COMMISSIONERS ADOPT MEDICAL MARIJUANA REGS

On a divided vote, Pueblo County commissioners adopted new licensing
and zoning rules this morning to allow medical marijuana businesses to
operate in the county.

Commissioners Anthony Nunez and John Cordova voted for the new
regulations, but not before shrinking a proposed buffer zone around
medical marijuana operations from 1,000 feet to 500 feet.

A large crowd attended today's public hearing and several testified
the 1,000-foot buffer was too restrictive.

Commissioner Jeff Chostner, an attorney, voted against both the code
change and the new county licensing regulations. He argued that the
federal government still considers medical marijuana to be an illegal
drug and recently had warned state lawmakers of that.

Chostner said there is a frustrating, unresolved conflict between
state law, which allows medical marijuana, and federal law. Even so,
the county is bound to uphold federal law too, he argued.

"Do I think that anyone here is going to be investigated by the
federal government? No," Chostner told the crowd. "But you should know
you are at some legal risk."

The new county licensing regulations essentially mirror those adopted
by Colorado's state government. County Attorney Gary Raso said that as
a rule, any applicant who can pass the state licensing application
also can qualify as a medical marijuana operator under the new county
code.

However, only those operators who filed required applications with the
county before July 1, 2010, will be eligible to obtain either a state
or county license this year.