Pubdate: Sun, 27 Jun 2010
Source: Daily Sentinel, The (Grand Junction, CO)
Copyright: 2010 Cox Newspapers, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.gjsentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2084

POT PROVIDERS SAY GROW BAN A 'DISSERVICE'

GLENWOOD SPRINGS - A common desire to comply with a new  Colorado law
is putting Garfield County and local  medical marijuana providers at
odds.

County commissioners last week voted 2-1 to adopt a  six-month
moratorium on new medical marijuana  establishments to give the county
time to figure out  how to deal with zoning and licensing issues as
required by the law. But their action eliminates the  hopes of some
providers of opening grow operations in  rural areas within the county
in time to help meet a  requirement of the law that they begin growing
at least  70 percent of the product they sell.

The moratorium applies to unincorporated parts of the  county. Some
dispensary owners had been eyeing such  rural, agricultural areas as
potential places to  operate related growing facilities. However,
Garfield  planning staff members say the county's current zoning
rules are silent on medical marijuana, and they don't  consider
growing operations permissible under existing  agricultural zoning.

Quinn Whitten, who owns dispensaries in Garfield and  Pitkin counties,
questioned that interpretation.

"They're going to have a hard time saying a plant  growing in the
ground is not agricultural," Whitten  said.

Some in the medical marijuana field worry that actions  such as
Garfield County's moratorium are affecting the  ability of patients to
get marijuana.

"I think what they did is a disservice to the  community, especially
its most debilitated members,"  said Jami Hill-Miller, who said she
works as a  caregiver for home-bound patients.

Garfield County Commissioner Tresi Houpt voted against  the
moratorium. She said more thought needs to be given  to possible
unintended consequences.

But commissioner John Martin said, "I think we need to  take that
timeout, a moratorium, make sure we're  focused on the positives and
negatives and make a  decision that's fair to both sides."

Glenwood Springs resident Shannon Winkler said she is  happy to see
the moratorium passed. She also wants the  county to consider asking
voters whether the county  should ban medical marijuana facilities
altogether in  unincorporated areas, as is allowed under the new law.

County voters approved the state's medical marijuana  constitutional
amendment 10 years ago by a 9,131-7,572  vote. But Winkler said she
has talked to people who  supported that measure who "didn't think it
would look  like this." 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake