SUMMIT COUNTY'S MARIJUANA MORATORIUM LIKELY TO BE EXTENDED

County Commissioners Defer To State Before Making Pot Regs

BRECKENRIDGE - Unincorporated Summit County will likely have to wait
another six months or more before it has a set of medical marijuana
dispensary regulations.

During a public hearing Tuesday, Sheriff John Minor told the Board of
County Commissioners he was concerned about passing a law "that
allows something that may not be allowed in a few months."

The Colorado General Assembly this session is considering legislation
that could limit medical marijuana caregivers to five patients, which
could quash dispensaries that have popped up across the state - and
local communities - in the past year.

"I don't want to make a bigger deal of this than need be, but I think
what Sheriff Minor is recommending to us makes a whole lot of sense,"
Commissioner Thomas Davidson said.

Plans proposed for dispensaries in the county would limit them to
commercial and industrial zoning and require security systems - among
other regulations similar to what have been passed by towns such as
Frisco and Breckenridge.

The proposal also includes set distances from schools, public parks
and churches.

An existing, 120-day moratorium on county dispensaries was enacted
Oct. 27. Commissioners are to consider an extension at the next
meeting, and discussion of the regulations is postponed to the June 8
BOCC meeting.

Frisco resident Bernie Zurbriggen said during the public hearing that
he was concerned with measurement discrepancies between the medical
marijuana dispensary proposal and existing regulations for sexually
oriented businesses.

"In (county code) it basically says that you would measure from the
property line of the sexually oriented business to the leasehold" of
a church or school, he said.

The dispensary proposal would apply from lot line to lot line, Zurbriggen said.

"I can tell you from experience this makes a big difference," he said.

For example, lot lines for a business in a complex would be farther
out than its leasehold.

Robert Allen