May 03, 2010 07:14 PM UTC

Chris Romer's War on Small & Local Business

• 3 Comments
• by: Whiskey Lima Juliet

I have to agree with the writer of this letter.  At one point I thought Sen. Chris Romer would have been a reasonable voice for the MMJ business community.  But what is happening is he is in bed with large dispensaries from out of state with promises of big dollars for his mayoral campaign.

And BTW, all this will do nothing to fix the current issues with MMJ. It will just close the smaller Colorado MMJ business and make room for the large California Dispensary businesses with a Colorado figure head.

He is selling out small business for big business and local business for out of state big business.  

Hey Sen. Romer, this is not the work of a good mayor.

Editor’s note: Boulder Weekly rarely agrees to publish a letter to the editor anonymously. In this case, the author of the letter felt that he and his business would be targeted if this letter could be attributed to him. Given the current political climate, we agreed to run the letter anonymously, after confirming his identity.

I remember about a year ago Sen. Chris Romer started courting the local dispensaries and medical marijuana organizations under the ruse that he was going to “pass reasonable legislation to legitimize our growing industry.” As we listened to his proposals, it became clear that his only concern was to make a name for himself as “the one who would tame the Wild West” and his concern for the patient or local industry was a deception to further his political goals. His voiced disdain for the “Wild West” makes him more of an embarrassment to Colorado than a representative of Colorado.

As local dispensaries and others, such as American Medical Marijuana Standards Association (AMMSA) President Larry Hill, met with Sen. Romer, it became clear the senator wanted us to sharpen the knife he planned to stab us in the back with. We tried to explain to him that this industry was quite capable of developing its own regulatory standards for the protection of the patient and the public at large, but Sen. Romer had other ideas – every transaction videotaped; card-swipe technology into a central database recording every transaction; a police investigation of any patient purchasing more that two ounces per week.

Local organizations and dispensaries soon had to distance themselves from the senator to maintain their own integrity. About this time the senator picked up another group of friends to “play” with – California dispensaries. Sen. Romer continues to add as much startup cost to opening a dispensary as he can, his latest proposal a $50,000 dispensary license.

The California chain dispensaries are his most ardent supporters. Support for his proposals at the local level, whether patient or dispensary, is virtually nonexistent.

From Sen. Romer’s own remarks his intent is easy to ascertain: “I plan to reduce the number of dispensaries in Colorado by 50 percent within a year.”

Did you know that 50 percent of the dispensaries in Colorado are California chains? Vincent Carroll’s March 26 article in The Denver Post indicates which 50 percent the senator would like to get rid of: “Romer remains committed to regulatory standards that squeeze out what he calls [a] ‘knucklehead’ dispensary model run by people with no expertise and not enough capital.”

It is sad that he views his own constituents as “knuckleheads without enough capital.” It is the working poor who put him into office.

Later on, Mr. Carroll’s article states:

“He foresees dispensaries as sophisticated ‘wellness’ centers regulated as thorsee oughly as casinos, where every transaction is videotaped.”

Every transaction videotaped? Ever heard of HIPAA or the Fourth Amendment, Sen. Romer?

“Sophisticated wellness centers” is code for “huge start-up expenses.” This “sophistication” he has proposed includes requiring that 90 percent of a dispensary’s medicine be grown on site. So your building store front and grow operation would cost $5,000 to $10,000 a month alone.

It is crystal clear what you are trying to pull, Sen. Romer. Mom and Pop, the working poor and the rest of us knucklehead riffraff can go to hell, while you pursue your Walgreens, Wal-Mart and Wall Street version of “sophisticated wellness centers.”

Colorado medical marijuana dispensary owner

http://www.boulderweekly.com/a…