Pubdate: Mon, 24 May 2010
Source: Aurora Sentinel (CO)
Copyright: 2010 Aurora Sentinel
Contact:  http://www.aurorasentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1672
Author: Sara Castellanos

MARIJUANA QUESTION LIKELY FOR AURORA'S NOV. BALLOT

AURORA | Voters will likely be asked in November  whether Aurora will
open its doors to medical marijuana  dispensaries for the first time
since the  constitutional amendment was passed in 2000.

Most of the Aurora City Council members agreed Friday  at their spring
workshop that the item should be placed  on the November ballot and
the city's moratorium on  dispensaries should be extended to July 2011.

The Colorado Legislature passed a bill this year that  allows cities
to ban dispensaries at their own  discretion. Under the bill, a city
can only extend a  moratorium until July 2011.

That means that even if voters in Aurora in November  approve
dispensaries, the city may not see its first  one open until the
moratorium is lifted.

The majority of voters in Aurora voted for Amendment  20, which
legalized medical marijuana, according to  data introduced at the
workshop, suggesting the  majority of voters would approve of medical
marijuana  dispensaries in Aurora as well.

"My preference would be to ban it in Aurora. But given  the fact that
people voted in favor (of Amendment 20),  we can talk all day about
whether anything has  changed," said Councilman Bob Broom. "I'd say
let's go  to the voters to see if they want to ban it or not."

City Attorney Charlie Richardson said the ballot item  should be
introduced this November to avoid unnecessary  costs of paying for a
special election.

He said any action that the city takes on medical  marijuana would
likely be wrought with legal issues  because of the current
controversy surrounding medical  marijuana, and advocates will not
want to wait until  mid-2011 to have dispensaries in the city.

"Under any of these scenarios, some would say there may  be the
possibility of litigation or there will be the  possibility of
litigation," Richardson said.

Before the November ballot item is introduced, the city  should
already have some regulations in place regarding  dispensaries, said
Councilman Ryan Frazier said.

"We shouldn't wait until the vote is cast to start  working on rules
and regulations," Frazier said. "We  should have something that we
could have ready to give  to the public to digest and give us feedback
on."

Mayor Ed Tauer said the dispensaries should be in  industrial areas
only. 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D