Kate Panetta of Natural Remedies removes medical marijuana from a jar for a customer at the Denver dispensary in August 2013. (Hyoung Chang, Denver Post file)

Colorado town’s approval of pot sales facing pushback, petition effort

PARACHUTE — Keeping good on earlier promises, opponents of allowing marijuana businesses to operate in Parachute started the process Monday to put the issue before voters in the fall of 2016 — the earliest date possible under the law.

The effort, largely led by resident Pam Jarrett and a group of like-minded townspeople, is in response to a 4-2 decision by town trustees in June to repeal a ban on recreational marijuana businesses.

When Jarrett submitted both the affidavit for a petition committee and the petition language Monday, the town had already received its first two applications for licenses.

Approximately 40 people packed town hall for the trustees meeting in July. Many in the audience — which several trustees noted was much larger than the typical crowd at meetings — said they were unaware the issue was being considered in June, and asked trustees to consider putting the issue to a vote of the town’s residents.

Read more of this report at PostIndependent.com

This story was first published on PostIndependent.com