Marijuana Rules

Just when it seemed that Walsenburg had an ordinance in place and zoning done for medical marijuana, the council members decide that the rules are too stringent for potential businesses.  The fact that city ordinance 1020 has some common sense rules concerning distances that a dispensary is required to be from residences, schools, churches, etc. seems to have little significance.  The council feels the need to amend the ordinance because a potential business wants to locate next door to a residence.

This same kind of logic was used to argue for the marijuana zoning ordinance which placed R-O property as a candidate for marijuana operations.  The vacant building across from the Pizza Hut was located in a residential zone.  Instead of letting the potential business work out the location for a properly zoned area, the city council decided to include residential zoning for marijuana operations to accommodate someone who wanted to use that particular building.

It would seem that the question of proper zoning of a business in the city is within the jurisdiction of the city planning and zoning committee. Why should there be an immediate need to change zoning rules before the zoning committee can study the case and make recommendations?

I will go on record in support of our current ordinance 1020 which should be enforced as written.  There is no reason to change a perfectly good ordinance.