The Gazette, 09 Jun 2013 – Colorado Springs is at another crossroads. The city has transitioned to a strong mayor form of government. The local housing market is beginning to recover from the recession. So far we appear to be surviving sequestration. But in the coming weeks the city must decide whether to allow retail marijuana sales. Amendment 64, approved by Colorado voters in 2012, has moved into the implementation phase. Regulation of the many details concerning legalized marijuana is a daunting task. One of those details is an enormous one – legal retail sale of pot within the city limits. The amendment permits "the licensing of cultivation facilities, product manufacturing facilities, testing facilities, and retail stores;" It also allows each locality to determine whether it will allow retail stores and then create regulations to govern those stores. Or, they can simply opt out or establish a moratorium, as Pueblo and many other municipalities have done. El Paso County has already banned retail sales and so has Woodland Park, a mountain community known for its scenic beauty. Colorado Springs should do the same.
posted on June 11, 2013 by
