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TAKE THE PROFIT MOTIVES OUT OF BOULDER'S MARIJUANA SALES

Boulder City Council's implementation of Amendment 64 needs to only concern itself with one priority.  That priority is: "What was the intent of the voters in approving the amendment in overwhelming numbers in the city of Boulder."

What I believe voters stated in voting for Amendment 64 is that they were tired of the excessive war on drugs, tired of the violence surrounding drug cartels and tired of the state intruding into their lives over issues of relatively low governmental concern.

Additionally voters did not express concerns over increasing local excise taxation, minor access to marijuana nor drug addiction issues like those currently being touted by stealth opponents to Amendment 64.  That tiny voter minority voted against it.

Council needs to address the primary issue of marijuana in our city.  That being Mexican drug cartels currently control the production and distribution of this plant.  Secondarily quasi-legal state implemented medical marijuana cartels provide limited access to this plant charging many hundreds of dollars for what is essentially a free growing weed.  To eliminate this status quo City Council must empower recreational and medical users to become the means of production and distribution of marijuana, eliminating the cartels and medical dispensary middlemen.

As a preliminary measure council should concern itself as to how recreational and medical users of marijuana can easily access this commodity without undo regulatory overhead.  To accomplish this I suggest making only seed stock available from licensed liquor merchants already regulated by state and local authorities.  Seed stock requires a commitment from the marijuana consumer to produce their own commodity and in the process eliminates the profit motive currently surrounding the sale of the plant.  A merchant could sell say a dozen seeds for 10 bucks with the city collecting $3 from the sale.

Minors will not be getting high from seeds illegally obtained at a liquor store on Saturday night.  Certainly no juveniles are illegally dosing themselves with beer recently purchased as components from the local homebrew shop.  Those adults wishing for immediate marijuana gratification can do so by driving to another nearby jurisdiction that sells it on demand.

So City should step back and reconsider the motives of the voters again and place their priorities on those concerns -- which is to take the money out of marijuana first.  Then they can immerse themselves in the minutiae of their over regulatory impulses.

CARTER S.  JOHNSON

Boulder