MV EXTENDS DISPENSARY MORATORIUM

Waiting for regulations from the state

The Mountain Village Town Council has extended its emergency
moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries through next summer.

"It's not a statement for support or lack of support for medical
marijuana," said Mayor Bob Delves. "It's just a cautious step to allow
the state to develop a clear set of guidelines and regulations so we
know what the state wants to do before we allow it to happen in our
community."

The vote to extend the moratorium took place on Oct. 21, just weeks
before it was set to expire. The extension could run through July 1,
2011 or until town council takes further action once the State of
Colorado outlines its regulations for licensing towns and counties.

A state task force is currently working on draft rules to recommend
local licensing requirements to the Department of Revenue's new
Marijuana Division and has until next July 1 to complete them.
However, the town's lawyer expects the rules to be complete by the
first quarter of next year.

"It would be prudent to just wait and see what they do," said David
Reed, the town's attorney.

Prior to voting on the extension, town council heard public comment
from Mike Fitzhugh, a partner and co-owner with the Mericana
Corporation, which owns office space in Prospect Plaza near the Meadows.

"We've had our office space for sale for two years now and there's not
a lot of commercial space selling in Mountain Village," Fitzhugh said.
"The only people who've shown any interest are involved in the medical
marijuana business."

Last year, someone approached his company about renting the space for
a dispensary.

"We went to the town and within a few days, they passed the
moratorium," he said in a follow-up interview.

The space has since stood empty and Mericana has struggled to pay its
mortgage. Fitzhugh and his partner Ray Bailis were recently approached
by someone interested in renting the space to grow and make
marijuana-infused products, but the town would not grant a business
license prior to last week's meeting.

The moratorium extension now includes optional cultivation premises
and marijuana-infused product manufacturers.

Fitzhugh said he was not surprised that council extended the
moratorium. "They just seem to be concerned about the Mountain Village
image, although it seems like they should be concerned by what sort of
image is projected when there are a lot of empty businesses," he said.

Once the state develops its regulations Mountain Village can either
adopt them as a local ordinance, adopt its own stricter ordinance or
just prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries in the Village all together.

"We just want the state to be clarified before we allow or disallow
anything," Delves said.