Vail Daily, 19 Oct 2010 – National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske told CBS Radio News young people are being exposed to "mixed messages" about marijuana including the idea that it is a medicine. The "drug czar" said marijuana "may have properties that have medicinal values that should be tested," but he insisted "it is not medicine." Kerlikowske views marijuana as "an entry drug." The survey found that for the first time since 2002, less than half of young people believe using marijuana is harmful. The Obama administration remains strongly opposed to legalization of marijuana. If our president and drug czar say that medical marijuana is not medicine, then what is it? And why did so many Colorado voters approve it in November 2000? I feel the answer is they did not fully understand what the final impact would be 10 years later on their communities in Colorado. Did Eagle County vote to have seven pot shops and many more coming? Did Denver realize that today they would have over 300 pot shops within 50 miles of the city center and set a public record for more pot shops than Starbucks and schools combined?

Vail Daily, 11 Oct 2010 – In August 2009 the first pot store opened in Edwards without any notice, local business registration, or county permit oversight. We learned of this new pot business only through a newspaper article telling us that it was providing medical marijuana to 69 registered Colorado permit holders in Eagle County. Prior to this new pot store, patients produced their own pot or picked up the phone and ordered their drugs with free delivery from Boulder. Today there are seven pot shops in Eagle County providing this service for 892 registered patients out of an estimated 50,000 residents as of latest public health records on Jan. 31, 2010. One of the first pot shops is within 300 feet of a church in Edwards, and the county commissioners after approving new zoning laws last year have allowed this pot shop to remain in business with an exception to county zoning. Kids can see the pot shop doing business from their day-care playground.