(Colorado Springs, CO) A local group of concerned citizens has started a petition drive to let voters decide if they want marijuana dispensaries in the city of Colorado Springs.

 

“We have seen what dispensaries bring to our community; now it’s time to let voters decide if we should keep them or not,” states Steve Wind, founding member of Let Us Vote COS. “Pot shops are not what voters envisioned when they passed Amendment 20 in 2000. This is nothing more than legalized drug dealing!”

 

A June 2010 analysis by the Drug Enforcement Administration reveals that nearly three in five pot shop owners in Colorado have criminal records. Even more disturbing is that these crimes include rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, burglary, robbery and kidnapping.

 

Dispensaries are easy marks for criminal activities because of valuable marijuana crops and large amounts of cash. Operators of dispensaries have been attacked and murdered by armed criminals both at their storefronts and at home. Common secondary byproducts related to dispensaries include: drug dealing, sales to minors, loitering, heavy vehicle and foot traffic in retail areas, increased noise and robberies of customers just outside the facilities.

 

“How can we successfully educate and prevent kids from using marijuana when allowing dispensaries to illegally operate in our city normalizes and encourages its use?” asks Ann DeVere, founding member of Let Us Vote COS.

  

Let Us Vote COS is a grassroots nonprofit volunteer organization that wants to allow the voters of Colorado Springs to exercise their 1st Amendment Right to petition. For more information or to find out how you can help, please visit https://letusvotecos.org

 

  Please click here for information on Colorado's drug policy history.