COUNCIL HEARS BID FOR MEDICAL POT OVERSIGHT

Novice corporation offers to monitor marijuana dispensaries for
city.

Like cities across the state, Pueblo City Council has been waiting
for the Legislature to make decisions on just how cities are supposed
to license and oversee medical marijuana dispensaries.

It's a fast-changing industry and council got another reminder of
that Monday night when a fledgling corporation called First American
Repository of Medical Marijuana made the city an unexpected proposal
- -- to be the licensing, education and quality control agency for the
marijuana growers and dispensaries in the city.

"We'd be fulfilling a role outside what the city would normally do,"
Charles T. Houghton, a Colorado Springs lawyer, explained during
council's work session Monday night.

Council has a moratorium on licensing dispensaries until June 1 and
City Manager Jerry Pacheco said city staff is closely monitoring what
the Legislature decides about regulating the medical marijuana
industry. But Houghton's proposal to have a private, for-profit
corporation step in to create a regulatory agency for the city was
greeted with obvious skepticism.

"Are you proposing to be a fourth party in this process?" Councilman
Steve Nawrocki quizzed Houghton and Brian Lee, who owns a dispensary
in Colorado Springs and serves on that city's marijuana task force.

Houghton explained that FARMM would license growers in the city,
track the number of plants they could legally possess, check the
quality of the marijuana grown and be "the eyes and ears" for the
city and law enforcement -- "So they know the good guys from the bad
guys."

Councilwoman Vera Ortegon asked what qualified Houghton and Lee, or
any of FARMM staff, to do that job for the city? Houghton
acknowledged that Pueblo would be the first client for the new
corporation, but pointed out the Legislature is not moving quickly to
provide cities with any licensing guidance and may stop short of
providing all the guidance city councils would like.

Councilwoman Judy Weaver responded the city could extend its
moratorium if necessary while council decides what regulations are
necessary.

On other matters, Pacheco passed out a memorandum to council
explaining what grants the city is pursuing from Great Outdoors
Colorado, the trust fund created by Colorado Lottery profits. Last
week, the GOCO board announced $24 million in grants, spread over 23
projects across the state, but none were in Southern Colorado.

The memo given to council noted the city had received GOCO funding
for the $2.3 million Lake Minnequa project and staff is pursuing more
grants for the second phase of that park project. In addition, the
city has obtained GOCO funding for projects along the Fountain Creek
corridor, including a planning grant for a trail system that will
extend from Eighth Street south to the confluence with the Arkansas
River.

The city is also seeking GOCO funding for improvements in City
Park.

City planners said needed work at the Honor Farm would also be
eligible for GOCO funding, including fencing off the perimeter,
improving park entrance stations and other infrastructure.