PROPOSAL TO BAN MARIJUANA SHOPS CLEARS FIRST HURDLE

An initiative to outlaw medical marijuana
dispensaries in the city of Colorado Springs
moved closer to appearing on the November ballot.

The city's Initiative Review Committee signed off
on the proposal Friday after recommending minor changes.

The controversial proposal will go to the city's title-setting board next.

I am extremely confident that we will be able to
get 14,000 signatures plus=94 to place the
initiative on the ballot, said Steven Wind, one
of three Colorado Springs residents backing the petition.

We've got 180 days to get 14,000 signatures, and
the good folks in Colorado Springs outnumber the
people that are against us =AD way outnumber them,=94 Wind said.

Supporters of the initiative need to submit
11,470 signatures from registered Colorado
Springs voters, but Wind said they plan to
collect more to ensure they have enough that are valid.

Tanya Garduno, director of the Colorado Springs
Medical Cannabis Council, said opponents of the
proposed initiative are gearing up to defeat it.

If you take a look at any dispensary in town,
chances are you're also going to find voter
registration (forms) because ... we're citizens,
we vote,=94 she said. =93If this goes to the ballot,
you will see more patient votes than you ever have in the past.=94

Cities across Colorado are grappling with the contentious issue.

In 2000, Colorado voters approved Amendment 20,
which legalized medical marijuana for people with
=93debilitating medical conditions.=94 But the
constitutional amendment didn't create a system for widespread
distribution.

The issue took center stage when the number of
dispensaries =AD and patients =AD ballooned after the
federal government said it wouldn't interfere
with states that legalized medical marijuana.

On Monday, Gov. Bill Ritter signed a measure that
licenses and regulates the marijuana industry.

The law allows cities and counties to ban
dispensaries, either by a vote of local officials or a vote of the people.

The Aurora City Council plans to put the question to voters in November.

I'm sure that there=92s going to be similar
initiatives appearing across Colorado,=94 said Tim
Schutz, an attorney and chairman of the Colorado
Springs Initiative Review Committee.

Wind, who is leading the effort to ban
dispensaries, said the proposal is =93not a commentary on medical
marijuana.=94

When voters approved Amendment 20, they didn't
expect a proliferation of dispensaries, he said.
Colorado Springs went from a handful of
dispensaries in early 2009 to more than 100 today, according to city
officials.

Give me a break. There's not that many sick
people proportionally to the amount of medical
marijuana centers (or dispensaries),=94 he said. It defies logic.=94