Weedpipe
Active Member
Town leaders in Superior passed an ordinance Monday evening prohibiting any medical-marijuana facility from setting up shop in town, becoming the first municipality in Boulder County to ban the dispensaries outright.
Trustees voted 6-to-0 in favor of the ban, which will take effect in about a month. Trustee Debra Williams was absent.
Superior appears to be the states second town or city to permanently ban medical marijuana dispensaries since the Colorado Legislature passed a law last month regulating the industry and allowing municipalities to outlaw the facilities. Vail was the first to enact a ban on June 1.
Mayor Andrew Muckle said Superior, which doesnt have any dispensaries currently in operation, could always revisit the issue later if its apparent that residents want them.
If we permit something, its very difficult to go back, he said.
Medical marijuana advocates reacted immediately to Superiors decision.
Its my impression that the leaders of Superior are passing poor public policy, said Brian Vicente, executive director of Sensible Colorado. I think its going to hurt the sickest members of their community.
He said the town is inviting costly litigation from those who believe that the states decision to allow towns and cities to ban dispensaries is unconstitutional.
A decade ago, Colorado voters passed Amendment 20, which allows people with debilitating medical conditions to consume marijuana. The amendment to the state constitution stipulated that caregivers could provide medicinal pot to patients but didnt speak to the legality of dispensaries, which blossomed statewide this year after the Obama administration said it wouldnt use federal law to pursue dispensary owners.
It is estimated there are now 1,100 dispensaries statewide and about half are not expected to survive the stricter regulations at the state level. Gov. Bill Ritter signed the legislation into law last week.
Patients have the right to access medicine at a storefront just like anyone else trying get medicine, Vicente said, lambasting Superiors vote. Its like banning pharmacies.
With two dispensaries open across U.S. 36 in Louisville, Mayor Muckle said, Superiors ban is hardly restricting residents abilities to obtain medical marijuana.
Superior has long been aggressive in its opposition to dispensaries, being the first in the state to ban them last fall. The town rescinded the ban a few months later after determining that it might be on shaky legal ground without clear regulations from the state. It imposed a moratorium instead.
Mondays vote was in sharp contrast to a decision last month by the towns planning commission to oppose a ban. The commission felt that dispensaries should be permitted and regulated in Superior because they are already allowed under state law.
I would just have to disagree with them on this issue, said Trustee Elia Gourgouris, noting that several of his constituents had contacted him urging him to vote for the ban.
No members of the public spoke out on the issue Monday evening.
Muckle seemed to recognize the import of the boards vote, acknowledging that Superior is once again on the cutting edge of the issue.
A number of other Colorado municipalities will likely follow in Superiors footsteps. Greenwood Village is in the process of approving a dispensary ban. Aurora plans to put the issue of a ban up to a vote of its residents in November.
Several town and cities in Boulder County including Louisville, Lafayette, Erie, and Longmont have put in place moratoriums on new dispensaries and are in the midst of trying to figure out what kind of regulations to pass.
Its too soon to say whether any of them are planning to introduce their own bans.
News Forum: rollitup.org
Source: dailycamera.com
Author: John Aguilar
Contact: http://www.dailycamera.com/
Copyright: 2010 Media News group
Website: http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_15296046?source=most_viewed
Trustees voted 6-to-0 in favor of the ban, which will take effect in about a month. Trustee Debra Williams was absent.
Superior appears to be the states second town or city to permanently ban medical marijuana dispensaries since the Colorado Legislature passed a law last month regulating the industry and allowing municipalities to outlaw the facilities. Vail was the first to enact a ban on June 1.
Mayor Andrew Muckle said Superior, which doesnt have any dispensaries currently in operation, could always revisit the issue later if its apparent that residents want them.
If we permit something, its very difficult to go back, he said.
Medical marijuana advocates reacted immediately to Superiors decision.
Its my impression that the leaders of Superior are passing poor public policy, said Brian Vicente, executive director of Sensible Colorado. I think its going to hurt the sickest members of their community.
He said the town is inviting costly litigation from those who believe that the states decision to allow towns and cities to ban dispensaries is unconstitutional.
A decade ago, Colorado voters passed Amendment 20, which allows people with debilitating medical conditions to consume marijuana. The amendment to the state constitution stipulated that caregivers could provide medicinal pot to patients but didnt speak to the legality of dispensaries, which blossomed statewide this year after the Obama administration said it wouldnt use federal law to pursue dispensary owners.
It is estimated there are now 1,100 dispensaries statewide and about half are not expected to survive the stricter regulations at the state level. Gov. Bill Ritter signed the legislation into law last week.
Patients have the right to access medicine at a storefront just like anyone else trying get medicine, Vicente said, lambasting Superiors vote. Its like banning pharmacies.
With two dispensaries open across U.S. 36 in Louisville, Mayor Muckle said, Superiors ban is hardly restricting residents abilities to obtain medical marijuana.
Superior has long been aggressive in its opposition to dispensaries, being the first in the state to ban them last fall. The town rescinded the ban a few months later after determining that it might be on shaky legal ground without clear regulations from the state. It imposed a moratorium instead.
Mondays vote was in sharp contrast to a decision last month by the towns planning commission to oppose a ban. The commission felt that dispensaries should be permitted and regulated in Superior because they are already allowed under state law.
I would just have to disagree with them on this issue, said Trustee Elia Gourgouris, noting that several of his constituents had contacted him urging him to vote for the ban.
No members of the public spoke out on the issue Monday evening.
Muckle seemed to recognize the import of the boards vote, acknowledging that Superior is once again on the cutting edge of the issue.
A number of other Colorado municipalities will likely follow in Superiors footsteps. Greenwood Village is in the process of approving a dispensary ban. Aurora plans to put the issue of a ban up to a vote of its residents in November.
Several town and cities in Boulder County including Louisville, Lafayette, Erie, and Longmont have put in place moratoriums on new dispensaries and are in the midst of trying to figure out what kind of regulations to pass.
Its too soon to say whether any of them are planning to introduce their own bans.
News Forum: rollitup.org
Source: dailycamera.com
Author: John Aguilar
Contact: http://www.dailycamera.com/
Copyright: 2010 Media News group
Website: http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_15296046?source=most_viewed