Pubdate: Thu, 03 Dec 2009
Source: Sky-Hi Daily News (CO)
Copyright: 2009 Swift Communications, Inc.
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Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5078
Author: Reid Armstrong
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

WP BANS MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES

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. 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D