Letter to the Editor

There’s been a lot of exposure in the local press for the voices opposed to the marijuana dispensary, which was approved in June by county commissioners for the Niwot location on 79th Street in Cottonwood Square. Before the Niwot Business Association meeting in March of 2015, when building owner Ernie Craumer first addressed the community about his plans, I was shocked and disappointed to see a picket line, with children and their enraged parents brandishing “No Pot in Niwot” signs. It was the first time I didn’t feel proud of my community. And even worse to hear about the treatment of the Craumers in the meeting was just sad.

I’ve lived in Niwot for 20 years and owned a business here for 15. My firm revamped the Niwot.com site to help build traffic and bring visitors to town, and we’ve provided pro bono work for the Rock & Rails event, the Niwot Children’s Park and the elementary school—and we were glad to do it.

I’d always thought I’d chosen a relaxed, open-minded place to live and work. And I had—until this controversy erupted. As someone whose family has striven to enhance the economic vitality of Niwot, both professionally and personally, I’m disappointed in the actions of the few to try to muscle out a business the state has sanctioned and the county, with its famously rigorous land-use regulations, has approved.

After all, marijuana has been a legal commodity in Colorado for years. The people in Niwot voted for it—Amendment 64 was approved by 66.1 percent of voters in Boulder county—so the actions taken by a local citizen action group and other local organizations are both hypocritical and harmful to the community as a whole.

The Niwot Business Association, in particular, has used its communication channels to promote the anti-marijuana point of view, including the promotion of the Preserve Niwot’s GoFundMe campaign, which was set up to raise money to pay for ongoing legal fees. To use this venue to push one side’s agenda over another is just plain wrong. It’s the role of a business association to promote and uplift the entire business community, not one group or point of view over another.

Niwot’s been known as a hip neighborhood, where retailers and homeowners have happily cohabited for years (and where alcohol is routinely consumed at outdoor events, in front of children). So why the brouhaha over marijuana? Aren’t we, as parents, where the buck stops in terms of educating our children on responsible consumption, among other potential pitfalls?

If we can be prevailed on to do that for alcohol, why not marijuana? The action group, in particular, has promoted unsubstantiated scare tactics, including statements made in a recent article in the Left Hand Valley Courier where a plaintiff in the pending lawsuit, Steve Romano, claimed that armed security guards are a requirement (presumably by state law) in dispensaries. This is simply not true, and it’s the irresponsible spread of misinformation like Romano’s that perpetuate the atmosphere of fear surrounding this issue.

The Niwot I know and wish to preserve is one of openness and transparency. And what Romano’s group hasn’t mentioned are the positive impacts from MJ sales tax revenue and fees that are benefitting kids state-wide. According to the Denver Post, out of the $135 million in taxes and license fees collected in Colorado in 2015 from pot, $35 million has been earmarked for school construction projects (and another half million will serve as scholarships for low-income students in Adams County).

In Aurora, according to the same source, $1.5 million in MJ revenues and fees is slated to address issues suffered by its homeless population. In Northglenn funds will go to water and infrastructure improvements.

Retail sales of MJ are expected to hit $1 billion in 2016—and those revenues and fees can do a lot of good for both kids and underserved populations, as well as improvements made to roads and the building of recreation centers and parks, not to mention Niwot’s share, which could be considerable.

So when we talk about the MJ issue, let’s get our facts straight, and let’s not assume when we speak our opinion, we speak for everyone. There are plenty of Niwotians who are in favor of keeping our doors open to entrepreneurs no matter what their business may be.

Charles Bell

Owner and principal

ToolStudios, LLC