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Title: Legal weed sparks Colorado debate _ why not allow pot clubs?
Source:
Colombia Tribune
URL Source: http://www.columbiatribune.com/news ... 62-5bf5-bbf5-e95e111b4f0c.html
Published: Jun 29, 2016
Author: Staff
Post Date: 2016-06-30 15:29:47 by Gatlin
Keywords: None
Views: 202
Comments: 2
DENVER (AP) — Legal marijuana is giving Colorado a stinky conundrum. Visitors can buy the drug, but they can’t use it in public. Or in a rental car. Or in most hotel rooms. The result is something marijuana advocates and opponents feared — people toking up on sidewalks, in city parks and in alleys behind bars and restaurants — despite laws against doing so. And they are getting dinged with public marijuana consumption tickets. From the capital city of Denver to mountain resorts like Aspen and Breckenridge, police wrote nearly 800 citations for the new crime of public consumption in 2014, the first year recreational sales began. Some legalization advocates believe they have a solution — pot clubs. Denver voters might consider a ballot measure this fall to make the city the most populous place in the nation to expressly allow pot clubs. “People need a place to go,” said Teresa Wright of Lafayette, a Denver suburb. Wright was volunteering in Denver recently to gather signatures for a referendum to allow private pot clubs in the city. “You can go out anywhere and see people using alcohol. To socialize, to relax. But not marijuana,” Wright said. “We deserve to have a place. It’s a legal activity.” But marijuana clubs have proved a harder sell here than legalizing the drug in the first place. The amendment that legalized marijuana doesn’t give people the right to use it “openly or publicly,” a nod to critics who said legalization would lead to an explosion of Amsterdam-style clubs. But Colorado’s constitution doesn’t ban public use, either, leading to a confusing patchwork of local policies on weed clubs. Denver and Colorado Springs have existing pot clubs, but they operate somewhat underground with occasional police busts. The small northern Colorado town of Nederland regulates a club that advertises, “out of state, out of country, and of course locals are welcome.” In southern Colorado, Pueblo County allows clubs but has none. Things get even more complicated in the Denver suburb of Englewood, where city council members apparently were taken by surprise the city had licensed a pot club. They then voted 7-0 this month to allow no more clubs. No other states with legal recreational pot have licensed clubs, either. Concerns about pot clubs mirror worries about legalizing the drug. Law enforcement officials have said the clubs could lead to more impaired driving, though there’s no evidence that existing underground clubs have been linked to traffic accidents or crime. “There’s no good regulatory model for what these clubs should look like,” said Colorado Rep. Jonathan Singer. The Democrat planned to propose some sort of pot-club bill during the recent legislative session but gave up after law enforcement, the pot industry, state regulators and even bars and restaurants couldn’t agree on how it should work. One Denver woman interviewed at a popular park said she fears that clubs would further entice her underage grandchildren to try pot. “The fact is, marijuana is all over the city now,” said Sara Epstein, 77. “It’s so easy to get. Why do they need a club? That’s just going to show kids it’s even easier to get. It’s the wrong message.” Marijuana activists trying to get a club measure on Denver ballots say pot skeptics should welcome clubs for just that reason. Person’s group has until mid-August to collect about 5,000 signatures to put the question on municipal ballots this November. . Four years ago, Denver County approved legalization nearly 2-1.
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#1. To: Gatlin (#0)
Liberal incrementalism. All we want is "A". Now that we have "A", why not "B"? It's silly to have "A" and not "B". And if we have "A" and "B", why not "C"?
So if you're going to be a pot tourist, do your homework first. A government strong enough to impose your standards is strong enough to ban them. "Visitors can buy the drug, but they can’t use it in public. Or in a rental car. Or in most hotel rooms."
#2. To: misterwhite (#1)
Visitors can buy the drug, but they can’t use it in public. Or in a rental car. Or in most hotel rooms. [...] a confusing patchwork of local policies on weed clubs.
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