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January 04, 2010 09:52 PM UTC

"Sensible" Regulation vs. Cop-Favored Buzzkill

  • 9 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

Two competing schemes to regulate the burgeoning medical marijuana industry in Colorado we’ll be talking more about this session, summarized by the Boulder Daily Camera:

The debate facing Colorado legislators on medical marijuana regulation is taking shape with the release of two draft bills, one from state Sen. Chris Romer, a Denver Democrat who has taken a lead role on the issue, and the other, much tougher bill from the County Sheriffs of Colorado.

Romer’s legislation would create a medical marijuana licensing board, similar to the state liquor board, to issue licenses to “medical marijuana clinics” (not dispensaries) and commercial growers who supply medical marijuana patients. Each license would be the subject of a public hearing, and licensees would have to pass background checks and show they and their business partners are “of good moral character.”

The bill also allows local communities to regulate the number of dispensaries within their borders and charge higher sales taxes on medical marijuana than on general retail.

Clinics would have to file patient care plans with the state to demonstrate they do more for patients than just sell them pot.

The law enforcement bill, in contrast, makes no provision for retail-style dispensaries, even those with patient care plans. It would limit caregivers to no more than five patients.

In other news, the city of Fruita plans to refer a special medical marijuana sales tax to their voters for approval–law-and-order quibbles aside, there’s something we think every civic-minded member of the community can agree on.

Comments

9 thoughts on ““Sensible” Regulation vs. Cop-Favored Buzzkill

  1. Prohibition causes massive social ills such as increased DOC costs; Increased Parole officer costs, increased violence through the illicit struggle for control of controlled substances; increased illegal arms traffic heading South; wasted man hours of law enforcement.

    The amount of money already lost, and human lives lost over this failed policy serves the interests of only a small percentage of the legitmate US economy which profits from incarceration, while truly just giving self righteous middle class or above law makers a reason to demonstrate skills assocaited with hypocrisy and two faced attitudes.

    If they truly cared for controlling drug addiction and violence, then resources would be used to promote rehabilitation rather than incareration.

     

  2. And I don’t think marijuana in a medical setting should be taxed at all.  Now, I know this goes against the current “conventional wisdom” of the dispensary set, but if mairjuana is being used for its proper purposes, relief from pain or other symptoms of disease, then why should it be taxed when other drugs are not?  And especially at a higher level.  I think that allowing this taxation is admitting that medical marijuana is somehow bad or otherwise not due the respect of other drugs that people take for medical reasons.  It’s stupid.

    By the way, if it’s legalized for everybody over 18(which I would support) then the recreational drug users can pay the higher tax, just like they do for booze.

    Basically, I think you are wrong on the tax issue.

    As for the Sheriff’s, well what did you expect.  They opposed this thing from the beginning and continue to do so.  They’re wrong and they’re not listening to their constituents who approved this overwhelmingly.  It wasn’t just Denver and Boulder either.  El Paso, Arapahoe, and Jefferson each approved it !!  The Sheriffs should not be in this conversation.  They are on the wrong side of this issue and on the very wrong side of their constituents.

  3. at $50 a ounce.  The money should be earmarked for higher education.

       That tax would be reasonable in relation to the price and potency of pot and comparable to the “sin taxes” now levied on whiskey, in terms of the amount of tax paid for the amount of intoxication/or “high” received.

     A reasonable tax would stabilise the industry.  I don’t use and won’t use pot, which in heavy doses seems to rob people of initiative.  But unlike booze, it doesn’t induce violent behavior.  We’ve all seen fighting drunks.  The worst I’ve seen on cannabis users is passive behavior.

    I can live with passive!

      Prohibition is a failure, regulation/taxation may save our higher education system.   And, obviously, I’d let anyone buy it if they are 18 or older.  The usual prohibitions against driving under the influence would apply and sale to minors should remain a felony.

    1. …heavy doses of just about anything can rob people of initiative. Food, coffee, alcohol, OTC drugs…

      The “lazy stoner” stereotype is just that–a stereotype.  They’re by far the exception and not the rule.  

  4. I can’t see the rationale of turning the clinics into full-blown medical providers; the patient’s primary care physician is much better positioned to determine appropriate medication.

    And, perhaps out of ignorance, I don’t know what other services a clinic would offer in between full doctor’s services and acting simply as a pharmacist.

    Help me understand why Romer’s bill is a Good Idea?  (You don’t have to do much to convince me that the other bill sucks.)

    1. The end goal is they are similar to liquor stores and anyone over 18 can buy. But we have to slowly get there because we have an awful lot of prudes in this country (who view porn and smoke dope – but vote against both).

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