CARBONDALE MARIJUANA ORDINANCE IS TOO STRICT

It seems Carbondale may be trying to shake off its hippie image after
recently passing an ordinance clamping down on medical marijuana centers.

This ordinance, which, among other things, prohibits new dispensaries
from operating within 1,000 feet of schools, is just too
restrictive.

And three board members were absent in the 3-1 vote. Three votes could
overturn passage of the ordinance.

How did the board come up with 1,000 feet? Is there a documented
problem that must be solved?

Clearly, the intention is to keep dispensaries and school children
separate.

But the only kids who should be able to buy from a dispensary must
have a medical marijuana card, which they cannot obtain without
parental consent. The parents' signatures must be notarized.

Perhaps the fear is that kids will get the message that marijuana is
acceptable. But state voters have decided just that: Marijuana is
acceptable, as medicine.

And it's not as though pot is anything new. Kids have been able to get
their hands on it long before there were dispensaries. It's even
possible that some of marijuana's allure is taken away by making it
more mainstream.

Another stipulation of the ordinance prohibits first-floor
street-front dispensaries along Main Street and Highway 133. It's odd
to think that someone who needs medicine for pain would be forced to
climb stairs to get relief. It's hard to imagine such a limitation
being put on pharmacies.

The restrictions on dispensaries are also more strict than they are
for liquor stores. This seems to be a double standard. The town board
should consider making the distance from schools the same for both
types of business.

Elizabeth Murphy was the lone vote against the ordinance, not because
she felt it was too restrictive but rather because it isn't
restrictive enough. Her stance that Carbondale should consider banning
marijuana businesses altogether goes against voters' wishes.

In fact, people now expect to have access to medical marijuana, and
businesses have cropped up at a remarkable clip in response to that
expectation. And you'd think the town might be grateful for this
additional source of tax dollars.

Instead, licensed businesses are hindered by locals' perception that
enforcement will not be effective, despite safeguards put in place by
the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

The restrictions are a surprising move in a town where cops are known
to wear tie-dyed shirts.

The board should vote on this again when all members are present and
lower the required 1,000-foot distance from schools to 500 feet.