On Tuesday evening, the Belgrade City Council will meet for a public hearing and decision regarding medical marijuana businesses.
On the table is a proposed ordinance to permanently ban such businesses from operating in the city, except those which are already licensed to do so. Of those, there are four commercial caregivers, including one storefront dispensary.
A ban, like those imposed in Great Falls and other cities, will expose the city to costly and needless litigation and will create monopolies, especially in the case of the only licensed dispensary in the city, Honest John's Farmacy, located in the Belgrade Town Center shopping center on West Main Street.
The rational behind a ban is to give the Montana Legislature time to regulate or dismantle the medical marijuana industry, which legislators propose to do in the 2011 session. However, there are many ways for the city to regulate commercial medical marijuana short of banning it entirely.
In 2004, 54 percent of Belgrade voters approved Initiative 148 legalizing medical marijuana. For the city to impose an outright ban on the industry instead of sensible regulations flies in the face of the desires of those voters. It also goes against what a majority of residents who spoke at a recent public meeting appear to want -- regulation of the budding industry.
An outright ban instead of regulation may appear to be the "easy way out," but if the city goes ahead with the idea, it exposes the taxpayers of Belgrade to lawsuits by commercial caregivers who want to do business here. Such a lawsuit was filed recently against the city of Great Falls, which enacted a ban instead of respecting that medical marijuana is legal in Montana.
Belgrade would be wise to follow the lead of cities like Bozeman, which recently crafted an ordinance to regulate this new industry which -- make no mistake -- is here to stay.
The public hearing is set for 7 p.m. at City Hall. All concerned residents should attend.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: The Belgrade News
Contact: The Belgrade News
Copyright: 2010 The Belgrade News
Website: Turn out at med-pot hearing
* Thanks to MedicalNeed for submitting this article
On the table is a proposed ordinance to permanently ban such businesses from operating in the city, except those which are already licensed to do so. Of those, there are four commercial caregivers, including one storefront dispensary.
A ban, like those imposed in Great Falls and other cities, will expose the city to costly and needless litigation and will create monopolies, especially in the case of the only licensed dispensary in the city, Honest John's Farmacy, located in the Belgrade Town Center shopping center on West Main Street.
The rational behind a ban is to give the Montana Legislature time to regulate or dismantle the medical marijuana industry, which legislators propose to do in the 2011 session. However, there are many ways for the city to regulate commercial medical marijuana short of banning it entirely.
In 2004, 54 percent of Belgrade voters approved Initiative 148 legalizing medical marijuana. For the city to impose an outright ban on the industry instead of sensible regulations flies in the face of the desires of those voters. It also goes against what a majority of residents who spoke at a recent public meeting appear to want -- regulation of the budding industry.
An outright ban instead of regulation may appear to be the "easy way out," but if the city goes ahead with the idea, it exposes the taxpayers of Belgrade to lawsuits by commercial caregivers who want to do business here. Such a lawsuit was filed recently against the city of Great Falls, which enacted a ban instead of respecting that medical marijuana is legal in Montana.
Belgrade would be wise to follow the lead of cities like Bozeman, which recently crafted an ordinance to regulate this new industry which -- make no mistake -- is here to stay.
The public hearing is set for 7 p.m. at City Hall. All concerned residents should attend.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: The Belgrade News
Contact: The Belgrade News
Copyright: 2010 The Belgrade News
Website: Turn out at med-pot hearing
* Thanks to MedicalNeed for submitting this article
