Palmer Lake Council to vote on recreational marijuana shops

The Palmer Lake Town Council is voting on whether it will impose a moratorium on recreational marijuana shops or ban them permanently.

Palmer Lake would join other southern Colorado towns that have banned pot shops either temporarily or permanently. Other towns’ decisions are weighing on Palmer Lake residents.

“I know some people’s concerns already that are against it are because Colorado Springs has already voted no, Monument has voted no,” resident Sarah Hoard said. “And so they’re kind of concerned that Palmer Lake, if we vote yes, could become the place where everyone then comes to do it.”

Council members are voting on two options, one that would ban commercial growing and selling of recreational marijuana, and another that would set a one-year moratorium on recreational marijuana businesses like shops and clubs.

“We have two medicinal shops in town, and I haven’t been affected by either of those,” Hoard said. “But I don’t know what recreational, if that would be different or not.”

Shawn Hauser, local director of nonprofit Sensible Colorado, said local governments need education before making a decision.

“There’s a lot of misconceptions about how the law works and and what they can and can’t do,” she said. “So (we’re) just trying to make sure they have all the information they need in order to make a rational decision.”