Following the passage of Amendment 64 in November 2012, Mesa County Commissioners voted to ban all marijuana retailers in unincorporated parts of the county. This vote was in accordance with the regulations put forth by the amendment, which gave control to the counties to decide whether they were going to allow pot shops or not.

Even though Amendment 64 passed in Colorado, the voter base here in Grand Junction is not so keen on having legal weed. Many of the older residents see the legality of weed becoming something akin to allowing children to go into the store and grab a quarter sack.  When kids are asked if they have tried pot, many will say yes and tell you that it is easier to get weed than it is to get a bottle of liquor.

Now why is that? It could be that since marijuana is not regulated in a manner that proof of ID is required to purchase it, the seller doesn’t really care about where the money is coming from.

Obtaining weed is not something that is hard to do, especially if you don’t want to pay taxes on it and follow the rules of law. In the Grand Valley, there is a single medical shop. Otherwise, you are forced to drive to Glenwood Springs or Rifle to get medical weed legally. For the recreational user, these options are out from the beginning. Even though the majority of Coloradoans voted to make marijuana use, possession, cultivation and retail sales legal, and the Feds have chimed in stating that they will not enforce federal laws in the state, Mesa County has tried to continue its prohibition.

Our ignorant county commissioners seem to think that maintaining the current status quo will help the Grand Valley. Jobs will be created by the continued decrease of oil and gas employers, or something like that I’m sure. Commissioner Rose Pugliese told the Daily Sentinel that she was voting against allowing retail sellers in the valley because weed is still illegal under federal law. Commissioner Steve Acquafresca told the Sentinel that the chance for underage smoking abounds when people over the age of 21 are able to purchase it.

My take is that our commissioners are uninterested in creating jobs for our agriculture-based area and helping the Grand Valley grow commercially. Furthermore, forcing residents to continue buying from illegitimate dealers who also peddle hard drugs puts youth in closer contact than with the very bugaboo that the commissioners seek to avoid.

Doesn’t sound like a great plan to me.

This will only further the continued decline of our economic health and force those who do use marijuana to continue purchasing outside of the law or growing it themselves. At least we can thank our commissioners for our improved horticulture skills.

ldaniel@mavs.coloradomesa.edu