Wheels are in motion for a campaign leading up to Election Day that will pit medical marijuana business owners against Loveland residents who would like to see them go.
Marijuana will be grown and sold for medical use in Loveland by city-approved businesses until at least March 1 after Tuesday's decision on the most challenging issue the current City Council has confronted.
But voters on Nov. 2 will decide if medical pot businesses can operate, with strict licensing and regulation, after next spring.
Faced with two entrees on a menu prepared by City Attorney John Duval – either of which would have shut down the business by Aug. 17 – council members decided to order a la carte, crafting their own solution.
The proposed ordinance allows the dispensary owners and growers to continue their enterprises and calls on voters to make a final decision.
After midnight, councilors voted 7-2 in favor of a measure that will keep the industry in business until March, regardless of what the voters decide.
A second reading will be scheduled within the next month.
The vote sets the stage for an election campaign, with marijuana business owners fighting for survival.
Heeding Advice
While Wednesday was too soon for either side to articulate a strategy, medical pot advocates were heeding the words that councilors spoke just before their post-midnight vote.
In a nutshell, council members had this advice for business owners: Clean up your act.
"Any reference to 'getting high' is unacceptable, on any signage, or in any other way," council member Joan Shaffer said. "It's a real disservice to legitimate patients."
Mayor Cecil Gutierrez, who said he wrestled long and hard with a decision to allow continued operation of the businesses, said advertising practices must change if the industry expects to survive.
"I'm offended by the marijuana-leaf stickers that are placed all over our light posts around town," he said. "If this is truly going to become a legitimate enterprise, there needs to be a lot of discussion about how it's going to be legitimized."
Some business owners and their employees said Wednesday they get the message.
"We want to build such a rapport with the council, and with the people of Loveland, that they will take our side," said Laura Smith, a medical marijuana patient who does accounting work for a dispensary, Medical Oasis, and consults on other business issues.
'Regulate Ourselves'
"Our intent is to pool resources, to portray a positive image and regulate ourselves before – and more than the city would do."
Councilor Donna Rice, who on Tuesday called upon fellow council members to take a leadership role and shut down the businesses without sending the question to voters, said Wednesday she does not know of anyone who is poised to assume leadership of an anti-pot campaign.
"I'm not going to actively seek an organizer, but I'm certainly interested in helping with an organization," she said.
"I would hope that the churches would step up and take a role in letter-writing and vocalizing."
Shaffer said Wednesday that she and councilor Cathleen McEwen would meet with members of a new medical marijuana industry group in Loveland, the Loveland Association for Wellness.
The purpose would be to explore ways to eliminate offensive signs and inappropriate business names, among other issues.
"We're anxious to do this soon," she said. "I would like to have some sort of self-regulatory document that we can put in front of council. We need to see some movement."
Medical Oasis owner Walter Rayburn, who was among more than 100 people who attended Tuesday's meeting and about 20 who addressed the council, said he would line up behind efforts to reform the medical marijuana business in the city.
'Plastered with Pot'
"We want to make sure we live in a community that isn't plastered with pot leaves," he said.
"We're in business to help people who need it. Most of my patients are 55 and older, and I really believe that this business can be very helpful to them."
Council member Hugh McKean, who joined Rice in opposing the council's quickly drafted ordinance, said his dissent was for reasons different from Rice's.
He said he felt the council never intended to approve medical pot businesses with a vote to grandfather them when a moratorium was imposed on new businesses in November, but that he favored a vote of Loveland residents on the issue.
"I'm still a huge advocate of voting on it," he said. "This is the idea of what our community should be."
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Reporter-Herald
Author: Tom Hacker
Copyright: 2010 Loveland Publishing Co.
* Thanks to MedicalNeed for submitting this article
Marijuana will be grown and sold for medical use in Loveland by city-approved businesses until at least March 1 after Tuesday's decision on the most challenging issue the current City Council has confronted.
But voters on Nov. 2 will decide if medical pot businesses can operate, with strict licensing and regulation, after next spring.
Faced with two entrees on a menu prepared by City Attorney John Duval – either of which would have shut down the business by Aug. 17 – council members decided to order a la carte, crafting their own solution.
The proposed ordinance allows the dispensary owners and growers to continue their enterprises and calls on voters to make a final decision.
After midnight, councilors voted 7-2 in favor of a measure that will keep the industry in business until March, regardless of what the voters decide.
A second reading will be scheduled within the next month.
The vote sets the stage for an election campaign, with marijuana business owners fighting for survival.
Heeding Advice
While Wednesday was too soon for either side to articulate a strategy, medical pot advocates were heeding the words that councilors spoke just before their post-midnight vote.
In a nutshell, council members had this advice for business owners: Clean up your act.
"Any reference to 'getting high' is unacceptable, on any signage, or in any other way," council member Joan Shaffer said. "It's a real disservice to legitimate patients."
Mayor Cecil Gutierrez, who said he wrestled long and hard with a decision to allow continued operation of the businesses, said advertising practices must change if the industry expects to survive.
"I'm offended by the marijuana-leaf stickers that are placed all over our light posts around town," he said. "If this is truly going to become a legitimate enterprise, there needs to be a lot of discussion about how it's going to be legitimized."
Some business owners and their employees said Wednesday they get the message.
"We want to build such a rapport with the council, and with the people of Loveland, that they will take our side," said Laura Smith, a medical marijuana patient who does accounting work for a dispensary, Medical Oasis, and consults on other business issues.
'Regulate Ourselves'
"Our intent is to pool resources, to portray a positive image and regulate ourselves before – and more than the city would do."
Councilor Donna Rice, who on Tuesday called upon fellow council members to take a leadership role and shut down the businesses without sending the question to voters, said Wednesday she does not know of anyone who is poised to assume leadership of an anti-pot campaign.
"I'm not going to actively seek an organizer, but I'm certainly interested in helping with an organization," she said.
"I would hope that the churches would step up and take a role in letter-writing and vocalizing."
Shaffer said Wednesday that she and councilor Cathleen McEwen would meet with members of a new medical marijuana industry group in Loveland, the Loveland Association for Wellness.
The purpose would be to explore ways to eliminate offensive signs and inappropriate business names, among other issues.
"We're anxious to do this soon," she said. "I would like to have some sort of self-regulatory document that we can put in front of council. We need to see some movement."
Medical Oasis owner Walter Rayburn, who was among more than 100 people who attended Tuesday's meeting and about 20 who addressed the council, said he would line up behind efforts to reform the medical marijuana business in the city.
'Plastered with Pot'
"We want to make sure we live in a community that isn't plastered with pot leaves," he said.
"We're in business to help people who need it. Most of my patients are 55 and older, and I really believe that this business can be very helpful to them."
Council member Hugh McKean, who joined Rice in opposing the council's quickly drafted ordinance, said his dissent was for reasons different from Rice's.
He said he felt the council never intended to approve medical pot businesses with a vote to grandfather them when a moratorium was imposed on new businesses in November, but that he favored a vote of Loveland residents on the issue.
"I'm still a huge advocate of voting on it," he said. "This is the idea of what our community should be."
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Reporter-Herald
Author: Tom Hacker
Copyright: 2010 Loveland Publishing Co.
* Thanks to MedicalNeed for submitting this article
