Pot dispensary near Stapleton school ignites controversy - The Denver Post

Pot dispensary near Stapleton school ignites controversy - The Denver Post

A medical-marijuana dispensary opening near a high school is creating divided opinions in Denver's Stapleton neighborhood and seems likely to have narrowly beaten new rules that could restrict dispensary operations in the city.

"I voted for medical marijuana, but I didn't expect it to be in my backyard," said Will Robbins,who lives in the neighborhood built on the site of the city's old airport.

Robbins said he has friends with debilitating diseases who would benefit from medical marijuana, which Colorado voters authorized when they passed Amendment 20 in 2000. But he said he worries about the high school students whom he used to coach in lacrosse at the nearby Denver School of Science and Technology, rated the top school in Denver.

"The last thing those students need is a medical-marijuana dispensary within a mile of them, let alone 500 feet," Robbins said.

Tonya Le, a server at the An's Lemon Grass Grille restaurant in the same commercial complex as the planned dispensary, said she doesn't understand all the fuss.

The restaurant serves alcohol near the high school but follows pertinent regulations and doesn't sell to those underage, Le said. Surely, a business selling medial marijuana could also follow proper regulations, she said.

Read more:http://www.denverpost.com/ci_14005945#ixzz0Zrm4kYTT