Pubdate: Sat, 08 Jan 2011
Source: Summit Daily News (CO)
Copyright: 2011 Summit Daily News
Contact: http://apps.summitdaily.com/forms/letter/index.php
Website: http://www.summitdaily.com/home.php
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/587
Author: Caddie Nath
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?277 (Cannabis - Medicinal -  Colorado)
Bookmark: http://mapinc.org/topic/Dispensaries

SUMMIT COUNTY HANGS ON TO POT DISPENSARY MORATORIUM

Commissioners Shelve Discussion on Dispensary Regulations Pending 
Expected Changes to State Pot Laws

BRECKENRIDGE - The Summit Board of County Commissioners voted 
unanimously Friday to extend an existing moratorium on medical 
marijuana dispensaries in unincorporated Summit County until June 30.

The resolution, the county's first of this year, will put decisions 
regarding the regulation of dispensaries at the county level on hold 
until the end of the state legislative session, during which current 
state medical marijuana regulations could be changed.

"It's clear that there's going to be more activity on this from the 
legislature," Commissioner Thomas Davidson said during the special meeting.

The temporary moratorium, first adopted in late October of 2009, does 
not allow for the submission or approval of applications for licenses 
for businesses that sell or grow medical marijuana in the county.

Individual towns each have their own medical marijuana regulations in place.

Even if the moratorium had not passed, new medical marijuana 
businesses would be unable to get a license from the state until July 
1, but having the moratorium in place allows the county to avoid 
falling under state regulations by not having its own policies in place.

The county does not currently have any applications for new 
dispensaries. There are no dispensaries or grow sites operating in 
unincorporated Summit County right now.

The county dispensary ban was initially set to expire in February of 
last year. It was extended while the state legislature was 
considering a bill regulating the sale, cultivation and manufacture 
of medical marijuana and related products. The bill passed in 2010 
and the moratorium was extended several more times throughout the 
year. It was slated to expire on Jan. 25.

But county officials expect to see amendments to the regulatory law 
during this year's legislative session, set to begin later this 
month. They extended the moratorium to avoid having to revise local 
policies, should the state law be changed in the next few months.

"I think this makes a lot of sense, to figure out the landscape 
you're dealing with," said state Sen. Dan Gibbs. "It's a moving target."

Gibbs will be sworn in as a county commissioner Tuesday morning, 
having run unopposed for Bob French's seat in the November election.

Places in unincorporated Summit County where dispensaries might be 
allowed to operate are limited, as the county hopes to keep them 
confined to industrial areas, county staff members said during the 
meeting Friday. Copper and Keystone, the two biggest commercial parts 
of the county both have asked not to have dispensaries placed there.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom