FIRESTONE BANS POT DISPENSARIES

LONGMONT -- Firestone decided to cut the grass Thursday.

The town's board of trustees voted 6-0 to ban marijuana-related
businesses, including dispensaries. The measure technically could be
pushed to a public vote by petition, but no one showed up to challenge
the ordinance.

"I have not met a single individual in our community who is for
dispensaries," Trustee Paul Sorensen said. "The commercial aspect (of
marijuana), in my point of view, isn't very attractive to the community."

The ban is authorized by a new state law, HB1284, to regulate the
medical marijuana industry. Patients and caregivers in Firestone still
are allowed to possess marijuana under the state constitution.

Town officials said they were concerned by a report of the California
Police Chiefs Association that claimed many of California's
dispensaries attracted crime as a side effect or were tied themselves
to organized crime.

"Too often 'medical marijuana' has been used as a smokescreen for
those who want to legalize it and profit off it, and storefront
dispensaries established as cover for selling an illegal substance for
a lucrative return," the CPCA said in the report.

Firestone Police Chief David Montgomery said he didn't know of any
major problems in neighboring Dacono, which regulates dispensaries,
but that he knew of incidents in the Denver metro area. A ban would
help protect Firestone's quality of life, he said.

Trustee Matt Holcomb noted that under different circumstances, tax
revenue from the dispensaries might provide a good income for the town.

"We have to do the best we can, and I think the best we can do right
now is a ban," he said. "(But) I'm hoping we don't miss a revenue
stream that might turn up in some other town."

"I think what we need to do is proceed with caution," Trustee Bobbie
Sindelar responded. "We can revisit it later. We can look at those
revenue streams later."

"I don't think Firestone's ready for this yet," Trustee Darrell Walsh
agreed.

The measure takes effect 30 days after its publication, unless a
petition is filed before then, signed by 5 percent of the registered
voters. That would force the issue to an election.

Cats and dogs

In other action, trustees talked about loosening the town's pet
limits.

Right now, a Firestone home can have no more than two dogs and two
cats. But a proposed change would allow any combination of four of
those animals, such as three cats and a dog, or four dogs and no cats.

Sindelar thought that four dogs sounded like it could create problems
for neighbors, but Walsh was sympathetic -- he'd brought three dogs
with him when he moved to Firestone.

"Numbers don't keep a nuisance from happening," Walsh said. "One dog
can be a nuisance, or a vicious dog."

"When I lived in New York, I did a rescue for rat terriers," Trustee
Jennifer Weinberger said. "I did seven or eight at a time, and there
was no problem. I have a problem with us being too
restrictive."

A draft measure will be brought to the trustees during a later
meeting.