ARAPAHOE COUNTY EXTENDS POT SHOP MORATORIUM

AURORA - Arapahoe County's Board of Commissioners extended the
moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries Tuesday, opting to wait
until the state develops rules for the dispensary licensing process.

The commissioners have extended the moratorium until the State
Licensing Authority develops rules and rolls out the necessary
paperwork for the medical marijuana licensing process.The extension
will also give the commissioners the necessary time to research,
propose, and adopt land-use and licensing regulations.

"It's important for Arapahoe County to wait for the licensing rules
and regulations that will be developed by the Department of Revenue
before we move forward," said Commissioner Rod Bockenfeld, who serves
as board chairman. "It's also important to determine how our
surrounding communities are responding to this issue. The moratorium
simply gives us the time necessary to get all the facts in before we
make our decision."

The Colorado Legislature passed a bill this year aimed at regulating
medical marijuana dispensaries. Under the bill, moratoriums can be
extended until July 2011.

The moratorium has been in place since December 2009 and prohibits
the opening of medical marijuana dispensaries within the county. It
was originally supposed to last only a few weeks, but Arapahoe County
have continuously extended it to study the potential adverse affects
of grow operations and dispensaries within the county, said Andrea
Rasizer, communications director for Arapahoe County.

Interest in establishing medical marijuana dispensaries within the
county continues to rise. County officials have received more than
100 inquiries from people wanting to establish medical marijuana
dispensaries or grow operations since the moratorium was established,
Rasizer said.