VAIL VALLEY POT SHOPS SURVIVING

Five Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Are Currently Operating In The
Vail Valley, Industry Insiders Say

VAIL VALLEY, Colorado -- They sell pot brownies and glass smoking
devices. They keep marijuana plants under lights. They court skiers
with busted knees and locals with multiple sclerosis in Colorado's
Vail Valley.

In all, five medical marijuana dispensaries are currently operating
in the Vail Valley, industry insiders say.

And applications for two more dispensaries will come before the Eagle
town planning commission Jan. 5.

The question on many people's minds: will the pot shop trend take
root or go up in smoke?

When medical marijuana shops started to appear here this past summer,
local towns took stands on them. Vail, Minturn, Avon and Gypsum do
not allow dispensaries, citing federal laws forbidding them. Eagle
allows dispensaries as a special use, but the shops have to get a
medical marijuana permit, similar to a liquor license.

With so many towns banning dispensaries, unincorporated Eagle County
has become the popular spot for pot. Eagle-Vail and Edwards are home
to the existing dispensaries. State law prevents Eagle County from
regulating medical marijuana shops, county attorney Bryan Treu has
said. County officials passed temporary zoning laws limiting where
the dispensaries can operate.

After existing on the fringes of the law for years, medical marijuana
sellers are trying to prove that they're here for a legitimate cause:
to help patients.

Scott Ziegler, the owner of Holistic Healthcare Dispensary in
Edwards, said medical marijuana helps with his Parkinson's disease.
He wants to educate people about the drug's benefits.

"We've had some people say that's really helped with the pain," he
said. "I had one lady who was addicted to Oxcycodone. I've gotten her
completely off of it. She said I turned her whole life around."

With heated sidewalks and a wheelchair lift, his dispensary caters to
the handicapped.

"Out of the 90 patients we have right now, over 80 percent are over
the age of 50," he said. "We don't sell to the people that are
wanting to use it just to get high."

One point of frustration for Ziegler is that the state does not
inspect the dispensaries, even as the stores continue to
proliferate.

"Right now, with the way the economy is, everybody is trying to get
their foot in the door, just because so many people don't have an
income any more," he said. "I think it's going to be kind of like the
wild, wild west until they have somebody from the state of Colorado
start monitoring them."

Here's a look at dispensaries in the Vail Valley:

- - Herbal Elements, Eagle-Vail When opened: end of
August

Where: 51 Eagle Road (at Highway 6 and Eagle Road)

Phone: 970-949-7008

Sells: Fifteen to 18 strains of medical marijuana, sweets (such as
cookies) and tea made with medical marijuana

Details: Specializes in "clones," medical marijuana plants customers can
take home

Atmosphere: Lobby looks like a bit like a medical office, with some
definite exceptions: Vintage record covers, local artwork and a large
poster featuring marijuana leafs with the store's logo hang on the walls.
One room houses marijuana.

- - Rocky Mountain High Pain Management and Wellness Center, Edwards
When opened: Sept. 25

Where: 0105 Edwards Village Blvd., unit C-104 (between Prestige cleaners
and Bottle & Cork)

Phone: 970-926-4408

Sells: Twenty to 30 strains of medical marijuana, baked goods made with
medical marijuana (such as brownies, lemon bars), glassware, massage,
acupuncture

Details: In-house doctor, portion of the profits benefit children with cancer

Atmosphere: An antique wooden desk and large flatscreen TV decorate the
lobby. The back room boasts a large glass cases filled with fancy smoking
devices.

- - Tree Line Premier Dispensary, Eagle-Vail When opened:
mid-September

Where: 40801 Highway 6, Suite 215 (above Paddy's Sport Bar and Grill)

Phone: 970-949-1887

Sells: 18 strains of medical marijuana, candies, baked goods made with
medical marijuana (such as ginger snaps)

Details: Plans to develop healthy, savory foods made with medical marijuana

Atmosphere: Lounge features an L-shaped couch and leather armchair,
occasionally with reggae music playing in the background. Vintage record
covers hang on the wall of the bud tender's office.

- - Holistic Healthcare Dispensary, Edwards When opened: About two
months ago

Where: In the former Eagle County Sheriff's Office substation in the
Edwards Plaza (below Asian Spice Bistro)

Phone: 970-569-4202

Sells: About five strains of medical marijuana, baked goods made with
medical marijuana (banana bread, brownies), tinctures

Details: Lounge with wifi

Atmosphere: With covered parking, heated sidewalks and a lift to carry
wheelchairs up the stairs to the bathroom, the dispensary caters to the
handicapped. The lobby features a large L-shaped couch and TV. Jars
with free snacks greet customers at the entrance.

- - New Hope Wellness Center, Edwards When opened: August

Where: 210 Edwards Village Blvd, B-110 (Edwards commercial park)

Phone: 970-569-3701

Sells: Twenty strains of medical marijuana, baked good made with medical
marijuana (such as Chex mix, zucchini loaf), plans to develop quiche and
ice cream made with marijuana.

Details: Dispensary helps customers find other services, like grocery
delivery or lawn care, at discount prices.

Atmosphere: Colorful local art hangs in the lobby. Glass cases house baked
goods and glass bowls. Lights hover over medical marijuana "clones."