DENVER - The deadline is approaching for owners of Colorado's medical marijuana dispensaries and those who have applied to get into the business.
They have until 5 p.m. Sunday to submit their paperwork for licenses to sell pot legally. A new state law requires licenses for all medical marijuana centers effective August 1.
"The application process is definitely not enjoyable," said Steve Semsrott, C.E.O. of The Releaf Center in Highlands. "I mean it's a challenge, which I always do enjoy a challenge in life."
"I hope the perception isn't that we're lazy potheads and so it's taken us so long cause literally these guys are putting their life down on paper and I don't know anyone that can get that done in 30 days," said Jake Browne, The Releaf Center's G.M.
Under the law, dispensaries will be regulated much like Colorado casinos and dog tracks. In this case, those convicted of drug-related felonies are prohibited from entering the business. Fees for each license run into the thousands of dollars.
"The one bad thing is I think a lot of the mom and pop shops out there, it's gonna be hard for them to meet some of these requirements with the fees and things like that," said Semsrott.
The Department of Revenue is handling the license applications. It defends the process which includes applications that run dozens of pages requiring scores of documents.
"When the legislature speaks and says we'll have a good clean industry, I think the hoops are really the same for any of those when you're setting the bar high for the people that are coming in," said the department's Dan Hartman.
Paperwork for the licenses is being accepted at the Commerce City dogtrack right up until the Sunday afternoon deadline.
The Department of Revenue says enforcement of the law will begin in the next several months as all that paperwork is sorted out.
They have until 5 p.m. Sunday to submit their paperwork for licenses to sell pot legally. A new state law requires licenses for all medical marijuana centers effective August 1.
"The application process is definitely not enjoyable," said Steve Semsrott, C.E.O. of The Releaf Center in Highlands. "I mean it's a challenge, which I always do enjoy a challenge in life."
"I hope the perception isn't that we're lazy potheads and so it's taken us so long cause literally these guys are putting their life down on paper and I don't know anyone that can get that done in 30 days," said Jake Browne, The Releaf Center's G.M.
Under the law, dispensaries will be regulated much like Colorado casinos and dog tracks. In this case, those convicted of drug-related felonies are prohibited from entering the business. Fees for each license run into the thousands of dollars.
"The one bad thing is I think a lot of the mom and pop shops out there, it's gonna be hard for them to meet some of these requirements with the fees and things like that," said Semsrott.
The Department of Revenue is handling the license applications. It defends the process which includes applications that run dozens of pages requiring scores of documents.
"When the legislature speaks and says we'll have a good clean industry, I think the hoops are really the same for any of those when you're setting the bar high for the people that are coming in," said the department's Dan Hartman.
Paperwork for the licenses is being accepted at the Commerce City dogtrack right up until the Sunday afternoon deadline.
The Department of Revenue says enforcement of the law will begin in the next several months as all that paperwork is sorted out.
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