Medical Marijuana is not just a good idea, it’s the law. Colorado voted for compassion and even-handedness. Now numerous cannabis dispensaries are popping up all over the valley. They won’t all make it, the market will see to that. And that’s how it should be, but no dispensary should close because of onerous business regulations, such as Fruita’s proposed tax on marijuana.
It takes a licensed M.D. to recommend medical marijuana. You must be seen by the physician to determine if you have one of the conditions that marijuana might help. It’s not for everyone. Whether it’s the pain of cancer, or the nausea of A.I.D.S., the patients and physicians report positive results.
Now Fruita wants to tax marijuana. These people have missed the boat. Medical Marijuana is not a joke, or a sneaky back door way to get high. And would you want to add extra tax to a mother who is getting penicillin for their child’s ear infection? Medical marijuana is analogous to the penicillin in this case; why tax people who are ill?
Dispensaries are licensed facilities and are subject to inspection. There is no reason to believe that they are more nefarious than a pharmacy. We see people forge scripts for drugs from doctors and pharmacies, and we don’t ask them to pay extra tax. The industry self regulates with federal oversight. Similarly, dispensaries are self regulated with state oversight.
Legalizing medical marijuana has nothing to do with recreational drug use. That continues in a separate path from medical use. In the meantime, Colorado is progressive enough to recognize what certain physicians have already noted. Marijuana is a relatively harmless medication that works well on certain conditions. Higher taxes bring only more suffering for the patients, and it can and should be avoided.
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Eric Niederkruger