WINDSOR'S MEDICAL CANNABIS DISPENSARIES CLOSE DOORS

The medical marijuana era in Windsor is over.

Both of the town's dispensaries, In Harmony Wellness Center and A New
Dawn Wellness Clinic, closed their doors for good on Sunday, in
keeping with an ordinance passed by the town board in January.

"We checked for compliance this morning and both businesses did
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 which it did in January.