Modern Day Prohibition

            Legalizing marijuana is always a hot topic but this year Colorado is trying to legalize it. Amendment 64 you allow for people over the age of 21 to legally purchase and posses marijuana. There are many people that oppose this amendment. On October 16, 2012 the Greeley city council passed a resolution opposing amendment 64.

            Amendment 64 not only allows for marijuana to be legal but it would become taxed in ways similar to alcohol.  Some people support this to help our economy but law enforcement is strictly against it.

            “They should legalize it and tax it, it would help the economy like when they ended prohibition,” Eric Stewart, a Greeley resident said.

            This is a view that compares marijuana being illegal just like alcohol was but how it became legal and taxed and it significantly helped the economy.

            Law enforcement on the other hand doesn’t feel the same way that Stewart does.

            “Every law enforcement agency has announced its opposition to the amendment,” Police Chief Jerry Garner said at the city council meeting.

            By everyone opposing it, it will become harder to get passed if no law enforcement agency supports it. They don’t support it for the main reason that they would be in conflict with federal law. If they are in conflict with federal law then they would feel like they would be something between them and federal government agencies. 

Cleaning up the Storm Water

            The Greeley city council passed an ordinance that better defined their storm water programs. This ordinance better defined the code and clarified what kind of waste cannot come out of the water detention ponds.

            The main point of the ordinance is to get the permit holders up to code with the EPA in case they get audited.

            “Over 300 detention ponds in the city of Greeley. This is to help maintain all of them,” John Hemesath, public works director, said.

            The ordinance clearly defines the enforcement actions for a storm water detention pond that is not up to code. It also defines how to go about correcting these problems that are discovered.

            “Soil being washed in the streets or when its dry the dirt blowing in the air,” Hemesath said.  These are the biggest problems with the storm sewers and how they become polluted.

            In order to fix these problems fines will be assessed to the permit holders whose detention ponds do not meet code. A municipal judge will be doing the administrative hearings about all fines that will be assessed.

            The ordinance gives the permit holders until October 15, 2012 to update their ponds in order to comply with the new ordinance.