensaries pay me to teach their growers as a consultant. I don't know what you're discomfort is, unless you're not making weight. Bring the pigs, bring the regulations, put it all in black and white, because once it's there it's a shield for all of us who can keep our shit straight. How many dispensaries helped to write this law? The seven largest and most successful in the state? Hmmm... what do they know we don't? I know getting $3200 a pound is bullshit when my herb is better every time, and it's worth aligning with a shop keeper so I can see the worth of my yield. As for banned towns, so what? Petition and put it to the people. If the people don't want it, get out! Why bring the wrath down on yourself just to be uppity about it? That's my two cents.

 

[canaguy27]

Hmmm... what do they know we don't? I know getting $3200 a pound is bullshit when my herb is better every time, and it's worth aligning with a shop keeper so I can see the worth of my yield.

The new number is $2800 lb or less for contracts.