Fort Collins Marijuana Dispensaries Shut Down

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4/AP) — Medical marijuana dispensaries in Fort Collins have shut down to meet a deadline imposed by voters.

Police say they plan to begin inspecting the businesses Tuesday night to make sure the dispensaries are complying.

"The police department is stepping in and taking custody of anything that is left over and destroying it," Jim Byrne with Fort Collins Police Services said.

The owners of six marijuana businesses lost their appeal to a judge to block the ban from taking effect. The judge denied their request for a temporary restraining order, saying the businesses had failed to demonstrate that their constitutional rights were violated by the ban.

Colorado residents voted in 2000 to allow small uses of marijuana for medical purposes. But in 2010, lawmakers decided to allow cities and counties to decide whether to allow medical marijuana businesses within their boundaries.

Drew Brown owns Abundant Healing, one of the dispensaries that was forced to close. He sunk nearly $200,000 into his business.

"I can honestly say that I'm ashamed to live in Fort Collins at this point," Brown said. "I feel sorry for the patients because these people need this medicine."

Some of the closing dispensaries are moving to other locations outside of city limits.

Losing those businesses will cost Fort Collins about $250,000 a year in sales taxes.

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