MEDICAL MARIJUANA WILL BE FOCUS ON WEDNESDAY DEBATE

Four politicians on opposite sides of the medical marijuana debate
will face off during a televised forum Wednesday in Colorado Springs
as talk of a ban on dispensaries heats up.

(Click here for a story about new dispensaries.)

Fourth Judicial District Attorney Dan May and state Rep. Mark Waller,
who have criticized the budding medical marijuana industry, will
square off against Colorado Springs City Councilmen Tom Gallagher and
Sean Paige, who have advocated regulating it.

"I hope the other side comes armed with something better to offer
than superstition and scare tactics," Paige said Friday.

The Gazette, KOAA-TV's News First 5 and the Pikes Peak Library
District are co-sponsoring the forum. The forum will center on public
policy issues, including whether medical marijuana dispensaries
should be banned altogether or just in certain areas, such as near
schools and residential areas.

The forum comes as a group of city residents is proposing a November
ballot initiative to ask voters whether medical marijuana
dispensaries should be banned in Colorado Springs. El Paso County
commissioners are also considering referring a question to the ballot
to ask voters whether dispensaries should be outlawed in unincorporated areas.

medical marijuana forum The forum is open to the public. News First 5
anchor Rob Quirk will moderate the forum, and a panel of reporters
will ask questions, but the public is invited to also submit questions.

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday Aug. 18.

Where: Penrose Library, 20 N. Cascade Ave., in the Carnegie --
Special Collections area.

Submit questions: Send questions to daniel.chacon@gazette.com or
news@newsfirst5.com before the forum. The audience will have a chance
to ask questions after the broadcast.

On TV: The forum will be televised live on KOAA Channel 5 and
rebroadcast in the following days.