Supporters of Initiative 300 are signaling success in their quest to establish a legal framework for allowing "limited social cannabis consumption" in public businesses. The latest vote count from Denver Elections put proponents up 53 percent to 46 over the opposition as of the midnight update on Nov. 15.
“We can possess and purchase cannabis, we need to be allowed places to consume it in responsible, supervised environments,” Yes on 300 campaign leader Kayvan Khalatbari said before the election.
Opponents, who had originally termed 300 a "radical proposal," have not yet conceded. The leader of Protect Denver's Atmosphere, Rachel O'Bryan, told The Denver Post, "we're waiting on an official call on this."
Under the ordinance, Denver must have application forms available by mid-January for places that want to allow marijuana use on the premises. Any business – from laundromats to bars – can apply for a license from the city, as long as it has the approval of a registered neighborhood organization. There are a host of other restrictions, such as the site can't be within 1,000 feet of a school or anywhere there are groups of children.
Still, it’s unclear how long it will take for the city to approve a license. They’re under no deadline to do so. City officials would like to add additional rules and regulations on these pot clubs, but city leaders can’t start making changes to a citizen initiated ordinance for six months. As a result, the regulations might not be in place until well into 2017.
