Marijuana Blog

A public hearing was set to take place Monday night in The Denver City Council to discuss a proposed ban on medical marijuana advertising in the city. The proposal would ban billboard, bus-bench and sidewalk sign-twirler advertising.

On one side of the issue is the Cannabis Business Alliance, which denounces the proposal by saying it creates too many uncertainties for the industry.

On the other side 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 in communities.

While outdoor ads would be banned under the proposal, dispensaries would still be able to advertise in newspapers and magazines and would also be able to put their logos on items for charity events they sponsor.

"I think this is in the best interests of our children across the city," City Councilwoman Debbie Ortega said of the ban.

Not telling children that marijuana can be used for medical purposes is in their best interests? Mommy and daddy have their pills and the beer in the fridge and the liquor in the cabinet, but we can’t tell kids that some people use cannabis for medical reasons?

Alcohol companies now have TV commercials for candy-flavored vodka that can easily be seen by children all over the country, but medical cannabis cannot be discussed and must even be hidden from public view.

Here’s an idea. Instead of banning billboards, why don’t parents tell their kids the truth about things? Is that an extreme of fringe idea? The Medical Marijuana Industry Group wants people to know dispensaries can be good neighbors, and that is a noble cause, especially in this dismal political climate, but things can be taken too far.

When will marijuana just be treated like what it is: a non-toxic substance with amazing medical and recreational properties?

Source: http://www.denverpost.com/