On July 6, the Loveland City Council directed the city attorney to prepare language giving them an option to call for a special election regarding illegal marijuana dispensaries now operating in Loveland while in the meantime closing the dozen in Loveland.
A majority of the council reversed their positions last night after significant lobbying effort by owners of marijuana dispensaries and their customers to pressure council to allow them to continue operating in Loveland. City hall was packed with hundreds of people from all over Colorado representing dispensaries in Lyons, Boulder and as far South as Trinidad angry with the council’s previous direction to staff.
Mayor Gutierrez did an excellent job of maintaining the order and decorum of the public meeting while also giving everyone who came to speak an opportunity to address the council.
In the end, 7 councilors voted to allow the unregulated dispensaries to continue operating (in violation of Federal Law) in Loveland until a ballot measure can decide the issue while Donna Rice and Hugh McKean voted not to allow them to operate unless or until a ballot measure determines they can operate in Loveland and regulations by the city and state are in place to protect the community.
Many speakers urged the council not to “ban” medical marijuana in Loveland. No such ban was being considered by council but instead whether they will allow for-profit commercial distribution centers of marijuana in Loveland city limits.
The council will now refer the matter to voters for a special election November 2, while providing what Councilman Klassen described as “tacit” approval to current dispensaries to continue operating in Loveland in violation of federal law.
I wish people would show some backbone.
I feel for those people but my son was injured when a medical marijuana patient hit him on his bike.
Please keep Loveland clean and safe
How are we going to attract business to downtown with pot shops on every corner? LP.com likes to use the term “builder council” like being a builder is a bad thing. You need to take responsibility for helping people get on council like Joan Shaffer who want to help promote pot smoking in Loveland.
I would take builders over people who want to turn Loveland into another Berkley California anyday. LP.com needs to take some responsibility for this because the silent majority will raise up in November not this year but next and put the “Builder Council” back in charge instead of liberal “Pot Council”
Nobody on City Council is promoting “pot smoking” in Loveland.
How the new state regulations flow down to municipalities is complicated and convoluted at this time. We are working a story to try and help demystify these issues and potential interpretations the city, state and growers all have of the new laws and subsequent state regulations still being written.
Making any general accusation towards councilors on this is unfair as they are trying to sort through the state laws and new regulations to understand also the long-term ramifications of what they do today.
It isn’t as simple as may seem and as Councilman McKean pointed out Tuesday night, everything can change if a new Presidential Administration decides to enforce the federal laws which prohibit the production and distribution of Marijuana which is still classified as a schedule 1 narcotic.
In other words, even if Loveland voters pass a ballot measure in November allowing the dispensaries to continue producing and distributing marijuana in this community as a for profit bussiness, the DEA could come in and close them down for violating federal law at any time in the future.
Historically, the medical marijuana use for terminally ill patients has not been a target of the federal government. Colorado’s Amendment 20 passed ten years ago allowing “care givers” to supply drugs to up to 5 users will not be impacted in any way by Loveland’s ballot initiatives.
It isn’t as black and white as you propose John.
Just legalize it already. These people are going to smoke pot whether it’s legal or not. You want to fix many of the social issues we have in this country, legalize marijuana. BUT, we need to make sure if it is legalized that the federal government taxes the living crap out of it. Legalize it and put a a 50, 75, 100% tax on it. People who want to use pot will still pay for it, and the government would be able to fix most of it’s financial issues quickly. National debt would go away quickly and we’d have money for schools, roads, healthcare, social security, etc.
Prison overcrowding your concern? how many “felons” are in prison for carrying a small amount of marijuana? Enough that it will alleviate much of that problem and provide resources to keep real criminals off the street. Not to mention the amount of time that would be freed up for law enforcement to crack down on real crime.
How about illegal immigration? Much of that problem is not in our country, but in others south of our border. If the conditions there were livable, we wouldn’t see as many coming across. Much of the reason conditions there are so poor is because drug cartels have control of just about everything, and they make life hell. Legalize marijuana and allow it to be grown here, and you take all of their power away.
What about energy independence? Ethanol was a decent solution, but corn is not the most efficient source (unless it’s susidized). What is? Hemp. Grows three times as fast (three crops to one) with a fraction of the water, and can produce much more ethanol per acre. By the way, hemp doesn’t have THC (the substance that causes the high), so it should be legal to grow already. It’s not, which is a rant for another day.
But what about the medical marijuana issue? Legalize it, and that goes away. We don’t have to spend money on regulating it, enforcing city code, or deling with the other myriad issues that surround medical marijuana. Bottom line, legalizing marijuana would go a long way towards fixing much of what is wrong in this country. Trust me, those that want to are going to use marijuana anyway, why not put it to work for some good?
