June 25, 2011 07:56 AM UTC

Sorry, Charlie...your story smells fishy.

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• by: Duke Cox

I don’t know if I am more disappointed that Diane Cox, Mesa Counties’ Marijuana Vigilante, continues to spread lies and hysterical rhetoric about medicinal Cannabis, or that Charles Ashby of the daily Grand Junction newspaper has written such a terrible story in covering her outrageous blather.

Mr. Ashbys’ story, under the title “Medical pot question makes Palisade ballot”, starts with a false claim in the headline and gets worse from there. Quoting the story;

A Palisade group seeking to have the Grand Valley’s last remaining marijuana dispensary banned announced Tuesday evening that Palisade Town Clerk, Carol Speakman, has certified a ballot question to do just that.

trouble is… tain’t true McGee.

I received this in an e-mail from the town of Palisade:

The Town of Palisade announced today that petitions containing 187 signatures seeking voter approval of a ban on medical marijuana dispensaries have been received.  Contrary to recent media reports, the signatures have not yet been validated.  In an article in the June 22, 2011 edition of the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel it was reported that a group named Safe and Healthy announced that Palisade Clerk, Carol Speakman has certified a ballot question to ban medical marijuana dispensaries in Palisade.  This is incorrect.

Perhaps, Charles, when Ms. Speakman didn’t return your call, you should have waited a while to print your story. Had you done some research, you would know that Diane Cox is not a registered voter in Palisade. There are numerous claims that SHE has been circulating petitions, which would, of course, render every signature she personally collected invalid. But since you chose to quote ONLY Ms. Cox in your story, I guess you decided that none of her claims deserved investigating.

For example, Diane Cox’s claim that “the existing marijuana shop was allowed to open through an ’emergency meeting’ of of only three (town)board members with no public hearing or input” is vigorously denied by the owners of the facility, Mr. and Mrs. Loughman.

But then…isn’t the reporter supposed to check on these things, BEFORE he submits the story? It almost seems you let her write the story for you.

  Even that is not the most egregious “boo-boo” in this troubled little story.

This gem is a classic;

Cox said Palisade residents who signed the petition said a dispensary in town would detract from the citys’ image as the state’s peach capital  

She said, they said…really? Did all of them say it? Only one? Maybe none? How is this unassuming little storefront going to destroy Palisade? How is this journalism, Mr. Ashby? How can you write a story about an issue of great importance to many people and not challenge, or even question, the assertions of a screeching zealot?

With all due respect, Mr. Ashby, I have a suggestion. Why don’t you visit the dispensary and talk to the Loughmans? Get their response to Diane Coxs’ assertions. While you are there, you can speak to some of the cancer patients who come to get the medication that allows them to withstand the horror of chemotherapy. Or perhaps you will meet the local businessman who finally found a way to control his debilitating headaches, a result of a severe neck injury.

Maybe you could go sit down with the town leaders in Palisade

Town of Palisade

970.464.5602

tsarmo@townofpalisade.org

and ask them why they chose to give the Loughmans a corporate citizenship award. I guess they aren’t too worried about the dispensary ” detracting from the cities’ image as the states’ peach capital”.

It is truly disappointing to see the lazy reporting displayed here. I didn’t realize Harmon was contagious.