SHOULD OUR COUNTY BE A DESTINATION FOR MARIJUANA GROWERS?

Dear Editor:

I am one of the new voices heard at the Paonia Town Council meeting
July 13 and wish to publicly thank the trustees for allowing open
discussions on the issues facing Paonia residents due to the new
federal non-enforcement policy and the advent of marijuana
dispensaries. I'm sure that the open forum did not make their
difficult job any easier.

Interestingly, several of the attendees live outside of town limits
and are not able to vote on town issues. Those voices, however, were
clear enough in the opinion that they did not want marijuana growing
operations or dispensaries outside of the town limits either. Those in
favor of expanding dispensary and growing operations have said that
this is an issue of patients' rights created by constitutional
amendment. The rights of medical marijuana patients are not in
jeopardy from moratoriums, ordinances or a public vote. The only
jeopardy is to those looking to commercialize the growth and sale of
marijuana (in preparation for a state wide initiative to legalize the
drug in 2012). These are the same people who presented the county
commissioners with a prepared policy statement, are against a public
vote and refer to anyone with opposition views as paranoid and
uninformed. I ask that every voter in Delta County become "informed"
on this issue and then decide! for yourselves if you want our county
and towns to become a "desired destination" for commercial marijuana
operations.

Jakki Taylor

Paonia