Regional
(2010-02-23)
DENVER, CO
(KUNC) -
The city of Denver has been bracing to process new licensing applications from nearly 500 existing or planned medical marijuana dispensaries. But with an application deadline looming this Friday, city officials say barely a fraction of those have applied. 485 sales tax licenses have been issued to dispensaries in Denver. Many are open already, some planning to open. But a slate of new, tougher regulations enacted last month now require all dispensary owners to pay a $5,000 application fee and, among other things, submit to background checks.
The deadline for the new applications is Friday. But as of Tuesday afternoon, the city had processed only 75 applications. Sue Cobb, spokeswoman with the Office of Community Planning, expects things will pick up.
"But I wouldn't expect we'll see another 300 or 400," Cobb says. "But people should know that for those who are operating dispensaries now that do not apply by Friday, they can still apply, but as of March 1st, they'll have to cease operation until they have their license."
Cobb says the city expected a lot more applications by now. As in many Colorado cities, dispensaries have become nearly ubiquitous in Denver in recent months. It's prompted public pressure for a crack down. But some of the more up-market dispensary owners have predicted that the gold rush would soon end, because they say some people are getting in the game without any business experience.
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