Pubdate: Fri, 28 Jun 2013
Source: Gazette, The (Colorado Springs, CO)
Copyright: 2013 The Gazette
Contact: http://www.gazette.com/sections/opinion/submitletter/
Website: http://www.gazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/165
Author: Monica Mendoza

COLORADO SPRINGS COUNCIL GET EARFUL ON PROS, CONS OF RETAIL MARIJUANA SALES

Each speaker who stood at the podium in City Hall on Thursday made a 
compelling argument about potential retail marijuana sales in Colorado Springs.

Selling marijuana in retail stores could lead to more traffic crashes 
and fatalities, said Colorado Springs Police Chief Pete Carey.

On the other hand, selling marijuana could boost the economy with 
jobs and sales tax revenue. For every point there was a counterpoint 
as residents in a standing-room only hall waited patiently to speak.

"The black market has no rules, no regulations," said Don McKay, 
co-owner of Southern Colorado Medical Marijuana. "Marijuana comes 
across the border in bales but the money goes back across in shoe 
boxes. If we regulate, we can define the rules, say where the stores 
will be, who sells it, and generate jobs for local residents."

Colorado Springs City Council hosted a town hall meeting to talk 
about pot and about 60 people signed up to speak. But first the 
council heard from 19 community leaders, who spoke for more than two 
hours on the pros and cons of opening marijuana stores in the city.

Council member Jan Martin said the council had no preconceived 
conclusions about whether to allow or ban sales of recreational 
marijuana and wanted to hear from citizens before deciding. The 
council is expected to make a decision on the issue on July 23.

There are many things to consider, said Rachel Allen, attorney for 
the Colorado Municipal League. First there is a strict timeline the 
state law laid down, including an upcoming Oct. 1 deadline when 
cities must decide whether they will allow retail marijuana sales or not.

To date, 34 Colorado cities and counties have banned retail marijuana 
sales; 25 cities or counties have put a moratorium on sales and will 
take action at a later date, she said.

"I don't think people approve something because they want you to ban 
it," said former city council member Sean Paige, who urged the 
council to allow sales and regulate the new industry.

In November, Colorado voters approved Amendment 64, which legalized 
marijuana possession and sales. Voters said they want to regulate 
retail marijuana sales like alcohol. But the law also says local 
governments can opt out of retail sales.

Marijuana is a scary proposition for many citizens, Paige said. He 
was on council when it faced regulating medical marijuana dispensaries.

"People told us all hell was going to break loose if we didn't ban 
(medical) marijuana outright," Paige said.

Instead the council regulated medical marijuana and now there are 
about 90 licensed medical marijuana dispensaries in the city.

"All the scary things did not come to pass," he said.

But retail marijuana sales for anyone over age 21 is different. No 
military officer wants to see young soldiers or airmen kicked out of 
the military over smoking a joint they bought at the corner store, 
retired military officers said.

"Voters gave our community the option to opt out," said Don Kidd, 
from the Military Affairs Council.

Kidd said local military leaders believe retail marijuana sales could 
create disciplinary problems among the troops. And that is a 
discriminating point that would be considered if the Department of 
Defense was looking at base closures, he said.

Rosemary Harris Lytle, president of the NAACP 
Colorado/Montana/Wyoming State Conference, had a different view of 
how marijuana affects young people. It's a civil rights issue and 
NAACP endorsed Amendment 64, "because of the impact of incarceration 
on young men and women of color," she said. "We know from our 
research that possessing a joint has great impact on the lives of 
young people."

She asked council to move forward on regulating marijuana sales.

The state Department of Revenue is expected to release its rules and 
regulations next week and then begin accepting applications for 
retail marijuana stores after Oct. 1, Allen said. The first retail 
marijuana store in the state could be open by Jan. 1, 2014.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom