Pubdate: Fri, 28 Dec 2012
Source: Fort Collins Coloradoan (CO)
Copyright: 2012 The Fort Collins Coloradoan
Contact: http://www.coloradoan.com/customerservice/contactus.html
Website: http://www.coloradoan.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1580
Author: Patrick Malone

COUNTY'S FIRST DISCUSSION OVER LEGAL MARIJUANA SCHEDULED

Three Colorado counties are already progressing toward banning 
recreational marijuana businesses, and Larimer County commissioners 
will meet Jan. 14 to begin shaping the local course for managing them.

Colorado voters last month approved Amendment 64 legalizing 
recreational marijuana and the possession and distribution of up to 1 
ounce or six plants for people 21 and older. But many facets of 
marijuana's transition from taboo to commercial remain to be 
reconciled by state lawmakers and regulators, ranging from its 
taxation to its growth and distribution.

"The rules are so wide open, I don't think we even know which way is 
up right now," said Larimer County Commissioner Lew Gaiter.

Douglas County did not wait for the state to answer questions about 
the implementation of Amendment 64. Commissioners there have banned 
commercial marijuana businesses, and proposed bans are progressing in 
Weld and El Paso counties.

Larimer County commissioners said they are less inclined to take such 
a hard line, but they are willing to entertain slow-walking the 
establishment of marijuana enterprises until all of the state 
guidelines governing them are in place.

"The only thing that I might consider at this stage of the game is a 
temporary moratorium, not so that we can say, 'No way, not in Larimer 
County,' but so we can get our arms around the situation," Gaiter said.

"That might be a wise thing until we have a level playing field and 
some certainty for people," Commissioner Steve Johnson said.

All three Larimer County commissioners expressed their personal 
opposition to Amendment 64 before the election, but they now say that 
they accept the outcome and will honor it.

"Our job is to carry out the wishes of the voters in the best way for 
Larimer County," Johnson said. "To ban the sale completely of 
something that according to state law people can legally possess and 
use is going to force them to obtain it illegally in the county, and 
that is not a good situation."

Gaiter neither opposes marijuana businesses altogether nor supports a 
wide-open approach to them.

"There's a lot of gray area around this that we need to define, but 
for me to say a hard, 'No, no way, no matter what,' I'm not there - 
or a hard yes under any circumstances, I'm not there either," he said.

As they had with the proliferation of medical marijuana dispensaries, 
the commissioners will mull whether less-populated, rural portions of 
the county are suitable for marijuana business, or whether it makes 
better sense to shepherd them toward pockets of population, where 
resources such as utilities and law enforcement already are established.

"Really the only issue with the county probably is the land use 
issue," said Commissioner Tom Donnelly. "The questions we'll be 
dealing with will be whether we have adequate infrastructure to host 
large-scale commercial operations. That's probably where our 
discussion will head. That's probably a little more boring and a 
little less controversial than the details they'll be working out in Denver."

Nonetheless, everyone on the board expects that the spectrum of 
interests that collide at the intersection of legal marijuana and 
government will generate a lively discussion.

[sidebar]

Amendment 64 hearing

Larimer County commissioners will hear from residents, the sheriff 
and the district attorney during the first public meeting to guide 
the county toward implementation of Colorado's constitutional 
amendment legalizing recreational marijuana.

When: 10 a.m., Jan. 14

Where: Commissioners' conference room, second floor, Larimer County 
Courthouse Offices, 200 W. Oak St., Fort Collins
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