Colorado City Nixes Marijuana Storefronts

After gathering citizen input, the Denver-area city of Centennial's city council plans to ban retail marijuana storefronts, according to The Denver Post. Local businesses and residents told city council that the storefronts conflicted with the image they want the city to portray, says mayor Cathy Noon. They also fear that the cash-only establishments would attract crime and lower property values.

Council had placed a moratorium on retail marijuana establishments after Colorado voters approved Amendment 64 in November 2012, which was set to expire in September of this year. The second reading and public hearing for the ban is scheduled for April 14 at council's regular meeting.

Any citizen who collects enough signatures for a petition referendum could challenge the ban, which will go into affect mid- to late-May. Noon says no one has approached council about allowing marijuana businesses, and even if council were to allow them, voters would have to first approve an excise tax.