MEDICAL MARIJUANA PETITION SUFFICIENT

The Castle Rock medical marijuana debate is not over yet. Castle
Rock's town clerk verified the petition submitted by medical marijuana
provider Amber Ostrom has enough signatures to send town council back
to the drawing board.

On Sept. 14, town council adopted an ordinance to ban all commercial
medical marijuana operations in Castle Rock as of Jan. 1, 2011. The
ban is allowed by Colorado's 2010 Medical Marijuana Code and prohibits
medical marijuana centers, optional-premises cultivation and
manufacturing marijuana-infused products within town limits.

Its adoption puts Ostrom's marijuana center, Plants 4 Life, out of
business Dec. 31, when her 2010 business license expires. Plants 4
Life opened in 2009 and is the town's only medical marijuana dispensary.

Ostrom responded to the town's ban action with a petition drive to
reverse council's decision.

On Oct. 14, the day the signatures were due to the town, Ostrom
delivered 1,646 valid signatures, forcing town council to reconsider
its action. Whether or not her efforts will keep her doors open
remains to be seen.

The town clerk must keep the petition action open until Nov. 23, the
last day residents can protest the signatures. At that time, town
council must reconsider its ban or set an election date for a town
vote, said Kim Mutchler, Castle Rock community relations manager.

If councilmembers decide against regulating the industry in Castle
Rock, which is one option under the Medical Marijuana Code, they will
be faced with certifying an election date. Certification must come 60
days before an election but does not have to happen before the end of
the year, Mutchler said.

Town council can no longer ban the industry as of Jan. 1, but
councilmembers can extend a moratorium for new applications, and they
can consider whether or not to renew Ostrom's business license for
2011. At the time council made its decision to ban the industry, the
vote was split 4-3.

"It's all very fluid," Mutchler said. "We have no way of knowing what
council is going to do. Either way, it's going to be a busy December."

Councilmember Clark Hammelman, District 6, is among the councilmembers
who voted to ban the industry. Hammelman was initially surprised by
the petition effort, until he discovered it was a professional
endeavor financed by Plants 4 Life.

The signatures were gathered in a 10-day drive and resulted in the
support of more than the 5 percent of registered voters required to
reverse council's decision.

"I certainly don't think it reflects the majority opinion in Castle
Rock," Hammelman said. "I expect the question now will be put to the
voters of the entire town of Castle Rock, and I would expect that vote
would result in the dispensary being banned."

While Ostrom is buoyed by the success of her petition, she is aware
the future of her business remains up in the air.

"It's not fun to have it back in the council's hands when I'm sitting
on a business license that says 'medical marijuana,'" Ostrom said.
"You take those licenses and make business decisions accordingly ...
It is hard to go back and have them take those licenses away. The
uncertainty is not (an enjoyable) place to be."

"I expect the question now will be put to the voters of the entire
town of Castle Rock, and I would expect that vote would result in the
dispensary being banned."

Castle Rock Town Councilmember Clark Hammelman, District 6