USE THE 'TIME OUT' TO DRAFT GUIDELINES

A proliferation of medical marijuana dispensaries in Grand Junction
resulted in the City Council imposing a 12-month moratorium on the
licensing of the businesses.

The decision, which was made earlier this week, came at the end of a
public hearing on the issue in which many owners and operators of the
businesses in the area voiced their support for a so-called "time
out."

Some of those business owners also encouraged City Council members to
go visit their shops in order to get a better sense about the nature
of their activities. That would seem like a good idea. The City
Council is going to have plenty of time.

While we agree with their unanimous decision to impose the
moratorium, we also hope the group uses the time to draft some
guidelines with respect to regulating the businesses. There appears
to be some desire to let the state take the lead on the issue. Ceding
to the state would be the easiest thing to do given some have called
upon the legislature to lay down law to regulate dispensaries in
Colorado. But taking a proactive approach to the issue would also be
a good thing for the council, much like some other municipalities
have done in recent months. Fruita is the latest example of this.
Tuesday, the Fruita City Council opened the door for medical
marijuana stores to set up shop in their city limits, but only under
certain regulatory conditions similar to what liquor stores must follow.

The town of Silverthorne decided in October to allow the dispensaries
to operate as long as the businesses were not located within certain
proximity of public places, residential neighborhoods and schools. In
contrast, the Dillon City Council rejected regulations to permit the
dispensaries in the Summit County town even though the decision this
month would appear to run afoul of state law. A moratorium on
dispensaries was also extended until mid-February giving the town of
Dillon some time to figure out its next move.

While we respect the right of each governing body to address the
issue as each deems a fit manner, we also think, in some small way
each is contributing to a larger discussion that could eventually
lead to universal regulation within the state. Given that Grand
Junction has long been an influential and leading voice in the state,
it would seem now is the time to act instead of taking a back seat
and letting others do the bidding for them.

Members of the Free Press Editorial Board are Publisher Valerie J.
Smith, Managing Editor Tracy Dvorak, and Staff Writer Wyatt Haupt Jr.