DILLON FLIPS ON POT SHOP REGS

Town Council Votes Down Ordinance To Ban Businesses That Violate Federal Law

DILLON -- After a suprise vote Tuesday, Dillon officials are
rethinking their stance on allowing medical marijuana dispensaries
in town. The town council voted down an ordinance that prohibited
awarding licenses to businesses considered a public nuisance, or
that violated state and/or federal law. Earlier this year, council
also voted down regulations allowing dispensaries in Dillon.

The code change that essentially would have banned dispensaries from
Dillon was already approved at first reading, but it wasn't passed
Tuesday in a 4-3 vote. Council members Don Parsons, Mary Forsythe
and Doug Roessel wanted to pass it, and council members
Lucinda Burns, Johnny Younger, Ron Holland and Mayor Barbara Davis
voted it down.

According to Davis, she doesn't advocate using marijuana, and she
acknowledged medical marijuana abuse, but she also said that wasn't
the issue for Tuesday's meeting.

"Voters of this state voted for medical marijuana," she said. "The
federal government left it up to the states. I don't think it's up
to us to decide how many of these should be allowed in the state and
the county. ... Towns don't set limits on T-shirt shops, ski shops
and liquor stores. Why should this be any different?"

Town manager Devin Granbery said officials must schedule a time to
discuss the town's new direction in the near future. Dillon
currently has a moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries in
place, which will expire Feb. 13. Any action taken to officially bar
dispensaries, or to come up with a new set of regulations, must take
place before that date. It's also possible to extend the moratorium again.

Three residents attending the public hearing supported the town in
passing the ordinance for health and welfare issues, and one citizen
urged the town to deny the ordinance. He asked council what the
costs were going to be if it had to uphold its ordinance under litigation.

Council members previously cited concerns about abuse, need and lack
of state regulations as reasons for not moving forward on approving
medical marijuana regulations for the town this past fall.

Regulations for dispensaries have already been approved in
Silverthorne, Frisco and Breckenridge -- two have opened in Frisco,
one in Silverthorne, and two are open in Breckenridge -- at this
point -- with an additional permit approved for a third that hasn't opened yet.