Medical Marijuana

The issue of allowing medical marijuana dispensaries was discussed in tonight’s Greeley City Council meeting. There were very strong opinions for each side of the argument. The people in support of having dispensaries in Greeley argued that medical marijuana is a good alternative to other pain medication and that by not having a dispensary in Greeley, the city is missing out on tax revenue. Richard Present, owner of Nature's Medicine, a medical marijuana dispensary, said, “The industry is not going away. It is getting stronger and stronger by the day.” Present suggested the tax revenue collected from dispensaries could assist in aiding the 2010 Greeley city budget. Drew McNeil also owns a dispensary. He said the people wanting to open these businesses want to provide a service and they are more than happy to pay the taxes. A Greeley resident gave a personal testimonial for medical marijuana. Her husband was in a car accident and as a result, became addicted to prescription pain medication. They then considered alternative medication and it has worked much better for him.

There were also many people opposed to permitting dispensaries in Greeley. Council Member Ed Phillipsen said there are many dangers to the use of marijuana. He said, “There is no way of knowing or controlling the THC levels in marijuana.” He argued that it is addictive and that someone can overdose on it. A Greeley resident added, “I am completely against it and, if you do pass it, tax it to the max.”

The ordinance prohibiting medical marijuana dispensaries in Greeley was passed in a vote of six to one.

A Waste of Time?

Mayor Ed Clark told the Director of Finance, Tim Nash that he might have wasted his time presenting a proposal for increasing development fees. “Mr. Nash, I do not know if you have any support here,” Clark said at the Greeley City Council meeting earlier this evening. What concerned the Council and the residents of Greeley the most was the impact the ordinance would have on small business developments and home-buyers. Greeley is a small town that relies on small businesses. Council member Carrol Martin says he is worried that small businesses will not want to build here if the fees are raised. Greeley apparently lost a small business development to Pueblo and it was speculated at the meeting that the reason for this was Greeley’s higher fees. Tom Marrik, civil engineer and member of the Greeley Chamber of Commerce, said he assessed both Greeley and Pueblo developing fees and Greeley is much higher. He added that other cities are reducing impact fees. Chris Moser, President of Weld County Business Association, said the ordinance eliminates the incentives to develop here and small businesses will look at other communities that will better support their needs. Tony Belfiore, home builder, said he has been building homes in the community since he was a student at the University of Northern Colorado in the 70’s and this will be the first time on over 30 years he will not build a new home. The reason he gives for this is the cost of building a new home is higher than the appraised value. Increasing fees would not be “economically responsible,” he said.