POT SHOPS' NEIGHBORS EXPRESS SAFETY, LIFESTYLE CONCERNS IN FORT
COLLINS

The growth of the medical marijuana industry in Fort Collins has some
residents worried about what that means for their neighborhoods.

Much of the marijuana that is supplying local dispensaries is being
produced locally by indoor "grows," including homes in residential
areas, officials say. Of the 98 businesses with city sales tax
licenses that identify themselves as being the medical marijuana
trade, 40 are in residential zones.

Proposed regulations being considered by the City Council would
include a ban on grows in residential areas, with the exception of
people who are growing only for themselves or one patient.

Small producers could have up to 12 plants, six of which could be
mature, or two ounces of marijuana in their homes and not have to be
licensed as a medical marijuana dispensary, under the proposed
regulations.

Lloyd Walker, a longtime advocate for the Rolland Moore Park
neighborhood, said he supports relegating growing operations to
industrial zones. Allowing them in residential areas puts
neighborhoods at risk for crime, including home invasions, he said.

Allowing grows in rental properties is a particular concern, Walker
said.

A "favorite way" for illegal marijuana users to acquire pot is to
"steal someone else's patch," he said.

Walker said he would prefer to see fewer plants allowed at home-based
grows to keep them from becoming targets.

"There's a big difference between having two ounces in a desk drawer
and six big plants in a basement grow," he said. "That's a recipe for
nutty, stupid things happening."

Other concerns about residential grows include inadequate electrical
wiring to support growing equipment, such as sun lamps and
humidifiers, officials say. An improperly vented grow can lead to
moldy, unhealthy conditions that damage a house.

But medical marijuana proponents say growing operations in homes can
be safe and unobtrusive.

Terri Lynn of Natural Alternatives for Health operates a small grow in
her home, which sits in a neighborhood west of the CSU campus.

Lynn delivers medicine to clients in Fort Collins, Loveland and other
local cities. No clients come to her home, she said. Her neighbors
aren't aware of her growing operation.

College students, with their parties and dogs, are a bigger issue
where she lives than her small business, she said.

"There are all kinds of dangers in the neighborhood, and not all of
them are related to marijuana," she said. "The fact is that, if you
are doing this right, nobody should know what you are doing."

The residential-grow issue has hit close to home twice for Rob Haas,
who lives in southwest Fort Collins. A tenant at a rental property he
owns set up a growing operation without his knowledge.

And he said, a neighbor appears to have a growing operation in his
home, which is guarded by two large dogs.

Haas learned of the grow in his rental property when contacted by the
city about an unpaid electricity bill for the house. The bill was for
several hundred dollars.

The renter admitted he was growing marijuana, Haas said. The renter
was on the state's medical marijuana registry - and appeared to be in
need of the medicine - so Haas allowed him to stay in the house.

Shortly thereafter, the tenant was arrested on drug charges not
related to medical marijuana. The tenant "disappeared," Haas said. His
clients sometimes stopped by the house looking for him.

In cleaning up the rental home, Haas found all of its windows had been
screwed shut. The windows also were blocked by crates stacked up
inside to prevent the bright growing lights from being seen from outside.

A marijuana-growing operation can affect the entire neighborhood, he
said. Security measures taken by growers - such as guard dogs - pose a
threat to other residents.

The safety of homes used for grows is another issue, he said, if they
are not properly wired to handle growing equipment.

Haas said he supports the city's plan to ban grows that would serve
more than one patient from residential areas.

"The right thing to do is make them move to somewhere more
appropriate, like in an industrial area where the risk of fire or
injury can be better managed and there is an abundance of
electricity," he said. "They need to be inspected to make sure they
meet all codes."

Lynn said her growing operation meets all current city regulations and
building codes. Forcing her to move the grow to an industrial area
would add to the cost of running her business, which already operates
on a thin margin.

Forming a co-op with other small growers may be an option if she has
to stop growing at her home, she said.

Regulations being considered by the city and at the state level could
increase the cost of medical marijuana to the point it is unaffordable
for some patients, she said.

"I'm already worried that the most disenfranchised people - those who
are really sick and not the recreational users (that state
politicians) are so worried about - are going to end up bearing most
of the cost," she said.