Colorado: Nearly 2/3rds support regulated medical marijuana dispensaries

(Trading Markets) Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation, a coalition of medical marijuana patients and providers supporting responsible regulation of medical marijuana, today released a statewide poll illustrating that Colorado voters overwhelmingly favor regulating state-licensed dispensaries to serve persons who are suffering from debilitating medical conditions.

By a margin of two-to-one, 64 percent of voters said they would approve proposals that would establish state-licensed marijuana dispensaries to cultivate and provide marijuana to patients with doctors’ recommendations. Just 32 percent said they would reject it.

The telephone survey of 500 Colorado voters who are likely to participate in the 2010 general election was conducted November 6-9, 2009, using a statistically valid random sample drawn from a current list of registered voters.  [The sample asked:] “This proposal would (1) establish state-licensed marijuana dispensaries to cultivate and provide marijuana to patients with doctors’ recommendations; (2) allow local governments to set limits on the number of dispensaries and to enact zoning regulations
applicable to the dispensaries; and (3) require patients to be registered with the state and set a limit on the amount of marijuana patients can acquire through the dispensary system. If the election were held today, would you vote yes or no on this proposal?”

In California and Colorado, the business of dispensaries is booming and the state and local governments are now scrambling to cope.  As it turns out, the dispensaries are popular with the people and any problems associated with them aren’t because they exist, but because they are unregulated.  It’s long past time for these legislators to accept the fact that the people support medical marijuana, and that means supporting a safe means of access for the people who need medical marijuana.  Dispensaries aren’t going anywhere and in this troubling economy, it behooves the state and the private sector to get a handle on one of the few growth industries (pun intended) we have left.