MEDICAL MARIJUANA USERS DOMINATE HEARING

The future of medical marijuana dispensaries in Delta was the topic of
a public hearing hosted by Delta City Council last week. There is
currently one medical marijuana dispensary in operation in Delta,
which opened before council enacted a moratorium prohibiting any
additional establishments.

Although municipalities can not prohibit card-carrying patients from
growing their own medical marijuana or obtaining medical marijuana
from a caregiver, they have the authority to prohibit dispensaries
within city limits. The city council can act on its own accord, or it
can put the issue before the voters. In Delta, the council opted to
seek input through a public hearing before taking action.

Many of those who spoke at the Oct. 26 public hearing were patients
who described medical marijuana as a "godsend." One man said medical
marijuana controls his seizures; another described her 12-foot fall
off a balcony and onto some rocks. Through the use of medical
marijuana, she's been able to get off the "hard core narcotics" and
begin to regain her strength and balance.

"My life has changed dramatically for the better," she
said.

Her sentiments were echoed by several more medical marijuana
patients.

Jack McFerrin said he could also discuss the benefits of medical
marijuana, but instead took the opportunity to encourage city council
members to be the leaders they were elected to be. He doesn't want
council members to simply copy Grand Junction, which has banned
medical marijuana dispensaries within city limits.

"We don't want to be governed the way Grand Junction is, or do things
the way Grand Junction does. We're not Grand Junction," he said. "I
would like for my leaders to step up and make a decision based on
Delta and not what anybody else did."

He also referred to a comment made at a previous meeting by city
council member Guy Pfalzgraff, who reportedly described the city's
residents as "apathetic." McFerrin said that attitude clearly
indicates that people, as a general rule, aren't opposed to medical
marijuana dispensaries.

McFerrin pointed out that Cody Magasich and John Thomas, the managers
of Natural Green Solutions, Delta's sole medical marijuana dispensary,
have "bent over backwards" to meet the expectations of city officials
and law enforcement personnel. His observation was echoed by Magasich,
who told council members, "I just want you to know we're taking every
step possible for this to be a positive, safe thing for your community."

Thomas added that the business's security system has been beefed up
with a panic button, and patient records are being recorded in a
computer database which will aid in identifying patients who are
buying unusually large amounts of medical marijuana.

Anna Rice said she is not a card-carrying patient, but as an employee
of Mesa County Health Department recognizes Natural Green Solutions as
a "valued resource."

"These are not 7-11s; we're not asking these to be put all over the
city," she said. She encouraged city council to allow one or two
dispensaries as an option to hard drugs, "so these folks still have
the opportunity to get what they need, and I'm not just talking about
20-year-olds, I'm talking about seniors."

Other speakers said they appreciate getting "off the street" and
having a safe, reliable source for medical marijuana. While they can
grow their own medical marijuana, two men commented that they don't
feel that's appropriate when they have teenagers in their homes.

"And how many of you on the council think you could find a seed to
grow medical marijuana with?" asked Ron Bain.

The city's moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries remains in
effect through May 3, 2011, unless city council takes action to either
prohibit or allow dispensaries before that date. If medical marijuana
dispensaries are allowed, the council can establish reasonable
licensing requirements. For instance, they can require a safe distance
from schools and day care centers.