The Greeley City Council will take up the medical marijuana issue again June 15, but this time it will simply fine-tune the city's current ordinance, which City Attorney Rick Brady said was "the strictest in the state" when the previous council passed a ban on dispensaries last fall.
The Colorado Legislature recently passed House Bill 1284, which regulates the cultivation and sale of medical marijuana in the state. The legislation adopted new terminology including "medical marijuana centers," instead of "dispensaries," and "medical marijuana-infused product," "medical marijuana-infused products manufacturer" and "optional premises cultivation operation."
Current Greeley code defines a medical marijuana dispensary as being "the use of a property for profit or otherwise which is operated by any person including, but not limited to, a patient or caregiver and which is used to cultivate, distribute, transmit, give, dispense or otherwise provide marijuana in any manner to any other person."
Brady said Greeley probably went too far in banning the caregiver aspect of the law, which, as apparently intended by voters who approved Amendment 20 a decade ago, allows a "caregiver" to provide medical marijuana to a small number of people. Under the new Colorado legislation, Brady said, "you can't go so far as to deny a caregiver so long as they have five clients or less."
So, Greeley's amended version will include such an allowance because "we think our (current code) is probably too strict given the legislation," Brady said, particularly in terms of the ban on what caregivers can do.
Basically, he said, Greeley would change the code to be consistent with the language and terms of the state law. State law still allows municipalities to ban the cultivation and sale of medical marijuana.
The council approved on first reading the amended language to the city's ordinance on marijuana dispensaries.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Greeley Tribune
Author: Chris Casey
Copyright: 2010 Swift Communications, Inc.
The Colorado Legislature recently passed House Bill 1284, which regulates the cultivation and sale of medical marijuana in the state. The legislation adopted new terminology including "medical marijuana centers," instead of "dispensaries," and "medical marijuana-infused product," "medical marijuana-infused products manufacturer" and "optional premises cultivation operation."
Current Greeley code defines a medical marijuana dispensary as being "the use of a property for profit or otherwise which is operated by any person including, but not limited to, a patient or caregiver and which is used to cultivate, distribute, transmit, give, dispense or otherwise provide marijuana in any manner to any other person."
Brady said Greeley probably went too far in banning the caregiver aspect of the law, which, as apparently intended by voters who approved Amendment 20 a decade ago, allows a "caregiver" to provide medical marijuana to a small number of people. Under the new Colorado legislation, Brady said, "you can't go so far as to deny a caregiver so long as they have five clients or less."
So, Greeley's amended version will include such an allowance because "we think our (current code) is probably too strict given the legislation," Brady said, particularly in terms of the ban on what caregivers can do.
Basically, he said, Greeley would change the code to be consistent with the language and terms of the state law. State law still allows municipalities to ban the cultivation and sale of medical marijuana.
The council approved on first reading the amended language to the city's ordinance on marijuana dispensaries.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Greeley Tribune
Author: Chris Casey
Copyright: 2010 Swift Communications, Inc.
