Pubdate: Thu, 13 Jan 2011
Source: Boulder Weekly (CO)
Copyright: 2011 Boulder Weekly
Contact:  http://www.boulderweekly.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/57
Author: Ryan Hartman

DOUBLE STANDARDS FOR POT

Before starting, I would like to clarify two things. First, I am the 
owner of a medical marijuana center located in east Boulder and in 
operation since August of 2009. Second, I want it to be clearly 
understood that there has not been one day that I take for granted 
the enormous growth in acceptance of medical marijuana.

That said, I have two major bones to pick with the Boulder City 
Council over recent comments (I also have a bone the size of a killer 
whale to pick, concerning the obese fees we have been forced to pay, 
but that's for another letter). My first complaint is concerning the 
attempt of the City Council to regulate the way our industry 
advertises. The first thing my lawyer told me when I had the idea to 
open up a center was that we should advertise as if this was a 
medicine (which I hope everyone in the industry agrees with). He 
pointed out that we don't see ads in the Boulder Weekly from 
Walgreen's or Safeway bragging about how potent their Vicodin is, so 
we should not brag about the strength of our cannabis. From day one, 
we have had one small ad in the Boulder Weekly and nothing else. I 
also disagree with the centers who use sex or lies (what exactly is a 
4 gram 1/8th? Is it like a 3,000lb. ton?) to sell their product, and 
therefore I do not use these methods.

Despite all of this, I do not think it is in the rights of the City 
Council to take offense and decide what we can and cannot say (unless 
of course, our ads are directed at underage children or 
non-patients). When I look at the Boulder Weekly and turn past the 
pages upon pages of ads for liquor and other products that have the 
potential to kill, I find ads in the back for prostitution. Sure, 
they call themselves masseuse, but look at the terminology they use. 
One "California Blonde" promises "NY style in and out." What could 
this possibly mean? Why is the City Council not concerned with an 
industry that is illegal on the local, state and federal level?

My second complaint has to do with the smell of the Cannabis plant. 
While I think that it is one of the most pleasurable odors to ever 
grace my nose passage, I understand that not all people feel this way 
(although I can't say that I've met more than a handful of people in 
my life). We personally do everything in our power - for security 
reasons - to cover up the smell, but who would it hurt if we didn't?

When I walk out the door of my center I am greeted twice a week by 
the smell of roasting coffee. I personally find this smell 
disgusting, like burning plastic. What can I do about it? If I call 
the police, will they shut down the coffee brewery? If the smell of 
burning plastic isn't in the air, I can smell the burning flesh (if 
real meat is even being used) at the Wendy's directly next door. 
While I am not offended by this smell, I know dozens of people who 
are. There are also tens of thousands of people who die from 
over-consuming this product every year, yet I never see a city-backed 
campaign to rid the city of the smell of death. Finally, when I look 
to the east, I see a giant smoke stack producing poisonous toxins 
being breathed in by all of us, against our will. Has Xcel ever been 
fined for this? Where are the front-page articles and city council 
meetings to rid this cancer from our community?

I could probably write a book about all the unfair regulations and 
fees that are being passed our way (such as having to offset 100 
percent of our electricity use, not being allowed to stay open past 7 
p.m., having to get sales tax licenses for buildings not selling 
anything, and etc.), but the above two issues are what concern me 
most today. I'm sure that not everyone in the industry is here to 
help humanity, but I can personally guarantee that most of the people 
I have met are, indeed.

Unfortunately, with these hastily thought-up regulations, only the 
rich will survive. Then again, maybe this was the plan from the 
beginning; after all, four or five big corporations will produce more 
for the ruling class than 100 or 200 small businesses.

Ryan Hartman, Boulder Wellness Center/Boulder
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom