LOCAL MEDICAL MARIJUANA SALES TO CEASE ON SUNDAY

The deadline to close the town's two medical marijuana selling
operations has arrived.

In Harmony Wellness Center and A New Dawn Wellness Clinic must cease
selling marijuana on Sunday.

"We'll check both businesses for compliance on Monday, and I fully
expect they will comply," said Windsor Police Chief John Michaels.

Medical marijuana first became an issue in December 2009 when the town
board learned that in addition to In Harmony Wellness Center, which
had opened in June 2009, and A New Dawn Wellness Clinic, which opened
earlier that December, there were six other dispensaries in the
process of opening in Windsor.

The town board put a moratorium into place to prevent the opening of
other dispensaries while it began work on an ordinance. Work was
halted after a couple of work sessions until after three new board
members, Mike Carrigan, Kristie Melendez and Don Thompson were seated
in April 2010.

The town board unanimously passed on July 27 an ordinance that would
regulate and restrict the number of medical marijuana dispensaries
that are allowed to locate in the town.

Less than a month later, a citizen-initiated petition put a question
on the November 2010 ballot asking whether all dispensaries in town
should be banned. Former town board members Michael Kelly and Nancy
Weber helped to circulate the petition.

In November, Windsor residents voted overwhelmingly (66 percent) to
ban all dispensaries in town.

The vote required the town board to create an ordinance to ban any and
all dispensaries.

Although the town will no longer permit marijuana sales, the two
businesses could operate in Windsor in a different way.

"We've banned the commercial sale of medical marijuana, growing
marijuana for commercial purposes and the creation of commercial
medical marijuana-infused products," said Town Attorney Ian McCargar.
"The businesses could remain open in other capacities."