PROPOSED MARIJUANA MORATORIUM MAKES SENSE

The business of selling medical marijuana in Grand Junction has gone
from a snail's pace to warp speed in the past few months.

The city legislative committee decided this week to recommend a
moratorium on new medical marijuana dispensaries. The City Council is
expected to review a proposal on a possible moratorium in November.

Addressing this issue now is a wise move on the part of the
legislative committee. While the dispensaries are legal, contribute
to the sales tax base, and provide a service to patients who have
state-issued medical marijuana cards, the number of new pot stores
popping up in town has caught the attention of not only Grand
Junction but other cities in Colorado. Montrose, Durango, Steamboat
Springs, Craig and Kremmling all have moratoriums in place.

Colorado voters passed Amendment 20 in the November 2000. The
amendment authorized the medical use of marijuana for people
suffering from debilitating medical conditions. The Colorado
Department of Public Health and Environment administers the Medical
Marijuana Registry program.

In June 2001, the registry began accepting and processing
applications for registry identification cards, also known as
"medical marijuana" cards.

So, the state oversees the registry side which deals with patients
and caregivers, but what about the business side? The registry is,
according to the state Web site, "silent on the issue of
dispensaries." The state does not license dispensaries, nor does it
regulate dispensaries.

That is where local municipalities come in. In Grand Junction, the
city requires that a person have a business permit and sales tax
license to operate a medical marijuana dispensary.

If a moratorium is approved, dispensaries that are already conducting
business can continue to do so, which is fair. But a moratorium will
simply give the council some time to research and plan for this
fast-growing business sector.