The state of Colorado may have determined that anyone with a drug felony conviction or recent felony sentence is unfit to own a medical marijuana dispensary, but that didn't stop the state from appointing an ex-felon to represent marijuana patients on the twelve-person Medical Marijuana Registry Committee.
This weekend, new rules will take effect precluding anyone previously convicted of a drug-related felony or any felony within the last 5 years from owning a medical marijuana dispensary, which the state will now refer to as medical marijuana centers.
As the day approaches when these particular felons will be weeded out of the system, the DEA is pushing statistics that show over 50% of current dispensary owners have criminal records.
Matt Cook, the Colorado Department of Revenue director responsible for ensuring that marijuana center owners meet the new state requirements, told 9news that he feels the public deserves to know that centers aren't "drug carte[s]l selling tainted medicine to them that could harm them when they ingest it."
The AP reports that nearly 1 out of every 5 dispensaries will be closed over the next few weeks.
Meanwhile, Westword reports that the Colorado Department of Health and Environment appointed Ken Weaver, a colorful ex-felon, to serve as the patient representative on the state's twelve-person Medical Marijuana Registry Committee, which will recommend how the department should implement Colorado's new medical marijuana laws.
Weaver, Westword reports, had spent time in Prison for stealing cars. He had also stolen a single-engine Cessna plane in 1986 that was recovered "filled with money, a rifle, a set of scales and maps of Mexican airstrips."
A Health Department spokeswoman told Westword:
"The department did not request information from any applicants regarding past criminal activity. We sought members who could represent relevant stakeholders for the rules required to be passed under HB 1284 and SB 109. The process included requesting a resumé and checking references, and the selection criteria included selecting individual(s) who are engaged in the process and, as stated above, who represent the stakeholders, in this case, patients. Also, we wanted to achieve some level of geographic diversity."
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