Marijuana Dispensaries Go Up in Smoke

The Greeley City Council voted 6-1 in favor of not allowing medical marijuana dispensaries in Greeley.

This ordinance specifically prohibits dispensaries to be established as an allowed land use under the development code. This action does not prevent individual patients from cultivating or using medical marijuana in the city, nor does it hinder in the delivery of medical marijuana to patients in the city by care-givers who operate dispensaries outside of Greeley or the ability of groups of patients to collectively cultivate marijuana for medicinal purposes, as long as these activities are in compliance with state law.

At-large council member, Carrol Martin was the only member on the council to disagree with the ordinance.

“I don’t believe that marijuana should be legalized…yet, if we do allow this, then it should be highly regulated, and if we required everyone to register then there is less of a chance for it to be sold to kids,” Martin said.

While mayor Ed Clark disagreed with Martin’s regulation ideas.

“We already do regulate it, by not allowing it into the community,” Clark said.

As of right now, cities do not have the direction on how to deal with this law or how to enforce it. Under Colorado law, medical marijuana may be cultivated and consumed by people with a doctor’s prescription as a treatment for several chronic ailments including muscle and nerve disorders, glaucoma, wasting disease and the side effects of chemotherapy.