GROWING MARIJUANA NOT ALL FUN AND GAMES

Making a business out of growing and selling marijuana is tougher
than it used to be.

Many of the thousands of people who attended the first Colorado
Springs Medical Cannabis Expo found that out Sunday. They were
bombarded with information about laws, zoning, restrictions and
up-front costs.

"There's a lot more to it than what I had thought," said Loretta
Duran, who had hoped to grow marijuana on her family ranch and sell
it to dispensaries. She found out Sunday that she's not allowed to
grow marijuana where she lives.

"Now I'm not sure how it's going to go," she said.

She wasn't the only one disappointed. Several people walked angrily
out of a presentation on medical marijuana laws when they realized
just how tough it would be to start their own business.

Shirley Garduno, event manager, said the purpose of the expo was to
give people reliable information, even if it wasn't what they wanted to hear.

"A lot of people think it's a gold rush, but it really isn't," she
said. "They think they can get started without a business plan or a
business background. A lot of these people will go away because they
aren't good business people."

Besides the overabundance of pierced noses and long-haired men,
Sunday's show was a typical trade show.

Attendees walked from booth to booth and collected swag from
presenters who told them how to advertise their business, get credit
or get legal representation. No marijuana samples were distributed,
though some dispensaries did hand out baked goods without cannabis.

"They taste the same with marijuana in it," Garduno said.

Mostly, the event gave professional advice to wannabe entrepreneurs
such as Bob Aubuchon.

He's grown marijuana and is sure he can make a business out of it.
Hearing about all of the laws and restrictions worried him a bit,
but he wasn't deterred. He spent his day talking to dispensaries and
finding out how to grow marijuana.

"There's a lot of money to be made and a lot of good that you can do," he said.