POT SHOPS KEEP COMMUNITY SAFER

There have been numerous articles and editorial comments relating the
petition drive that is currently under way to ban medical marijuana
centers in Fort Collins.

It concerns me greatly that the information being presented to the
Fort Collins community is void of truth, and in many cases, filled
with inaccurate assumptions about correlations between licensed
medical marijuana centers, violent crime and illegal drug use among
our city's youths.

None of the comments are citing facts to back up their claims. And the
petition that is being circulated will do nothing to improve our
community's safety, enforce controls or regulations or eliminate the
sale of medical marijuana.

So, what is the real reason behind the work to ban medical marijuana
centers in Fort Collins?

If those behind this campaign truly understand the potential
consequences of their efforts, they would not be touting a message of
doing it for the good of the community. This ban will be a major
detriment and set us back instead of moving us forward. The petition
would not ban medical marijuana. Instead, it would shut down licensed
medical marijuana businesses that are regulated, secure and taxed, but
leave open basement-growing operations that are unregulated, unsecured
and untaxed. Unlicensed providers will still legally sell medical
marijuana from their homes, increasing the risk of illegal sales,
fires and home invasions. And when marijuana becomes a neighborhood
problem, our community is exposed to serious risk.

It doesn't make sense that anyone would want to take medical marijuana
out of highly regulated, highly controlled, commercial areas and
propose a law to allow it to go back into neighborhoods and be
brokered without being monitored, unless the only desire is to turn a
blind eye and try to hide the fact that it exists entirely.

Allowing medical marijuana to only be grown privately by in-home
caregivers, opens up a huge door to potential crime and takes it right
back to the neighborhoods that our citizens want to protect. When
people know where marijuana is grown and sold privately - without
cameras and security to prevent theft and illegal activity - the
temptation to steal and commit violent crime greatly increases.

Why would we want that for Fort Collins? Why would we want to expose
our neighborhoods to this type of risk?

I am the first to agree that the flashing neon signs with marijuana
leaves that dot our street corners does not make Fort Collins look
like the Choice City that is strives to be. However, there are ways to
manage the promotion and marketing of the sale of medical marijuana
without banning the centers that are the only commercially regulated
locations for legal distribution. I don't want marijuana tucked back
away behind closed doors, sold in parks and alleyways; grown in
basements and brokered in someone's living room.

I believe in controls and regulations. Marijuana existed in Fort
Collins before the 2009 legislation and it will not go away with a ban
such as this. It will only turn the sale and distribution into a
dirty, backdoor business.

If those behind the petition to ban medical marijuana centers truly
cared about us and our safety, they would be taking a different
approach. Help keep medical marijuana sales regulated, secure and
taxed by opposing this petition.