Colorado Divided

Recent steps by the federal government have put the medical marijuana industry of multiple states in question. Colorado is no exception to this, as banks throughout the state were recently bullied into ceasing all business ties with medical marijuana dispensaries.

The response from the local Colorado population has been surprisingly mixed. Despite the fact that Colorado was one of the earlier states to adopt medicinal marijuana policies, there are still many residents speaking out in support of a proposed ban on dispensaries.

A new policy, Proposition 300, is currently under consideration, which would ban dispensaries in the region of Fort Collins. Supporters question the state of the medical marijuana community in their area, which has a history of neglect.

Take an issue with applications, for example, which was not properly handled. The issue stems from a number of residents who were allowed to purchase marijuana without documentation. They were able to do this because the application processing department was overrun, and could not live up to their promise of issuing registry cards within 35 days of the application.

Those in opposition of dispensaries blame these discrepancies on the dispensaries themselves. Statistics show that Larimer County issued 500 recommendations during the first 9 years of legalization. After dispensaries became commonplace; that number rose to 8,500 recommendations in only two years.

These numbers are questionable, even for many in support of dispensaries. Many people are speaking out against Proposition 300, but are not denying that certain restrictions should be strengthened and regularly enforced.

It is unlikely that this proposition will lead to dispensaries being shut down, but it is very likely that dispensary owners will be forced to reconsider their policies. Out of respect for those who actually do require medical marijuana medicine, it is important to make sure the medicinal marijuana industry is operating responsibly.