ALAMOSA TO BAN MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES

ALAMOSA -- In a 5-2 vote last night, the Alamosa city council decided
to move forward with an ordinance banning medical marijuana
dispensaries in the city limits.

Staff and City Attorney Erich Schwiesow will bring an ordinance to
the council's next meeting December 1 that reflects the majority of
council's wishes.

The first reading would likely occur on December 1 with a public
hearing at the following council meeting on December 15.

Voting to move ahead with an ordinance banning dispensaries in
Alamosa were Councilors Leland Romero, Greg Gillaspie, Rusty Johnson,
Josef Lucero and Mayor Kathy Rogers. Voting against the ban were
Councilors Marcia Tuggle and Charles Griego.

Tuggle had previously put forward a motion not to ban it right now,
and she and Griego were the only councilors voting in favor of that
motion with the rest of council voting against it.

Tuggle favored taking some time to meet with the county
commissioners, who will probably be developing regulations regarding
dispensaries, since voters approved dispensaries' continuance in the
county, outside the city limits, earlier this month.

Mayor Rogers said Commissioner Darius Allen had asked that the city
and county officials meet so their efforts would not be contradictory.

Councilor Griego said the residents who voted on the county issue to
permit dispensaries are also city residents, so if the council voted
to ban dispensaries, it would be acting against public opinion.

Schwiesow said the countywide ballot question dealt with dispensaries
in the unincorporated areas of the county.

"Those same people voted," Griego said.

Schwiesow said the decision in the countywide election did not bind
the city, however. He added the county commissioners could also still
ban dispensaries if they wished.

Schwiesow said since the council's current moratorium ends December
31, he needed to know whether or not the majority of the council was
interested in banning dispensaries or moving forward with regulations
for dispensaries within the city limits. State legislation approved
this year gave local governments the option of banning dispensaries
if they wished.

Schwiesow said if the council was interested in banning dispensaries,
staff would present the council with an ordinance by its next meeting
so the ban could be in place before the moratorium ends.

Councilor Romero said he did not need more time to study the issue.

"I know what I want. I want to ban it," he said.

Councilor Lucero said he had had plenty of time to think about it,
and he believed the city should opt out, in other words ban it.

City Manager Nathan Cherpeski said with the dispensaries allowed in
the county, "It will be available to people in the general area." One
dispensary currently exists just east of the city limits.

Alamosa Police Chief John Jackson said the dispensary in the county
by all accounts is operating under the state regulations "so they
have access to the marijuana that they need in our area."

Cherpeski said individuals can also still grow marijuana on their own
properties if they have medical prescriptions for it.

"We are just saying we don't want the retail side of it."

Griego said it would be harder to monitor 100-200 small growers than
a dispensary.

Jackson said, "We have that right now and it's incredibly difficult to enforce."