You are clearly not well travelled. That experment was tried and failed. Amsterdam is now under major rennovation and emergency police measure to expel the criminal element and junkies attracted there due to the legalization of the addictive narcotic of marijuana. Below is a clip I got from a newspaper in Holland.
“Last night the Amsterdam city council announced a major plan to clean up the city.
Tens of millions of Euros are to be invested in the red light district. The windows will be closed in most of the streets. Protitutes must be over 21 and they, and their pimps, must be licensed. There will be a couple of small zones left for the ladies. The number of drug dependancy units will be reduced, so that there are less junkies in the area. Shops and cafes, now owned by criminal organisations and used for money laundering will be taken over and done up. Housing will be created above the shops, making it a safer place at nigh. The whole of the Damrak and Rokin will also be included in this projct. Hotel Krasnapolsky is investing 120 million Euros in a refubishment project, which will include an underground car park, and is also contributing to the general funds for this project. The idea is to make what should be one of the most attractive areas of the city just that. The plan will be carried out over the next 10 years, with the help of major investors, including banks, C and A, housing assosiations etc.”
I used to eat lunch everyday at Silver Mine subs near the corner of 34 and Taft.
This guy with a huge marijuana tattoo on his back was hanging around with other druggie looking young people there giving me this weird stare. He never threatened me.
I stopped going there and now eat in Centerra everyday. The intimidation and druggie environment around that marijuana place next to Silver Mine subs is too much.
What I don’t understand is why that one woman thinks hiding the signs of their addiction will make it more acceptable?
Our leaders are supposed protect our welfare and safety not advise other people on how to fool us long enough to get what they want.
@Concerned Parent:
The problem with Amsterdam is that it’s one of the few places in the world where that type of culture is tolerated. So, it attracts much of the worst of the “druggie” subculture. Plus, other drugs are tolerated, and I didn’t say that we should legalize every narcotic.
As Thomas stated, “druggies” are already around, but having it illegal drives them to be the way they are. If it were legal, the subculture goes away, and we as a culture can increase tax revenue and focus on other much more important social issues.
By the way, I didn’t mean that Loveland should legalize marijuana by themselves. Rather, it should be legalized at a federal level.
I don’t understand why our great city council thinks we need to follow the laws they pass for our city but they don’t need to follow the laws Congress makes for our country?
Someone please explain their logic to me please. Are we no longer a nation of laws? If Obama says he doesn’t like the law he can tell the justice department to ignore it no matter what the legislative branch does?
America is turning into a banana republic because of unethical people who feel they are above the federal law. If I start ignoring the traffic speed limits around town can i tell the police chief to not enforce them if he disagrees with the elected council? Lucky for this council of hypocrites our Police Chief is an ethical person who still believes in the rule of law. Weird isn’t it? They depend on others not doing to them what they are doing to another legislative body which is over them?
What’s next with this crappy council of yard birds? Sanctuary city status?
Correction
LovelandPolitics has erroneously referred to only 13 dispensaries with business licenses in Loveland in our posting. The Loveland Reoprter-Herald also reported erroneously on their front page story July 22, in a box entitled, “Pot Sales Tax Flow” revenue from 18 dispensaries by concluding the statics saying, “Loveland currently has 13 medical pot businesses operating in the city.”
In fact, there are 18 dispensaries operating in Loveland. Thanks to conscientious Loveland city staff, it was brought to our attention that city employees were frustrated and confused as to why this misinformation is being provided to the press and community. In other words, the city’s moratorium allowing current dispensaries to continue operating absent any local regulation is 18 not 13 as reported both here and in other media stories.
LovelandPolitics has obtained a hard copy of an internal city memorandum sent by Assistant City Manager Rene Wheeler on Friday July 16, 2010 by email at 8:19 AM. The memo reported to the city manager and council the sales tax calculations of $36,926.16 from 18 medical marijuana dispensaries operating in Loveland for 2010.
The last paragraph states, “We currently have 13 active MMC sales tax licenses that have store fronts in our city and 5 active MMC sales tax licenses for delivery services. All appear to be current with taxes.“
This means we have 18 businesses in Loveland cultivating and distributing marijuana but only 13 with retail facilities to conduct their business. The arguments made July 20, to council that the moratorium will keep it “out of back allies” would now appear specious given this new information.
Wyofan why not admit you want legalization of marijuana because you have already been breaking the law?
People who break one law are perfectly willing to break another. Collecting actual sales tax on these jokers will be as fruitful as the IRS waiting for the winner of an illegal cock fight to voluntarily disclose their earnings just because the feds legalize cock fighting.
The world is full of poor nations where people don’t respect the law or the community where they live. I don’t want Loveland to be more like those places. By the way LovelandPolitics do you really believe the dudes in your picture are “patients” or “care givers”?
Please make a hotlink to the following video on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMvascsgBKQ
In Loveland this drug pusher with a medical marijuana excuse would have been invited to speak at a council meeting and everything he said believed.
