More than a dozen leaders from the Western Slope to the Front Range tackled a host of recently surfaced community issues Friday, slowly paving a clearer path for the implementation of Amendment 64 across Colorado.
Although they didn’t make any clear decisions, the Local Authority and Control Working Group meeting started to address many questions and concerns that municipalities have about the newly forming marijuana industry. It was the first of several planned gatherings for the group — a subset of the Amendment 64 Implementation Task Force.
The talks hinged on community enforcement, marijuana sales and shop licensing — the most complicated of the topics discussed.
“We just need to treat this as an entrepreneurial business,” said Wanda James, a marijuana industry proponent. “If we remove all of the sexiness of marijuana and talk about it just as a regular product — as a regular business — I think it becomes much more simple.”
Among the group’s questions was the issue of whether there should be unlimited grow licenses or if only the strongest, most established operations should supply smaller pot shops.
James repeatedly said it would be like running a restaurant and purchasing vegetables from one supplier and meat from another, ultimately to sell to a customer base.
That was just one of the proposals, although many on the panel agreed that without a careful approach, having thousands — potentially millions — buying marijuana could run existing retailers’ supplies dry.
Although the meeting occasionally strayed, one thing that emerged was an understanding there are no easy answers on a subject spanning from advertising restrictions — which could mirror tobacco or alcohol ads — to taxing systems.
As those discussions continue, so do county decisions to preemptively ban retail pot outlets and leaders desperately seeking direction. Many at the meeting urged caution, saying that until a clearer picture is painted, turning away potential revenue sources was dangerous and unnecessary.
Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith sees things differently.
“The challenge here is that there’s a lot of ambiguity,” he said after learning of the panel’s discussion. “I think from a practical standpoint, it’s easier to set tighter rules and loosen them.”
Discussion items will be relayed to the Implementation Task Force, which has its next meeting Jan. 22. The Local work group will meet again Jan. 25 and begin crafting more detailed policy recommendations, which will be included in the final Amendment 64 report.
Jason Pohl: 303-954-1729, jpohl@denverpost.com or twitter.com/pohl_jason
