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7.9.18- Boulder Chamber Letter Re The Marijuana Advisory Panel. w MAP group letter. A. Meneghel July 9, 2018 Re: Continuation of the City of Boulder Marijuana Advisory Panel Dear Mayor Jones and Members of Boulder City Council, We are writing to encourage you to support continuation of the Marijuana Advisory Panel (MAP). The MAP was created to provide a platform for thorough analysis of Boulder’s municipal marijuana code and to provide policy recommendations with the intention of ensuring responsible and equitable regulation of Boulder’s licensees. Most importantly, the MAP provided the opportunity for constructive dialogue among a variety of stakeholders on issues of community significance related to the regulation of recreational and medical marijuana. There are a number of outstanding regulatory issues that were identified by the MAP in its most recent letter to you (attached following this letter) that have not yet been addressed. There also are additional issues, such as the Energy Impact Offset Fund, that will require considerable consideration. As a nascent industry with significant policies and regulatory issues still emerging, we believe continuing the MAP for a limited timeframe is warranted and will facilitate our mutual desire to have thoughtful and effective regulation of the cannabis industry. The diversity of opinion on the MAP panel is one of its strengths. The Panel has successfully delivered consensus- based recommendations, including but not limited to, policies regulating advertising, business operations, zoning, sales and land use. Prior to your 2018 Council retreat, the MAP indicated there is more to address regarding public health and safety, education initiatives, community sponsorships and carbon offsets. Notably, the carbon offset provisions are of particular concern at this moment, given identified legal issues and associated risk to business licenses. In summary, the MAP has important work to do and we believe should be reconvened with definitive deadlines for reporting proposals for City Council’s consideration. With a defined scope and clear timelines, we believe the MAP can continue to be an effective and efficient avenue for discussing complex issues associated with marijuana regulation and community interests. Given the demonstrated expertise of the MAP membership and its proven success, we urge you to sustain the investment of time and resources to continue the MAP process through the end of this year and into 2019. In partnership, Andrea Meneghel Director of Public Affairs Submitted on behalf of: Terrapin Care Station Skinny Pineapple Inc. - The Farm and Root MMC Green Dot Labs Rm3 Labs Gard Law Firm, LLC Boulder Wellness Center Native Roots & The Dandelion Dispensary Elements Boulder ATTACHMENT – December 2017 MAP Letter to Boulder City Council December 18, 2107 Dear City Council, Thank you for your continued support in responsibly regulating the marijuana industry. In this regard, the Marijuana Advisory Panel (MAP) would like to take this opportunity to share with you a couple of our thoughts and experiences from the past year. Prioritization of Marijuana-Related Tasks in the 2018 Staff Work Plan As many of you are aware, MAP members gave significant time to fully tackle City Council’s charge of improving the City’s code in a rapidly changing industry with evolving regulatory needs. At the end of the Panel’s 2016 process we presented 44 consensus-based recommendations for protecting the interests and lives of a multitude of stakeholders. Many of these items were addressed by Council, and we thank you for being responsive and supportive of our recommendations. However, more work remains. Some of our recommendations require changes to Title 9 and could not be addressed within MAP’s 2016 scope of work. We understand that Title 9 changes mean Council must find room in the annual work plan to accomplish these tasks, which takes place at the annual retreat. As a Panel, we unanimously recommend that Council prioritize these Title 9 recommendations in 2018. Community Safety Boulder has a serious youth drug and alcohol problem. As the marijuana industry continues to evolve, it is imperative that industry, the community, and the City have a plan for ensuring public health. There needs to be a productive space for the necessary stakeholders to come together to discuss vital and timely issues such as parent education and prevention messaging. MAP’s scope in 2016 and 2017 was focused solely on updating the existing City code. However, it is challenging to truly address the intersection of industry and public health with such a narrow focus. We agree that it is time for MAP to discuss this issue holistically in 2018 – with industry, public health officials, and community members. With this in mind, we recommend to City Council that MAP be encouraged to discuss this in 2018 with the addition of more community voices and perspectives. Remaining Items to Discuss in 2018 and Beyond While evaluating and discussing the myriad of issues pertaining to the city of Boulder’s marijuana code we found other topics worthy of discussion, particularly education and underage diversion. Boulder County Public Health, Boulder Valley School, District, and University of Colorado at Boulder have thorough but separate strategies in place to mitigate the impacts of legal marijuana use on minors, but we believe that the community at-large would benefit from a City-led effort. In addition to education and underage diversion, we identified the following issues as ripe for community discussion, but outside the current scope or capacity of MAP and supporting staff:  Major and minor modifications  Incidental sponsorship (charity versus adult events)  Promotional items  Educational materials prepared by licensees  Logos on on-premises signs  Penny joints  Social clubs  Community message  Community outreach  Carbon offsets MAP members want to express their understanding for your very full workloads, the simply overwhelming amount of important community items your face as a Council, and the limited time in which you have to work on them and choose priorities. In addition, we want to express to you how hard we worked, together as citizens, educators, protectors of youth and community, city staff, and industry to reach cohesive and comprehensive recommendations. These diverse perspectives shaped the consensus-based recommendations that we submit to you today. Humbly and respectfully, Marijuana Advisory Panel Leisha Connors-Bauer, University of Colorado at Boulder Heath Harmon, Boulder County Public Health Administration Travis Howard, Green Dream Cannabis Keenan Jones, Hoban Law Group Will Lukela, Marijuana Enforcement Division, Colorado Department of Revenue Alana Malone, Green Dot Labs Andrea Meneghel, Boulder Chamber Bill Rigler, Community Representative Teri Robnett, Cannabis Patients Alliance Loree Schwartz, Organic Wellness Dispensary Jane Theodore, Community Representative Kate Thomson, The Farm Andy Tucker, Boulder Valley School District (Stepping down in 2018 due to job change.)