Notified — Pot plant caps, Trinidad’s ArtSpace snag & new region hikes
March 10, 2017 |The days of 99 marijuana plants may be numbered.
How many marijuana plants is too much in a residential property? That is a major issue the state legislature is taking up in an effort to curb the grey market in Colorado.
The bipartisan bill, heard in the House Finance Committee and ultimately passed onto a floor vote this week, would limit any residential property from more than 16 marijuana plants.
We’re explaining that bill this week for a couple of reasons. It’s been a major speaking point for Pueblo County Sheriff Kirk Taylor. Voters approved a measure in November that asked the county to urge the legislature to pass a bill similar to this.
Colorado may limit the number of pot plants per house.
The original bill aimed for 12, but an amendment raised that number to 16. No other state allows homegrows to be more than 16 plants — Colorado has been the most generous.
The bill was approved after fierce debate in the House on Friday morning. It now moves onto the Senate before hitting the governor’s desk.
“This is not an anti-marijuana piece of legislation,” said Rep. Cole Wist, during the finance committee hearing, which lasted nearly eight hours and ended at 10 p.m.
Legal counsel for Gov. John Hickenlooper backed the bill, as did some counties and law enforcement agencies. Some counties already limit the number of plants grown in a home.
Pueblo passed a ballot measure asking the legislature to pass a measure limiting the number of plants per residency. 1C passed with 60 percent of the vote.
“Homegrown use hurts our legal marijuana perception. It hurts the license-regulated industry because they (the public) confuse the two,” said Pueblo County Commissioner Sal Pace.
Specifically in Pueblo the argument has been over the several illegal grows that have plagued the county. The general argument has been that if there were caps on the number of plants, there would be less illegal grows. These grows are typically part of a criminal enterprise that sends the pot out of state for sale.
So, why so much contention and debate?
Those against the bill were mainly people who feared it would “make criminals out of cancer patients,” as one House member put it. Many feared medical marijuana patients who are growing medical-grade cannabis would automatically be breaking the law.
Almost none of the illegal busts in Pueblo had any medical license to grow plants — medical marijuana law in Colorado dictates up to 99 plants in one home. So the busts were still illegal under current law — some busts found double and triple the number of allowed plants.
Trinidad’s affordable housing for artists hits a snag
A $2 milllion state grant is helping create more affordable housing in Trindad, but leaders of the project told Trinidad City Council this week there has been a small setback, the Trinidad Chronicle-News reported this week.
Will Law, Artspace’s chief operating officer, said that the Trinidad project had received a $2 million DOLA grant, but suffered a setback when it failed to get substantial tax incentives from the Corporate Housing Providers Association (CHPA). Law said Artspace is learning how to deal with the CHPA tax incentive process and hoped to have to greater success in that area in the near future.
Basically, the tax credits are a federal program administered by the state, and that’s where the problem occured. The project is chugging along, however. Once the credits are cleared, the group will be ready to move in, they said.
There will be a total of 20 units available to artist and creatives in Trinidad.
The townhalls of Southeastern Colorado
You know you’re dying to hear what Sen. Cory Gardner said this week (hint: healthcare and Russia).
In a marathon of virtual townhalls Wednesday evening, Colorado Republican Reps. Doug Lamborn and Scott Tipton and Sen. Cory Garnder fielded questions from constituents on several topics, but healthcare was overwhelmingly on people’s minds — and they are not thrilled about this ACA replacement from Republicans.
You can read more about the questions and answers from the calls here.
What else happened at the leg this week:
Marijuana clubs passes Colorado Senate, but still faces challenges
An agreement on a tax for roads, but will Colorado voters approve?
GOP-backed bill to increase Colorado revenues passes test
Colorado’s roads are costing drivers a bunch
A bunch as in billions. A recent report found roads in their current conditions cost drivers across the state $6.8 billion. Some drivers in certain areas, such as Denver, pay much more because of stuffy commutes.
This is the breakdown around the state:
This also means big things for the state economy.
“Making needed improvements to Colorado’s roads, highways, bridges and transit systems could also provide a significant boost to the state’s economy by creating jobs in the short term and stimulating long-term economic growth as a result of enhanced mobility and access,” the report concluded.
Read more on roads and their impact on Colorado here.
ICYMI: Colorado is losing its top 10 coal ranking
It’s mostly due to a decrease in production because of shrinking exports, mine closures and stricter regulations.
The story here.
Cañon City is the hot spot for trails right now
Time to get to Fremont County with all this warm weather and hit. the. trails, bruh. The South Cañon Trail System, Schepp Open Space and Eagle Wing Trailhead opened this past weekend.
The Cañon City Daily record was there for the ribbon cutting, and it looks like an impressive set of trails:
The more than 10-mile trail system connects the Arkansas Riverwalk, Ecology Park, the Section 13 trail system and Grape Creek, as well as thousands of acres of BLM managed public land.
Here’s a map to get you started.
