Colorado-Medical-Marijuana-Blog

A common complaint by those opposed to medical marijuana in Colorado is perhaps the smell of marijuana in general. Most dispensary owners are aware of this problem and are instructed by law to provide a clear ventilation system that will filter out all smells of product cultivation outside of the establishment. However, what about outside the establishment? While Colorado law permits patients to use medical marijuana for a variety of physical ailments, it cannot thoroughly stop patients from using the product in public. There will always be festivals, gatherings, sit-ins and general get-togethers where those who simply want to smoke will do so regardless of others around them. This issue falls under the same area as cigarette smokers. While there will always be those who believe it is their right to enjoy their product regardless of where they are, there will also always be those who believe it infringes on their right to clear air to breathe, untainted by the smell of either marijuana or cigarette smoke. 

Those business owners who had or were trying ar did  open medical marijuana shops in the city of Fort Collins and Longmont, Colorado have been left out in the cold with the recent voting results. Both Longmont and Fort Collins has placed a ban on all medical marijuana related activity in their city and owners who had previously established businesses are being forced to move their location outside the city limits. This has many businesses owners frustrated about losing their client base. If these businesses are forced to relocate outside the city limits, dispensary owners fear that those clients who have debilitating conditions and are unable to travel will not be able to make the trip outside the city to purchase the supplies they need. Although several lawmakers sympathize with the situation dispensaries are facing, they admit that medical marijuana laws are currently operating in a very gray area and city officials are forced to comply with state and local regulations.

Some medical marijuana dispensaries in Boulder are finding keeping in constant compliance with the ever-changing medical marijuana laws in the state as well as in the city itself to be rather exhausting. For many dispensary owners, they find themselves running ragged trying to keep paperwork updated and keep themselves up-to-date on any recent changes in law when they feel that energy could be better spent operating their business and servicing their customers. And it’s not only the paperwork. Many owners are finding themselves becoming further and further in debt due to fees owed to the state for various compliance regulations. Some dispensary owners who operate million dollar businesses are finding it less and less likely that they will actually pull in a paycheck of their own due to fees owed. The tough part is that paying those fees will not guarantee these dispensaries will still obtain a license for the next year. However, those dispensaries who have established themselves in the city are determined not to let themselves be driven out by the changing laws and will continue to do all they can to make their businesses continue.