COUNTY CANDIDATES ON POT FOR FIRST TIME

This year's annual Squirm Night likely marked the first time that any
candidates for Pitkin County commissioner have been asked how they
planned to regulate marijuana stores and growing facilities in the county.

The five men currently running for commissioner were asked, "what
kind of role should the county have when it comes to medical
marijuana laws and regulations?"

It's a question never asked of candidates for county commissioner.

While medical marijuana was legalized in Colorado in 2000, it wasn't
after the 2008 elections that dispensaries and grow operations moved
into relatively secure compliance with federal policy and state law.

But given that an agenda item labeled "Requirements to Lawfully
Operate a Medical Marijuana Business," will be in front of the
sitting county commissioners on Sept. 21, it's not only a historic
question, it's relevant.

"First and foremost, without a vote of the citizens, we have to
uphold the state law," said candidate Rob Ittner, who was the first
of the five men to take the question. "So we have to operate as being
mandated by state law.

"From a personal point, I don't have an issue with medical marijuana
licenses," Ittner continued. "I do think ... there needs to be some
examples of case studies for various things like medical marijuana in
the workplace, medical marijuana on the roads. So looking at it from
a safety issue, I think we really need to make sure that we are doing
the right thing when there is no case study out there."

That drew a clarifying remark from moderator Jim True, who is a
former county commissioner and special legal counsel to the city of Aspen.

"The county would have the authority to prohibit marijuana
distributors in the county," he told Ittner.

"But at this point, we're abiding by the state laws," Ittner replied.

Then Ittner was asked, "what if a resident in Redstone, in the
Crystal River Valley, comes to you and has an issue with a grow
operation setting up, how would you respond?"

"One, I'd have to know what the issues are and to address how it is
affecting public safety, how it's affecting a lot of different
things, so ... a lot of these of questions are tough to answer if you
don't have all the details on the questions," Ittner said.

Moderator True then turned to candidate Tommy Clapper.

"I think that medical marijuana is probably something that people
need and if the voters agree with it, than they should have it,"
Clapper stated unequivocally.

True paused, as if caught off guard by the brevity of Clapper's
remark, and then asked candidate Brian Speck what he thought.

"I'm in the same camp as that," Speck said. "Being a cancer survivor,
marijuana is a good option if you are in chemo," Speck said. "So,
under the circumstances, I would say that if the voters want it in
the county, they should be able to have it."

That said, True turned to candidate Jack Johnson.

"I think this is why backdoor legalization of marijuana is a really,
really bad idea," Johnson said. "We have not given proper thought to
all of the different aspects.

"I personally suspect that citizens of Pitkin County voted in favor
of medical marijuana. I know that we have four dispensaries in town
and I haven't heard any problems with them. There are 12 in
Carbondale, and other than competition, I don't think they are
particularly upset either," Johnson said.

"Now, I think that what should be done, is that as citizens of this
state, we should lobby or put things on the ballot to do
comprehensive legislation, so that we have some path," Johnson
continued. "It seems to me silly to say that you can sell pot but
that you can't grow it."

When candidate David Weiss spoke on the issue, he summed up his
opinions by saying "I think if people want it, it should exist."

And that represents the most extensive comments about medical
marijuana stores and grow operations from county commissioner
candidates in Pitkin County that have ever been heard, or published.

Of the five candidates for county commissioner, only two will be on
the ballot in the fall election, and only one will go on to make
decisions about pot in Pitkin County. The primary election ends
Tuesday, Aug. 10.