In New York, they arrest him as the neighbors are clapping and remove the narcotic from his property.
What’s next with this crappy council of yard birds? Sanctuary city status?
So much for not publishing disparaging remarks on this blog.
@meesterkeester:
In fact, I’ve never smoked marijuana, or any other illegal substance. I will admit that I may have had a few beers before I turned 21, but am a law-abiding, job-holding, tax-paying, productive citizen of these great United States.
I’m also a bit more open-minded than I think most here are. And I see a way for our country to fix several problems in one fell swoop. Believe me, I understand the addictive qualities of the substance having seen it affect family members and friends. But it is no more dangerous than alcohol – which is legal with a fairly steep tax – or pharmecuticals – who’s money goes to buy corrupt politicians. Should we outlaw booze? Wait, we tried that once already. Should we outlaw pharmecuticals? Good luck with that one.
I’ll say it again, people who want to use marijuana will do so whether it’s legal or not, whether it’s taxed or not, and whether it’s viewed with approval or not by the majority of society. And yes, some will become addicted and degrade to further drug use. Education will be necessary and law enforcement applied where appropriate. Same with alcohol. But for 90% of that population, I think you’ll find that they want to be law-abiding “out in the open” citizens, and will only use recreationally. Same with alcohol.
Why not allow a fairly simple solution to be put to work to fix many of the issues in our country?
You proved my point in your response about Amsterdam. Because other cities didn’t allow it the druggies concentrated in and migrated to Amsterdam causing lots of crime and other problems there.
Absent achieving your goal of legaliazed marijuana across the United States, Loveland legalizing marijuana through an explosion of dispensaries will be a magnet for druggies and crime coming to Loveland.
Weld County has already opted-out and Larimer County put on a moritorium without a vote meaning only one qualifies (being run by a convicted felon) so when state law closes Rich Present’s operation on 8th Street in Loveland (County Area) Larimer County won’t have any more than Weld County.
Loveland is already becoming the weed capital of Colorado if its true what the Administrator says that we have 18 marijuana dispensaries now operating with city permission. (city says 13 but I guess the leaked internal memo says 18)
Alcohol sales have never paid for their costs to a community in other society ills (about $8 for every $1 in sales taxes raised). In California, the marijuana costs are about $18 in associated costs to every $1 in tax revenue raised. Drug addiction is very costly on society even if they are only “potheads.”
While you and I disagree on legalizing marijuana across America, I hope you are intellectually honest enough to concede that the partial solution of only legalizing it Loveland (making us the Amsterdam of Colorado) will hurt this community.
My young children need to grow-up in Loveland. Making us the weed capital of Colorado will make my wife and I seriously consider moving to a safer community where every time we go on a bike path we don’t see stoned teenagers lighting up.
Let’s all work to keep Loveland safe and clean. By the way, you keep arguing with me as if I own a liqour store and promote alcohol – I don’t. You seem to miss the fact that ghettos are populated with crappy liqour stores selling 40 oz Malt liqour bottles. Nobody agains the 18 pot shops wants 18 liqour stores concentrated in our downtown either.
Concerned parent, I think you misunderstand me or I wasn’t clear. I’m not advocating just Loveland legalizing marijuana. In fact, I think that’s an inherently bad idea. We need to legalize it on a federal level or it will create pockets of slummery like you describe in Amsterdam (though I do think that description is a bit dramatized). Until it is legalized on a federal level, I think the city council is right to limit it, and I hope our law enforcement continue to do their jobs. I just believe it’s a misguided effort and that thos energies – and dollars – could be better used elsewhere. No one wants Loveland to be the “weed capital” of colorado – though I think we’d be hard pressed to out pace Boulder in that regard.
I am also a concerned parent who wants my children to grow up in a safe environment. The difference between us is this, I think by legalizing marijuana and bringing it out in the open, you demystify it and make it easier to talk about with your children. Just like alcohol.
I’m not sure where your sales tax dollar figures come from, but let’s say they’re accurate. You’re still leaving out the other economic factors that are created by keeping marijuana illegal. Law enforcement, prisons, illegal immigration, alternative energy, healthcare, all could be affected in an economicaly positive way if we legalized marijuana at the federal level.
Glad to hear we agree.
The reason I didn’t include the cost of enforcement is due to the fact asset forfeiture makes money for most cities when it comes to drug enforcement.
It is similar to football teams for colleges and high schools. Sure they spend a lot but many times because they know the return will be greater.
I doubt that asset forfeiture makes all that much money, especially once you include cost of storage, etc. If law enforcement are confiscating drugs, they’re supposed to destroy them. And if you’re talking about structures (homes, etc.) I really doubt money is made.
Still, my point remains that legalization of marijuana at the federal level is a good idea and will help to fix many of the societal issues we deal with.