Pubdate: Sat, 09 Mar 2013
Source: Daily Camera (Boulder, CO)
Copyright: 2013 The Daily Camera.
Contact:  http://www.dailycamera.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/103
Author: Carter S. Johnson

TAKE THE PROFIT MOTIVES OUT OF BOULDER'S MARIJUANA SALES

Boulder City Council's implementation of Amendment 64 needs to only 
concern itself with one priority. That priority is: "What was the 
intent of the voters in approving the amendment in overwhelming 
numbers in the city of Boulder."

What I believe voters stated in voting for Amendment 64 is that they 
were tired of the excessive war on drugs, tired of the violence 
surrounding drug cartels and tired of the state intruding into their 
lives over issues of relatively low governmental concern.

Additionally voters did not express concerns over increasing local 
excise taxation, minor access to marijuana nor drug addiction issues 
like those currently being touted by stealth opponents to Amendment 
64. That tiny voter minority voted against it.

Council needs to address the primary issue of marijuana in our city. 
That being Mexican drug cartels currently control the production and 
distribution of this plant. Secondarily quasi-legal state implemented 
medical marijuana cartels provide limited access to this plant 
charging many hundreds of dollars for what is essentially a free 
growing weed. To eliminate this status quo City Council must empower 
recreational and medical users to become the means of production and 
distribution of marijuana, eliminating the cartels and medical 
dispensary middlemen.

As a preliminary measure council should concern itself as to how 
recreational and medical users of marijuana can easily access this 
commodity without undo regulatory overhead. To accomplish this I 
suggest making only seed stock available from licensed liquor 
merchants already regulated by state and local authorities. Seed 
stock requires a commitment from the marijuana consumer to produce 
their own commodity and in the process eliminates the profit motive 
currently surrounding the sale of the plant. A merchant could sell 
say a dozen seeds for 10 bucks with the city collecting $3 from the sale.

Minors will not be getting high from seeds illegally obtained at a 
liquor store on Saturday night. Certainly no juveniles are illegally 
dosing themselves with beer recently purchased as components from the 
local homebrew shop. Those adults wishing for immediate marijuana 
gratification can do so by driving to another nearby jurisdiction 
that sells it on demand.

So City should step back and reconsider the motives of the voters 
again and place their priorities on those concerns -- which is to 
take the money out of marijuana first. Then they can immerse 
themselves in the minutiae of their over regulatory impulses.

CARTER S. JOHNSON

Boulder
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom