It’s been ten months since Colorado began allowing the recreational use of marijuana. But many towns across the state still don’t allow its sale. That may change this November. More than 20 communities in the state have marijuana issues on the ballot.
"And here we have two cannabis plants that are mature and ready to be harvested," Scott Wilson says. "If you look at them you can see the purple on them and you can see the medicine on them."
Wilson owned the first medical marijuana store in Colorado’s Delta County.
Its doors opened in 2010 after a state law passed allowing for the retail sale of medical marijuana. But six months later, Paonia voters decided to ban medical marijuana sales in their town. And, Wilson had to close his store.
He says he took a financial hit, but money wasn’t his main concern.
"People can recover financially, but when you take their medicine away you’re talking about a whole new ball game," he says. "Now you are hurting people physically."
Wilson still grows marijuana for individuals with illnesses like cancer.
He is also a war veteran who uses the plant to treat his own medical condition.
"I’m a veteran of Desert Storm," he says. "I’m also a veteran of the Kosovo War and of OIF/OEF that’s Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. I served in every one of them and as a result of lots of combat deployments I developed PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Now remember I never really used marijuana because I was a military veteran and I was hesitant to try it. But it helped very, very much. In fact it helped so good I was able to get off some my prescription medication."
Wilson is hoping Paonia voters have changed their minds on the pot industry.
The town is voting in November whether to allow retail marijuana stores, testing facilities, grow operations, and manufacturing centers.
At least 20 other municipalities in Colorado will have marijuana related questions on the ballot this November.
Voters in Paonia, Palisade, Gunnison, Ouray, and Federal Heights will decide whether to allow recreational marijuana establishments. And whether the towns should levy additional taxes on the industry.
And in Paonia, the debate has divided voters.
If you drive down the town’s main street you’ll see red signs with black letters that say "vote no to marijuana establishments". And right next door you’ll see green signs with white letters that say "vote yes" on the ballot measure.
Paonia resident, Tennille Van Vleet is a stay-at-home mom with four kids. She has a "vote no to marijuana" sign in her front yard. She says her community doesn’t need to legalize sales of another substance that alters perception.
"As a mom to four kids there’s always that concern anytime a stimulating substance is introduced into society," Van Vleet says. "It puts a little more risk on the highway [and] risk in the community. I guess the reason that we’re supporting not having marijuana in Paonia for recreational use is just to eliminate some of the risk factors that would come to the well-being of our family.”
Van Vleet is Mormon. Her faith discourages the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other addictive substances. She’s against recreational pot, but she supports using marijuana to treat illness.
"Maybe if everybody could just look at it from a real open-minded perspective," she says. "I do understand that marijuana probably does have a useful measure in society I think maybe as a medicinal option. I think if it was regulated it probably would have a real good benefit. I think anything used in excess whether it be marijuana, tobacco, alcohol, [or] over eating…is not helpful to our body or our mental state."
Proponents of the ballot initiative say it could bring jobs and much needed tax revenue to the area’s struggling economy and people have to be 21 to purchase it.
Opponents argue that selling recreational marijuana is not a good influence on kids and it could result in more crime.
Veteran Scott Wilson won’t guess how the vote will go this time around.
The town turned down medical marijuana establishments by 16 votes four years ago.
But if it does pass, Wilson says he’d consider opening a recreational marijuana store.
"If presented the opportunity to do it absolutely yes I probably would, but again it’s a very, very risky bet," he says.
