La Plata County commissioners are considering revisions to the county’s marijuana licensing and regulatory code to comply with state law and to clarify the application process.
The county adopted its current regulations, outlined in Section 7 of the code, in June 2014, authorizing the licensing of medical- and recreational- marijuana operations in the unincorporated county except within a three-mile buffer zone surrounding Ignacio and Bayfield. At that time, the board commanded staff to review those regulations for effectiveness and any statutory changes after a year and update accordingly.
Presently, fewer than 10 grow, or cultivation, operations are in the county, County Code Enforcement Officer Marianna Spishock said. Her department enforces local marijuana laws.
Proposed amendments are posted on the county website. They primarily address bringing county regulations into accordance with state legislation. There are recommended updates related to who cannot be issued a license, hours of operation for medical marijuana centers and the time frame for applicants to receive clearance from the San Juan Basin Health Department and fire districts.
“We’ve worked together on this for several months,” Spishock said.
“Some changes we put forward are points of clarification. This will make it a lot clearer to applicants as to what’s expected of them.”
The proposal concerned Durango Organics co-owner Jonny Radding, who asked that changes to the code not require retailers to spend hundreds of dollars on architects to produce a plot plan detailing the facility’s location, which can be done now using the county’s geographic information system for a minimal cost.
“It can cost us several hundred (dollars) to do it with an architect,” Radding told the board. “The county offers that through the GIS, and that only costs us a few dollars. I’m just asking if there is a way to continue doing that because it becomes expensive when we have to hire an engineer.”
County staff members were concerned that if the GIS information is not current, they could receive inaccurate data.
“We just want to standardize the process because sometimes we receive insufficient documentation that doesn’t meet regulations,” Spishock said.
Resident Barbara Belanger said licensing of dispensaries has challenged the family-friendliness of the downtown area, and she suggested the county and city collaborate on the issue.
“I think the legalization of recreational marijuana has contributed to the street people,” Belanger said. “I did vote for the legalization, primarily to see it decriminalized and to see it controlled by tax.”
But Belanger said tighter regulations – such as those in Uruguay, South America, which mandated consumers be citizens or permanent residents – are worth considering to keep Durango from becoming a “pot tourist destination.”
Tuesday’s discussion of the code was a first reading and will come before the board again before any decisions are final.
jpace@durangoherald.com
