Pot Shop May Lose License As Neighbor Complaints Add Up

DENVER (CBS4) - A legal marijuana shop in Denver could lose its grow license if neighbors get their way. Activists in the Elyria-Swansea neighborhood say they're tired of the smell.

It's not your corner Starbucks -- it's the corner Starbuds. Everything from mini joints to a variety of freshly grown pot are for sale in the shop. The issue is not that, but rather the grow facility upstairs. There are more than 200 plants.

Stabuds' license was up for renewal, but when four or more residents in the area of a marijuana shop get together they can demand a hearing. In Starbuds' case, the hearing officer ruled in favor of the neighbors in a 17-page decision, recommending that the facility's license not be renewed.

Neighbors like Leo Branstetter are upset with a number of issues, especially the smell.

"The odor -- you can have, depending on how the wind is blowing and whatever the process of growing those plants is, it will be very strong some days to the point that I know people who are affected by it," Branstetter told CBS4's Rick Sallinger.

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The owners of the business have offered to put in odor filters and sign a good neighbor agreement.

"I don't really want to fight. What I want to do is work with the city and work with the community and figure out a resolution," Starbuds owner Brian Ruden said.

Just like when the coffee company Starbucks took issue with the previous Starbuds logo.

"I had to co-exist with Starbucks coffee and Starbuds cannabis, and we get along, so why can't Starbuds and the City of Denver?" Ruden said.

The Elyria neighborhood is filled with marijuana grow facilities. There's also the smell from the Purina pet food plant and the National Western Stock Show, which also wants the pot grow license denied.

The matter now goes to the director of the Department of Excise and Licenses for the City of Denver.