Sunsetting mid-way through 2014, the cloud of prohibition over adults 21 and older in Cortez could finally be lifted.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have no idea if the city will go for recreational marijuana or not,\u201d said City Manager Shane Hale. \u201cIt\u2019s the city council\u2019s decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Cortez, Hale said the city decided to take a conservative approach before fully implementing Amendment 64, passing the moratorium to allow state lawmakers additional time to iron out the details.<\/p>\n
Without the state\u2019s guidelines, the city could potentially be in jeopardy of unforeseen liabilities, Hale added.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe decided to take a breath, and see how the law is implemented,\u201d Hale said. \u201cMaybe we would have gotten it right, but maybe not. I don\u2019t want to guess what we should do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another looming factor is that terms of two city council members expire this year, meaning two new faces will join the council in April.<\/p>\n
Best estimate, Hale believes next fall would be a realistic timeline before recreational marijuana sales were approved in Cortez.<\/p>\n
Ganjapreneurs in Telluride, 75 miles north, received that town\u2019s business licenses on Christmas Eve. Three high-altitude establishments in the mountain town opened on New Year\u2019s Day<\/p>\n