Medical marijuana dispensaries were banned following a 6-1 vote last night by the Grand Junction City Council. All commercial sales of medical cannabis and all medical marijuana dispensaries within city limits will have to shut up shop on January 11, 2011.
The one vote against a ban came from Mayor Teresa Coons, those in favor of the ban – Gregg Palmer, Tom Kenyon, Bill Pitts, Bonnie Beckstein, Bruce Hill, and Sam Susuras – gave the following reasons for their decision:
- they felt that Colorado state laws for marijuana dispensaries are not sufficiently regulatory
- they believe that the voter approved Amendment 20 did not make provisions for dispensaries to exist in the first place
There were more than 60 attendees at the hearing, most of them opposing the ban. They were, understandably, disappointed with the decision and believe that the dispensary ban will create more problems than it resolves by sending users of medical marijuana to the streets and the black market rather than to a strictly regulated business.
Mesa County Constitution Advocates represents 17 local dispensaries and their estimate is that around 400 individuals will begin cultivating and selling marijuana to fulfil the market currently served by the dispensaries.
This is very sad that medicine is being kept from people that really need it. This is an herb anyway. I do not know why the gov. has such a grudge with it and spends more money trying to prevent it than they do on trying to build hospitals.
That’s unfortunate, but it’s their right as a city. If the majority of people in a city doesn’t want dispensaries, it’s their power to issue a ban. Doing the same thing on a county – or state – level is a different issue entirely.
As someone who used to live in Grand Junction, I can assure you that this town has much bigger problems than medicinal marijuana. Very frustrating that they’d take this step, especially in a predominately MMJ friendly state.