(John Leyba, Denver Post file)

No pot issues on Jefferson County ballot this year; retail ban remains

JEFFERSON COUNTY — Jefferson County residents will not see any questions regarding retail marijuana on the ballot in November, the county commissioners decided on Tuesday.

If the commissioners were to put a question on the ballot about how to proceed with legislating marijuana in the county, they would have to do so by Sept. 5. Marijuana issues may only appear on the ballot in even-numbered years as a result of Amendment 64.

At a commissioners staff briefing, the board learned the marijuana task force, which was created by the county earlier this year, would have its last meeting on Aug. 18 and would not be able to present to the commissioners before the Sept. 5 deadline. The last commissioners meeting prior to Sept. 5 is Aug. 19.


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Jefferson County has a moratorium on retail marijuana until Feb. 1, 2015, but the commissioners can extend that anytime before then.

“If the task force is not ready, I would just as soon wait until they are done, even if we miss ’14,” Commissioner Faye Griffin said during the briefing.

Fellow Commissioner Don Rosier said he didn’t believe in putting it on the ballot again and hopes the task force can help the commissioners decide how best to move forward regarding marijuana.

“I would rather handle it,” Rosier said during the briefing. “I think that’s what’s expected of us,” he said, adding that if things don’t work out, the county could go back to a ballot question in 2016.”

Joe Vaccarelli: 303-954-2396, jvaccarelli@denverpost.com or twitter.com/joe_vacc


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This story was first published on DenverPost.com