Why Colorado pot edibles maker Americanna chooses to leave Boulder: ‘I feel lied to’
A Boulder-based maker of the states most popular marijuana-infused edible is planning to leave the city after the forced annexation of his and several other properties raised regulatory costs by tens of thousands of dollars and created feelings of ill will between city staff and business owners.
Americanna owner Dan Anglin said he intends to move the company out of the city as soon as possible.
Id like to find a piece of property thats so far from Boulder they cant come get me, he said.
But first, Anglin and six other business owners will have to undergo a new city application process to continue growing, manufacturing and selling pot products.
Under Colorado law, state licensure is contingent on approval by the local government within whose boundaries they operate.
Prior to the annexation, the properties along 55th Street and Arapahoe Avenue in east Boulder were under county jurisdiction.
Even though Anglin is moving his business, to maximize the value of his existing licenses, they must be approved and paid for through the city of Boulder.
Council voted Nov. 1 to bring that enclave into city limits, a bid to strengthen Boulders attempt at creating a municipal utility, over the objections of the business owners.
Pot-related enterprises had been operating in the area for several years, but instead of the city of Boulder allowing them to apply for renewal of their marijuana licenses, it is requiring them to apply as new businesses at a substantially higher cost.
Americanna will pay $41,850 in application fees in 2017, doled out over three installments throughout the year, in addition to an as-yet undetermined per-plant fee.
That is substantially more than the $11,900 the company budgeted for Boulder County license renewal fees in the current calendar year.
Anglin said its not the cost so much thats pushing him out Ill find a way to recover the costs but his belief that city staff ignored councils directive to allow the annexed business to pay renewal rates.
I feel lied to, he said. City Council says one thing then the city employees do whatever they want to do.
Assistant City Attorney Kathy Haddock said the higher fees were deemed necessary to fund the regulation of the businesses the city now is in charge of overseeing.
The county doesnt do the same level of inspection as the city, she said. The fees are calculated on the time it takes to do all those inspections.
Council member Aarron Brockett said he didnt recall the councils specific directive regarding licensing fees, but said those decisions would normally be made at the staff level.
Council was very clear (to staff) that they should make this transition as easy as possible for the businesses, he said.
The process has been anything but, owners say.
Ive been in business for seven years; were not new to the game, said Loree Schwartz, a lawyer and retired judge who owns Green Tree Medicinals dispensary along with her daughter.
I own stores and grows in multiple cities and counties, and Ive never had to do what Im doing now, Schwartz said. I feel Im applying for a license as if I never existed before.
Green Tree will be paying approximately $35,000 in fees for its six licenses, up from around $5,250 it gave to the county.
And there are likely to be other costs associated with improvements to the space as Schwartz and others work toward a Nov. 1, 2018, deadline of complying with the citys operational requirements ...
