[budbasket]

Sad....

A stunned crowd sat silent for a moment Tuesday after the 5-4 vote to ban retail marijuana sales in Colorado Springs was read into the record.
"The city has opted out," Council President Keith King said at the city council meeting, which was packed with people who testified during a nearly two-hour public hearing.
About 50 proponents of retail sales stormed out, with someone angrily yelling, "I hope you're happy."
The decision came down to council member Val Snider, who was the swing vote to ban retail marijuana sales in the city - a surprise to proponents of Amendment 64. Snider had kept his views on the issue close to the vest over the past months and during recent public hearings.
Snider, an at-large city council member, said he could not reconcile the conflict of allowing retail pot sales with federal law, which lists marijuana as a Schedule 1 controlled substance. He also said allowing pot to be sold over the counter would send the wrong message to youth.
"Bottom line, I'm not convinced we need to make it more accessible," he said.
Colorado voters in November approved Amendment 64, which allows adults over 21 to possess one ounce of marijuana for recreational use. The law also allows stores to sell marijuana and other products made with marijuana, with a city's approval. Already more than 20 Colorado cities and towns - including Woodland Park, Green Mountain Falls and Castle Rock - have opted not to allow such sales.
There was plenty of pressure on Colorado Springs from both sides on the issue.
In recent months, the Council heard from members of the Regional Business Alliance, retired military generals, school superintendents, leaders from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and representatives from the Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau - all who urged the council to ban retail marijuana sales.
Mayor Steve Bach, who had promised to veto any ordinance that would have allowed retail marijuana sales, spoke to the council Tuesday and said he believed marijuana sales would be a job-killer. He left before a vote was taken.
Council members Jan Martin and Jill Gaebler disagreed with Bach, saying retail marijuana stores would create jobs.
"We want to bring economic development to this city - we can do that by having a vibrant downtown," Gaebler said. "The younger generation has a vision of what the city should look like. We can do something different and special."
Martin said she could not imagine making a decision that went against the voters of Colorado and Colorado Springs. She said Colorado Springs had an opportunity to be a leader.
"We did it with medical marijuana - cities all over the state look to us and our regulations," she said.
Outside council chambers, proponents of Amendment 64 stood disappointed. They had rallied outside City Hall with signs and chants and they gave passionate testimony, often quoting historic figures on the Constitution and citizen rights. But it wasn't enough to sway five council members.
"To see two at-large council members throw the vote of the community under the bus, I'm disappointed and angry," said Mark Slaugh, owner of iComply, a business that helps medical marijuana dispensaries follow state regulations.
Slaugh said the ban meant lost jobs and lost taxes for the city.
"It means we maintain the status quo, which hasn't been the greatest image from the outside looking in," he said.
Jo McGuire, a member of Smart Colorado, a statewide organization that seeks to restrict retail marijuana sales and ensure that taxes on them cover the costs to regulate and enforce the law, wiped tears from her eyes and said she was proud of council members. She told them she knew what drugs could do to a young person. Her son became addicted to marijuana and now is homeless.
"I'm very proud of the city council. I think they did something very courageous," she said. "They did something that is in the best interests of the community."
Even though people won't be able to buy pot for recreational use in licensed stores inside the city limits, they can still possess it legally under Amendment 64 and even grow up to six plants in an enclosed locked space.
Shaking off the sting of the vote, some proponents of Amendment 64 said they won't let the issue die. They could force it to a ballot in November 2014, which is allowed under the state law, said Jason Warf, legislative director for Colorado Springs Medical Cannabis Council.
"The city has woken a sleeping giant," he said. "I think we will see a lot of citizens up in arms. Going against the will of the voters, no matter what the subject, is never a big hit."

https://gazette.com/video-colorado-sp...rticle/1503881

[MJPassion]

The people speaketh to closed minded political control junkies!

No Matter though...

What the people want they will get!
The Black Market is now officially reopened within this city!!!

