Pubdate: Wed, 17 Nov 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: Pat Sunderland
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?277 (Cannabis - Medicinal -  Colorado)

CITY COUNCIL 'CONFLICTED' ABOUT RETAIL MEDICAL MARIJUANA CENTERS

With bans in place in Grand Junction and Paonia and the 
unincorporated areas of Montrose and Delta counties, the City of 
Delta may soon find itself a "mecca" for medical marijuana centers.

In the November election, 27 cities and towns statewide asked voters 
whether marijuana retail outlets should be allowed or prohibited.

Only voters in Fraser and Minturn approved retail outlets. Paonia 
voters not only rejected retail outlets, but grow operations in town as well.

Voters in Montrose County also rejected medical marijuana centers, 
and the city is expected to follow suit.

Cody Magasich, co-owner of Natural Green Solutions in Delta, says 
several Montrose area residents have already stopped in to see what 
his medical marijuana center has to offer.

While Magasich and co-owner John Thomas are facing a great deal of 
uncertainty, Delta City Council has backed away from a ban -- for 
now. They rejected a ballot question in June, opted to hold a public 
hearing instead, and are now considering leaving the issue up to 
voters after all.

City council members had hoped to avoid the expense of an election by 
conducting a public hearing to determine if the city should allow 
medical marijuana dispensaries to operate within the city. A 
moratorium is in place until May 3, 2011, preventing the 
establishment of any additional medical marijuana dispensaries, 
leaving Natural Green Solutions to monopolize the local market.

About a dozen people spoke at the hearing conducted by the city on 
Oct. 26. Most were patients who described medical marijuana as a 
"godsend." No one spoke out against medical marijuana centers.

"At this point I'm very conflicted," said Delta City Council member 
Guy Pfalzgraff during a follow-up discussion at the Nov. 2 city 
council meeting. "I'm not necessarily a great supporter of the 
concept, but I heard the need [for medical marijuana]. I'm not 
discounting that there's a lot of people who are against this, but 
they didn't show up. They didn't say anything, and that's what 
democracy is about."

"We held a public meeting, and we know what was said," Mayor Mary 
Cooper commented. "If you follow that, we would have to opt in."

Two other council members are leaning in the other direction, while 
the fifth remained silent.

Pfalzgraff said the one medical marijuana center in Delta seems to be 
working, but he wants to monitor the business's operation closely to 
ensure the state's new regulations are being followed.

In the end, council members decided to delay action until January. 
Magasich and Thomas had hoped for a more definitive answer, but will 
keep moving forward to meet the state's increasingly tougher regulations.

If the City of Delta decides to opt in, it can establish its own set 
of licensing requirements, similar to those which govern liquor 
stores. There would likely be a public hearing during which council 
members could determine whether there is a need and a desire for 
another retail outlet.

Although Magasich isn't opposed to competition, he doesn't believe 
medical marijuana centers should be allowed to "pop up on every 
corner in the city."

"I honestly think it should be based on population," he said.

If the city decides to ban retail outlets, John Thomas told council 
members there is a down side. "If you opt out, it gives the caregiver 
the right to have 19 patients," he said. "That's six plants a 
patient, for a total of 114 plants. That's a lot of plants for one caregiver."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom