Social Pot Consumption Advocates May Sue City of Denver

The drafters of Denver's social cannabis consumption initiative have been vocal about their dissatisfaction with the city's finalized rules and distance requirements for businesses applying to open a consumption area. Now they're taking it a step further, threatening to sue the City of Denver if less restrictive rules aren't put in place.

Passed by Denver voters in November, the Initiative 300 social consumption pilot program is expected to take effect sometime this fall, with the city set to begin accepting applications later this month. The rules were finalized in June, but proponents of Initiative 300 and their representatives on the city's Social Consumption Advisory Committee say those rules don't reflect the intent of the initiative that voters approved, and charge that location restrictions will kill the program's chance at succeeding.

Emmett Reistroffer and Kayvan Khaltabari, drafters of the initiative, contacted city officials on Friday, August 11, and Saturday, August 12, and informed them that a lawsuit was probable if the restrictions weren't relaxed. Their main objection is with the proposed 1,000-foot buffer requirement between a social consumption area and any school, child-care establishment, drug or treatment facility, city park, pool or recreation center.

"We were hoping for them to open their eyes before they finished these requirements," Khalatbari says. "There's a few unreasonable things in there, but this one really kills the ordinance."

Read more: http://www.westword.com/marijuana/social-pot-consumption-advocates-consider-suing-city-of-denver-9365893