[bouldercouncilhotline] Hotline: Marijuana Advisory Panel

[cmosupport at bouldercolorado.gov]

Sender: Brautigam, Jane

CITY OF BOULDER
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER



To:                        Mayor and Members of Council

From:                   Jane S. Brautigam, City Manager

Subject                 Marijuana Advisory Panel

Date:                    January 4, 2016

As the marijuana industry in Boulder matures, the city is looking to establish a more collaborative working relationship with the industry while working to update codes to focus enforcement on violations that impact safety and underage use and to reflect concerns about potential health impacts. At its December 8, 2015 study session, the city council directed staff to form a 10-member advisory panel to help Boulder address issues such as advertising, public consumption, co-locating medical and recreational marijuana sales, and penalties for violations. Because the city council wanted to make sure that the panel would be constituted in a timely manner, council scheduled the recommended panel appointments for the city council meeting of January 5, 2016.  The deadline for applications to be received by the city manager was 11:59 PM on December 31, 2015.  With only one working day between the application deadline and the scheduled council meeting, this memo will be posted on Hotline today so that city council can have 24 hours to review the recommendations.

The draft charter (See Attachment A) for the panel designates the types of knowledge, experience and well-rounded perspectives that persons who will sit on the committee should bring.  This includes:

- representatives of marijuana consumers and marijuana businesses,

-   a representative of the Boulder Valley School District,

-   a representative of the University of Colorado,

-   a representative of the Chamber of Commerce;

-   representatives to provide physical and mental health perspectives, including youth development theory and best practices in harm reduction/health promotion;

-   an attorney experienced in representing marijuana businesses; and

-   a person familiar with state regulations, who will be an ex-officio member.

The members of the panel are to be appointed by the city manager with the advice and consent of the city council.

To secure applications from qualified community representatives, I sent letters to officials from Boulder County, the Boulder Valley School District, the University of Colorado, the Boulder Chamber of Commerce, and persons who had written to the city council since October expressing an interest in the committee.  In addition, Mishawn Cook sent similar letters to every licensee with the city.  The city issued a press release and posted information on its website and social media sites as well.

As of December 31, 2015, I had received 51 applications from many well-qualified applicants, representing each of the designated organizations, marijuana businesses of all kinds and
both medical and recreational marijuana consumers.  I also received applications from non-users, parents, professors, researchers and students. Because the panel is limited to ten members, plus one ex-officio member, selecting panel members from such a group was very difficult.  All of the applications are attached to this memo as Attachment B, in roughly the order that they were received.  I attempted to select individuals reflecting a diversity of viewpoints and who would work well in a collaborative and non-confrontational manner.

Subject to the advice and consent of the city council, I am appointing the following people to be members of the panel:


1.      Representatives of Marijuana consumers, including both recreational and medical users:  Teri Robnett; Jane Theodore

2.      A representative of the Boulder Valley School District:  Andrew Tucker, Director of Student Support

3.      A representative of the University of Colorado:  Don Misch, Senior Assistant Vice Chancellor for Health and Wellness and Executive Director of Wardenburg,  (please see notes below)

4.      Representatives to provide physical and mental health perspectives:  Heath Harmon, Boulder County Public Health, Director of Health Divisions

5.      A representative of the Chamber of Commerce:  Andrea Meneghel, Public Affairs Director, Boulder Chamber of Commerce

6.      Representatives of marijuana businesses:  Alana Malone; Jan Cole; and Travis Howard

7.      An attorney experienced in representing marijuana businesses:  Robert Hoban, Hoban & Feola; adjunct professor, University of Denver Law and Society

8.      A person familiar with state regulations, preferably from the marijuana enforcement division:  Lewis Koski, Deputy Senior Director of Enforcement for the Colorado Department of Revenue, with six years of experience in the marijuana Enforcement and Division, has agreed to serve in an ex-officio capacity.  I have also indicated to Mr. Koski that in the event he could not attend a meeting, he may send another senior official in his place as the state's perspective on the implications of the panel's decisions will be important throughout their deliberations.
Because we have limited the number of panel members to ten, with several specifically designated positions, it proved very challenging to select the marijuana consumers and business representatives.  In particular, I wanted to ensure that we had a medical marijuana user on the committee. For this role I chose Teri Robnett who represents the Cannabis Patients Alliance and who was a contributor to the statewide educational campaign "Good to Know."  In the event that another position had been available, I would have also chosen Bill Rigler of Naropa University, a former "red card" holder and a person skilled at strategic communications and coalition building.  I recommend that the city council also appoint Mr. Rigler to this committee, bringing the total to 11, plus one ex officio member.

The University of Colorado representative is Donald Misch, the Senior Assistant Vice Chancellor for Health and Wellness and the Executive Director of Wardenburg.  We also received a compelling application from Leisha Conners-Bauer, manager of the Targeted Initiatives/Healthy Youth Alliance of Boulder County and a certified prevention specialist focusing on reduction of substance abuse among youth.  Ms. Conners-Bauer is the parent of a teenager.  At the end of January, Ms. Conners-
Bauer will assume a new role at the University of Colorado working with Dr. Misch at Wardenburg.  I would recommend that in the event Dr. Misch is not available to serve on the panel or attend certain meetings, Ms. Conners-Bauer be the designated substitute for the CU position.

Finally, there were several other applicants that I would have liked to appoint to the panel who have expertise or perspectives that may assist the committee in its work.  I believe that their input could be valuable and I will provide all of the applications to the committee members so that they have an opportunity to request input from these individuals.  In addition, the Charter provides no spots on the panel for community members who do not consume marijuana.  In making my appointments, I weighed carefully the comments made by applicants in their emails and letters to discern those most likely to take a balanced and collaborative approach to the issues of marijuana enforcement.  This was done to assuage the concerns of some in our community that the committee would be composed only of advocates and health professionals.  I believe that the panel will be thoughtful and balanced in its approach.
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: MAC Memo.pdf
Type: application/octet-stream
Size: 97274 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://list.ci.boulder.co.us/pipermail/bouldercouncilhotline/attachments/20160104/66deaf80/attachment.obj 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image003.png
Type: application/octet-stream
Size: 14007 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://list.ci.boulder.co.us/pipermail/bouldercouncilhotline/attachments/20160104/66deaf80/attachment-0001.obj 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: MAC Attachment A.pdf
Type: application/octet-stream
Size: 44261 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://list.ci.boulder.co.us/pipermail/bouldercouncilhotline/attachments/20160104/66deaf80/attachment-0002.obj 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.png
Type: application/octet-stream
Size: 5049 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://list.ci.boulder.co.us/pipermail/bouldercouncilhotline/attachments/20160104/66deaf80/attachment-0003.obj 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: MAC  Attachment B.pdf
Type: application/octet-stream
Size: 2354980 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://list.ci.boulder.co.us/pipermail/bouldercouncilhotline/attachments/20160104/66deaf80/attachment-0004.obj