CITY TO GET MEDICAL POT STORE

The city's first medical marijuana "store" plans to open Monday as
part of a holistic healing center.

James and Pam Fleming of Fort Collins are opening the EnerChi Healing
Center, 1502 S. College Ave., above Repeat Boutique. The center will
offer healing therapies ranging from kundalini yoga to ayurvedic
medicine, hypnosis, nutrition, meditation, acupuncture and organic
medical marijuana.

Owner James Fleming said being able to provide medical marijuana to
people with chronic pain, illness or other conditions is "incredibly
important."

"We're not out to be legal drug dealers," Fleming said. "Our whole
emphasis is in holistically treating the individual, and medical
marijuana is an integral part of how we do that."

Fleming began using medical marijuana himself more than a year ago to
deal with chronic asthma.

"I was quite disappointed at how difficult it was to find quality
medicine," he said.

But the use of medical marijuana, he said, "completely changed my
life."

He hasn't used his inhaler for more than a year, and, other problems
associated with extended steroid use from his inhalers "have done a
complete 360," he said.

Colorado voters legalized the medical use of marijuana in 2000 when
they passed Amendment 20.

Patients interested in medical marijuana must first get a doctor's
prescription and a state-issued registration card with the name of
their caregiver before they can legally grow, buy or use marijuana to
relieve their symptoms.

"We have to be very diligent in following the way the law is written
as closely as possible," Fleming said.

The couple serves as caregivers to about 10 patients, Fleming said,
but he expects that to increase as word spreads.

Fort Collins police said they were unaware of the new business, but
as long as the Flemings comply with state law there is no problem.

"If this grower is certified, then they can grow it for other legal
users," aid Rita Davis, spokeswoman for Fort Collins Police Services.

The Flemings plan to use proceeds from selling medical marijuana to
help subsidize practitioners' salaries.

According to plans, customers of EnerChi Healing Center can either
buy a membership and pay a reduced rate for every visit or pay a
per-visit rate.

"The rates are much lower than market ... that's where medical
marijuana would compensate," Fleming said.

The cost of medical marijuana will be on a sliding scale, Fleming
said, depending on the patients' specific needs.

Medical marijuana came to the forefront in Fort Collins in 2006 when
a local couple was arrested for growing and distributing pot.

James and Lisa Masters maintained they were acting as caregivers and
growing and distributing medical marijuana legally to patients in
need.

Prosecutors said that neither James nor Lisa Masters were medical
marijuana patients at the time nor was there any documentation that
they were serving as caregivers for other medical marijuana patients.

The charges were eventually dropped after it was ruled the search of
the Masters' home was illegal.

"You have to remember in the Masters' case at the time the marijuana
was confiscated, they did not have their legal certification. That
came after the fact," Davis said. "If the grower is certified, then
that process is legal."