Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Will Walsenburg Bet the Ranch on Marijuana?



It has come to my attention that a party has approached the City of Walsenburg about leasing property owned by the city for marijuana grow operations. This property known as the "ranch" also has water rights and gravel reserves.
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The common consensus is that marijuana is lucrative and legal; therefore, why not go for a piece of the pie as soon as possible.  Unfortunately there are ambiguities in the federal laws concerning this issue.  Coupled with that are many governmental regulations on the state and local level.  The question of a property owner's liability for adherence to these laws comes into play.  There are laws which allow governmental agencies to seize property when non-compliance of drug laws is a factor.

The business of growing marijuana legally is relatively new to the states which are involved.  This is not a venture to enter into without researching state and federal laws.

Any municipal entity should also consider the will of its citizens to be a part of such an operation.  The opportunity to make some fast money is not a good reason to jump into this kind of deal.  There should be community input and realization that without proper planning, there is a lot to lose.

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