DISCRIMINATION GONE TO POT?

MMJ Community, Supporters Rally Against Alleged Unfair
Treatment

Although it is the fastest growing industry in Colorado, many in the
medical marijuana community believe they are being unfairly
discriminated against.

Last Saturday, a medical-marijuana cardholder's "Yes We Cannabis"
T-shirt featuring a marijuana leaf led to him being detained and
given a one-year ban from the Town Center at Aurora. Meanwhile, Rep.
Jared Polis, D-Colo., was one of 15 lawmakers who sent a letter to
Timothy Geithner, Secretary of the Department of Treasury, this week
urging him to assure banks that his department is not looking to go
after financial institutions involved with a medical marijuana
business that's in compliance with the law.

Jessica Corry, a medical-marijuana attorney who is representing John
Gailey, who received the 12-month "ban" from the Town Center at
Aurora, believes medical marijuana has been a benefit for Colorado
and shouldn't be discriminated against.

"Colorado's medical-marijuana boom has resulted in thousands of jobs
not just for caregivers, but also for accountants, marketing
specialists, electricians, plumbers, and a multitude of other
industries," she said. "During these tough economic times, medical
marijuana has brought in $3 million to the state's coffers. People
don't have to believe in medical marijuana to realize its larger
positive impact on our state."

Corry finds it outrageous that Gailey was detained and banned from
the mall for wearing a shirt that contained no "profanity, nudity, or
references to more-dangerous drugs, such as Coors." She pointed out
that during the same week Aurora Police was fighting 5-percent pay
cuts, three officers "had enough time on their hands to arrest a
law-abiding customer."

"This is another example of how out of touch the elite are with the
views of ordinary Coloradans," she said. "With the state's medical
marijuana patient count now estimated at nearly 130,000, the people
are speaking. And for those who don't support medical marijuana, they
are still saying they support saving billions of dollars each year
by bringing our government's continued war against marijuana to an
end."

Aurora Police Department Spokesman Bob Friel said police officers
arrested Gailey after they got a call from mall security that he was
causing a disturbance at the mall. Friel said they arrested Gailey
because of the commotion he was causing at the mall, not because of
his shirt.

Town Center at Aurora General Manager Aj Coffee added that Gailey was
asked to leave because he became "excessively loud and belligerent
and repeatedly shouted obscenities at our staff" after being
"politely asked" to turn his shirt inside out in an "effort to
uniformly apply to our code of conduct that states appropriate and
non-offensive attire must be worn at all times."

Corry says litigation will be avoided if the Aurora Police and Mall
Security by today apologize in writing to Gailey, completely rescind
any "ban" on Gailey's presence at the mall, and confirm that
marijuana-themed T-shirts are always acceptable at the mall.

Friel could not comment on whether the police department would comply
with Corry's requests.

Banks

At the same time Corry is trying to take on Aurora police and a mall,
Polis is helping lead the fight against possible financial
discrimination against medical marijuana businesses. Polis helped
spearhead the letter to Geithner asking his office to issue formal
written guidance for financial institutions that it's not a priority
to target banks that are involved with legally operating medical
marijuana businesses.

"In attempts to comply with the policy articulated by Attorney
General Suthers, many medical marijuana dispensaries have opened or
maintained accounts with major national banking institutions or local
banks," says the letter to Geithner signed by Polis and other
lawmakers. "However, dispensary operators are finding it increasingly
difficult to maintain accounts with financial institutions, due to
what a spokesman for Chase bank called, 'financial operational and
compliance risk.'"

For her part, Corry said that banks have been getting better at
working with people in the medical marijuana industry.

"Six months ago, we saw a lot of banks denying our clients access to
checking accounts or loans," she said. "This is changing as banks
gain a better understanding of the emerging legal framework
surrounding this industry."