Pubdate: Tue, 08 Jun 2010
Source: Tribune, The (Greeley, CO)
Copyright: 2010sThe Greeley Publishing Co.
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/2T4s2YlD
Website: http://www.greeleytribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3165
Note: Note: typically publishes LTEs from circulation area only
Author: Sherrie Peif

WINDSOR BOARD TWEAKS MEDICAL POT ORDINANCE

WINDSOR -- The Windsor Town Board appears ready to vote  on
regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries.

At its Monday work session, the board haggled over a  couple of items
that dispensary owners believe limited  their ability to stay in
compliance with the state  regulations Gov. Bill Ritter signed into
law Monday.

Under state law, dispensary owners must grow 70 percent  of their
product. In Windsor, the original ordinance  said grow facilities must
be 1,000 feet from certain  types of facilities, such as schools and
public parks.  But dispensary owners said the way the distance is
measured leaves no place for them to locate.

"If you go property line to property line the way the  crow flies, it
knocks out all existing buildings," In  Harmony Wellness co-owner
Derek Cumings said. "I don't  think that's appropriate because my
patients don't  fly."

Board members were divided over dropping the language  that used the
direct line measurement. They then  debated whether to change the
distance to 500 feet or  table the issue for a future work session
when they  could obtain maps with the new locations.

But Cumings explained that he must have a plan in place  by July 1 or
face criminal prosecution.

"We need to decide if this is an unreasonable burden  that we've put
on the industry," Mayor John Vazquez  said, and Town Attorney Ian
McCargar agreed.

"We've set them up to fail because the state says they  have to set up
to grow pretty quickly," McCargar said.

Vazquez, Robert Bishop-Cotner and Jon Slater supported  a 500-foot
limit, which was written into the ordinance.  Kristie Melendez and
Mike Carrigan said they would  support the wishes of the board but
didn't really like  reducing the distance. Representatives Matthew
O'Neill  and Don Thompson were absent.

Vazquez, Bishop-Cotner and Slater said they supported  500 feet
because they ordinance only requires  dispensaries to be 500 feet from
a residence.

"If we're going to allow dispensaries that have signs  and people know
are dispensaries within 500 of a home,  it seems a little silly to say
a private grow house  that is not open to the public or advertised
needs to  be 1,000 feet from a park," Vazquez said.

The board also agreed to put a question before the  voters in November
that will ask for an excise tax on  medical marijuana purchases. The
amount has not been  determined.

"You're labeling this as a recreational poison like  alcohol and
tobacco by essentially charging a sin tax,"  Cumings said. "It is not."

[sidebar]

What's next

The ordinance still needs to go before the planning commission for
approval, and then it must pass on two readings before the town board.
The second vote must have five votes to pass. The town must pass the
ordinance by the end of July or face another emergency extension to
the moratorium. 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D