Yeah this suck however, the Springs needs to step up their "medical" game. If they cant produce quality medical product than what makes you think they will be able to grow quality recreational product? Hopefully this urges people to grown their own and not rely on a second hand source. I understand that not all people can grow but I think in this great state its not hard to find a trustworthy grower/care giver. Dispensaries are great and I love seeing them around town but I think if you have the opportunity then you should grow your own. Just my 2 cents.

Dunno if I even have a problem with this. Freedom works both ways and not everyone wants to live near a dispensary. For comparison I wouldn't want to live in a town with a liquor store, and don't. No one has a problem with it. The alcies can still get their booze in the next town over and, guess what, that seems to be where they gather too, not here.

[dagnabit]

did the new law have a local governance provision?

not about legality of pot but about retail sales zoning?
if it was in the law that they could "opt out" they are perfectly legit to do so..

[CanniDo Cowboy]

And now..for the rest of the story...or at least the real truth as to why the Colo Springs council bailed...

By Keith Coffman
DENVER (Reuters) - "Officials in Colorado's second-largest city voted on Tuesday to ban recreational marijuana shops, becoming the largest community in the state to utilize an opt-out provision of a law that legalized the non-medical use of pot.
After two hours of public comments, the Colorado Springs City Council voted 5-4 to bar retail pot stores from opening within the city limits. The debate and vote came after Mayor Steve Bach publicly said he would veto the ordinance if the council approved allowing the recreational outlets.
"I say we should stand with our neighbors on this issue," Bach testified before the vote, referring to nearby communities in the same county that have banned the pot shops.
Colorado Springs has a population of about 420,000 with a large military and evangelical Christian presence and is one of the most conservative and Republican areas in a state which in recent election cycles has turned leftward.
Last year, Colorado and Washington were the first U.S. states to legalize recreational marijuana, and the Colorado law allows cities or counties to outlaw marijuana stores in their communities. Nearly 20 states, including Colorado, allow marijuana use for medical purposes.
Colorado Springs does have medical marijuana dispensaries, which would be unaffected by the recreational pot vote.
But the federal government lists cannabis as a dangerous narcotic and considers it illegal for any purpose, a point underscored by Colorado Springs residents who spoke on Tuesday in favor of the ban.
Brian Burnett, vice chancellor of finance for the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, said allowing cannabis stores could affect the school's ability to seek government research grants and provide college educations to military veterans.
"We are heavily federally funded," he said.
But resident Rob Wiley urged the council to approve the shops so "black market street dealers no longer will have the exclusive franchise" on marijuana sales.
Elected bodies of 35 Colorado towns or cities have voted to opt out of allowing recreational marijuana stores, according to data from the Colorado Municipal League. The possession and use of small amounts of cannabis by adults is still legal in the communities that have banned non-medical pot shops.
In November, voters statewide will decide whether to impose a 25 percent excise and sales tax on recreational pot sales to fund its regulation and enforcement..."


Please. Provide college educations to Vets? Hell, the VA system is so screwed up it cant provide quality care to our already wounded & disabled veterans, let alone send them to college. When in doubt, fly a flag and trot out the vets. Even better, push a few out in wheelchairs. How degrading and disrespectful of the Colo Springs council to cover their asses by using the Veterans in their excuses, pathetically attempting to hide the real truth which is: The council members, unlike the Vets, are simple cowards...CC

https://news.yahoo.com/colorado-springs-bans-recreational-marijuana-shops-002547696.html

but how are they with gay marriage?

btw if you don't believe in time travel, go spend a couple of days in the springs...

these cro mags are dying out, but not fast enough for me...

viva the black market!

The springs has a lot of growing to do. Lots of potential. They should turn GoG into the next red rocks hahaha. Out with the old, in with the new..

[k-s-p]

.

[RedBeardy5]

Once Denver booms from marijuana sales Im sure Colorado springs will jump on the wagon.