Tonight the second reading and public hearing for a proposed ordinance that would ban the retail sale, production, cultivation and manufacturing of marijuana will take place. This is where the genius of our city council will come to light.

The vote is scheduled during the city council meeting at 7 pm. Meetings are held at the City Hall Auditorium at 5th and Rood and open to public for anyone who wishes to speak on the topic, regardless of his or her stance.

This ordinance would mirror a law put in place last month by Mesa County.

I expect the council to put the ban in place and any chance to raise tax dollars from the sale, production, cultivation and manufacturing of Marijuana will go up in smoke.

I don’t really understand what they are so afraid of. Do they think people will just walk around town and smoke it up? The answer is simple, put the same rules on it as we use for alcohol. You can’t walk around downtown with a beer in hand and if you do I bet the police will stop you and give you a ticket. Hey that’s tax dollars for the city.

I say you sell a license to produce it, sell a license to sell it and put a sin tax on it. Hey that’s more tax dollars for the city.

Then we take those dollars and fix the roads, build a youth center or put them into some public works program. I’m sure we could find some use for the money that will be raised.

Instead the city council will put the ban in place and the money will go to the black market. Unless this ban makes everyone stop using marijuana. Right?

What are your thoughts? Should we ban it or should we GROW like other towns in Colorado?

[KREX]