Proposed Denver MMJ Ad Ban Set for Public Hearing

Colorado — A proposal to ban billboard, bus-bench and sidewalk sign-twirler advertising by Denver medical-marijuana dispensaries has pitted the state’s two most prominent cannabis trade groups against each other. On one side is the Cannabis Business Alliance, which denounces the proposal by saying it creates too many uncertainties for the industry.

On the other is the Medical Marijuana Industry Group, which supports the proposed ban by arguing that it is a show of neighborliness for an industry that is not always embraced.

The debate comes to a Denver City Council meeting Monday evening, when there will be a public hearing on the proposed ban.

The proposal would eliminate outdoor medical-marijuana ads in the city, except for signs on the businesses themselves.

Dispensaries would still be able to advertise in newspapers and magazines and would also be able to display their logos on items for charity events they sponsor.

The ban, proposed by council members Christopher Herndon and Debbie Ortega, expands upon a separate proposal by Ortega that would ban outdoor medical-marijuana advertising within 1,000 feet of schools, day cares and parks. That proposal is still alive but is expected to be supplanted by the citywide ban should it survive Monday night.

Snipped

Complete Article: http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_21298362

Source: Denver Post (CO)
Author: John Ingold, Denver Post
Published: August 13, 2012
Copyright: 2012 The Denver Post
Website: http://www.denverpost.com/
Contact: [email protected]