City Council Minutes 2013 12 17 - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Council Meeting Minutes December 17, 2013 Page 10 of 24 marijuana is not an exception for some individuals and may lead to chronic mental health problems. She stated although there may be tax collected from the sale of marijuana, there may be a substantial outlay of money to care for people who develop substance abuse problems. One concern is the type of marijuana produced today has a much higher concentration of more psycho- active ingredients. This is a major concern for persons in their teenage years because any substance, including marijuana, impairs the development of their brain. Marijuana effects memory, it prevents short term memories from long term memory storage. She asked Council to consider the information she provided. Tracy Haley, Louisville, CO voiced her support for marijuana legislation. She stated if alcohol is allowed in the City, marijuana should also be allowed. She stated marijuana is less destructive than alcohol and felt alcohol tends to produce violence, whereas marijuana does not. She suggested having at least as many retail marijuana stores as there are liquor stores and as many cultivation operations as there are breweries. She felt the Colorado Tech Center could provide an opportunity for cultivation. She felt the youth consumption would be more controlled in retail stores where ID's are scanned. She asked Council to consider the points she brought up. Health Harmon, Director of Programs for the Boulder County Public Health Department, 3415 N. Broadway, Boulder, CO, provided information about the health department's position relative to marijuana's harmful impact to the youth. He stated a few years ago, they conducted a comprehensive health assessment for Boulder County, which focused on improving the health of all Boulder County residents. Three areas rose to the top: 1) substance abuse, 2) healthy eating and 3) active living. Substance abuse was not strictly focused on marijuana; it also included alcohol and misuse of prescription drugs. They compared data for alcohol and tobacco to translate recommendations for marijuana. Their focus is on the impacts to the youth community and the long lasting impacts on their brains during the development period. He explained the level of impairment does not go after away after the usage of marijuana stops. He applauded the efforts of the Council to regulate marijuana. He offered his support and the recommendations for limiting the hours of operations; prohibiting market and distribution with logos; prohibiting coupons, free or give away and requiring scanners to verify age. He did not feel the recommendations were at odds with Amendment 64. He addressed the option concerning marketing and promotional hats and T-shirts and noted there are studies demonstrating youth use is likely to increase when receiving those promotional items. He stated with respect to the first amendment question, the option provided language directly from the Food and Drug Administration and so there is precedence. He noted many liquor stores are opting for scanners to verify age. The City of Boulder and Boulder County do require scanners in their regulations. With respect to the recommendation for the hours of operations, the City of Boulder, Boulder County and Denver County have the same hours of operations.