Pubdate: Wed, 31 Mar 2010
Source: Delta County Independent (CO)
Copyright: 2010 Delta County Independent
Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/5y9TXXEE
Website: http://www.deltacountyindependent.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5139
Author: Hank Lohmeyer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)
Bookmark: http://mapinc.org/topic/Dispensaries

ORCHARD CITY WAITING FOR STATE TO CLARIFY MARIJUANA DISPENSARY RULES

A woman in the audience at the Orchard City town board  meeting March 
10 cried out loudly "no" when Mayor Don  Suppes announced that the 
one known marijuana  dispensary in Orchard City was moving and expanding.

Suppes announced that Jay Deason's Grand Mesa Herbal  Dispensary, 
Orchard City's only publicly known legal  marijuana outlet, would be 
relocating to a new, highly  visible Hwy. 65 location.

Trustee Gale Doudy said the town should have "done its  homework" on 
the moratorium it passed three months ago  so that expanding or 
moving existing dispensaries would  have been prohibited also.

"Is there anything we can do," a woman asked the board  form the audience.

Suppes replied that the town is waiting on a court  appeal of a 
district court ruling in Centennial stating  that a city cannot 
prohibit dispensaries on the basis  that marijuana possession, sale, 
and use is against  federal law.

"The state has yet to really step forward and help us  out either," 
Suppes said. "There are several ideas, but  nothing is being followed 
through on so far."

The Trustee Medical Marijuana Committee is "sitting in  limbo waiting 
for the state to make a legislative  decision" on regulation of the 
legal marijuana shops,  Suppes explained

Other county municipalities are also waiting for a  legal lead from 
the state legislature on regulating pot  in their own jurisdictions, 
he explained.

The Orchard City Board of Trustees moved through an  agenda of 
routine business items including the  following:

The board approved Ordinance 2010-02 that makes certain 
administrative changes in the setting of meeting agendas. The main 
effect is expected to be removal of the "second constituent time" 
from trustee meetings. There was one comment from the public opposed 
to making the change. The vote to approve was unanimous.

The board approved an "emergency facility agreement" with Senior 
Community Care at Horizons. The agreement specifies that the town 
hall community room may be used as an emergency facility for patrons 
of the senior care program in the event that an alternate location 
for them becomes temporarily necessary.

Trustee Jimmie Boyd reported that official rights filings have been 
made on source water recently acquired by the town, and also on two 
of its diversion points on Grand Mesa.

The park committee reported that the pavilion structure for Orchard 
City Park has been ordered and erection will begin soon.

The town administrator reported that funds from the county sales tax 
and the highway users tax are in line with lowered 2010 budget projections.

The four candidates for trustee in the April 6 municipal election 
were introduced.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom