Posted on January 6, 2011 by Camera staff

Before starting, I would like to clarify two things: First, I am the owner of a medical marijuana center located in east Boulder and have been in operation since August of 2009. Second, I want it to be clearly understood not one day has passed where I take for granted the enormous growth and acceptance of medical marijuana.

That said, I have two major bones to pick with the Boulder City Council over recent comments (I also have a bone the size of a killer whale to pick, concerning the obese fees we are forced to pay, but that’s for another letter). My first complaint concerns the attempt of City Council to regulate the way our industry advertises. The first thing my lawyer told me when I discussed with him the opening of my center, was that we should advertise as if Cannabis is a medicine (which I hope everyone in the industry agrees with). He pointed out that we don’t see ads in the Boulder Weekly from Walgreen’s or Safeway bragging about how potent their vicadin is, so we should not brag about the strength of our cannabis. From day one, I have had one small ad in the Boulder Weekly and nothing else. I also disagree with the centers who use sex or lies (what exactly is a 4 gram 1/8th? Is it like a 3,000lb ton?) to sell their product and therefore I do not use these methods. Despite all of this, I do not think it is in the rights of the City Council to take offense and decide what we can and cannot say (unless of course, our ads are directed at underage children or non-patients).

When I look at the Boulder Weekly and turn past the pages upon pages of ads for liquor and other products that have the potential to kill, I find ads in the back for prostitution. Sure, they call themselves masseuses, but look at the terminology they use, “California Blonde” promises “NY style in and out”. What could this possibly mean? Why is the City Council not concerned with an industry that is illegal on the local, state, and Federal level?

My second complaint has to do with the smell of the Cannabis plant. While I think that it is one of the most pleasurable odors to ever grace my nose passage, I understand that not all people feel this way (although I can’t say that I’ve met more than a handful of them in my life). We personally do everything in our power – for security reasons – to cover up the smell, but who would it hurt if we didn’t? When I walk out the door of my center I am greeted twice a week by the smell of roasting coffee. I personally find this smell disgusting, like burning plastic. What can I do about it? If I call the police, will they shut down the coffee roastery? If the smell of burning plastic isn’t in the air, I can smell the burning flesh (if real meat is even being used) at the Wendy’s directly next store. While I am not offended by this smell, I know dozens of people who are. There are also 10’s of thousands of people who die from over consuming this product every year, yet I never see of a city-backed campaign to rid the city of the smell of death.

Finally, when I look to the east, I see a giant smoke stack producing poisonous toxins breathed in by all of us, against our will. Has Xcel ever been fined for this? Where are the front page articles and city council meetings to rid this cancer from out community?I could probably write a book about all the unfair regulations and fees passed our way (such as having to offset 100% of our electricity use, not being allowed to stay open passed 7pm, having to get sales tax licenses for buildings not selling anything, etc) but the above two issues are what concern me most today.

I’m sure that not everyone in the industry is here to help humanity, but I can personally guarantee that most of the people I have met are indeed. Unfortunately, with these hastily thought up regulations, only the rich will survive. Then again, maybe this was the plan from the beginning; 4 or 5 big corporations will produce more for the ruling class than 1 to 200 small businesses ever could.

Peace,

Ryan Hartman

Boulder Wellness Center

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A Boulder-area blogger who reviews local medical marijuana dispensaries has written a flattering review of the Boulder Wellness Center. An excerpt appears below. You can read the full review here. Thanks, Andy for the kind words!

Quality: Superior Marijuana can be found in great abundance at the wellness center. I saw quite a few strains including: Blowfish, G-13, durban poison, northern lights, white russian, and AK-47. All of them were fantastic as the buds possessed pungent scents and aromas. All of the different strains had their own unique look and smell. All of these nugs sparkled in the light as each of the strains above were completely covered in trichomes. Boulder WC has the best collection of top shelf buds I have seen out in the Boulder market place. Other dispensaries are lucky to have one or two jars of connoisseur grade marijuana. The wellness center has about ten jars of what I consider connoisseur grade marijuana.

…

Overall: The Boulder Wellness center has a nice holistic lobby and their buds are simply delightful. There is really nothing to complain about and I have to go ahead and say that the Boulder Wellness Center is my favorite dispensary in Boulder thus far.

With Tibetan art on the walls, a spacious sitting area with tasteful, modern couches, a small display of hand-blended herbal teas and salves, and complementary snacks and teas on a low table, there’s little to indicate the Boulder Wellness Center is a marijuana dispensary.

Just the unmistakable smell of cannabis and a magazine on the coffee table touting the latest research into medical applications for the drug.

When Ryan Hartman and Russel Wise started talking about opening a medical marijuana business, they wanted a place that would feel comfortable to people of all ages and backgrounds and where health was the focus.

Instead of loud music and snowboarding videos on a flat-screen TV, there’s a small library with titles on spirituality and alternative medicine, including marijuana. Underneath one of the coffee tables, there’s a small basket of toys for patients’ children. The marijuana is in a small room in the back, behind a door that’s kept locked between patient visits.

“This can help so many people,” Hartman said. “It’s cool to make money selling marijuana, but what’s really great is helping people.”

Hartman smoked for fun as a teenager and didn’t give much credence to the medical claims. Then his mother’s boss and friend got cancer, and she approached him about getting marijuana to help with her nausea and pain.

“It was eye-opening,” he said. “The pills she was taking made her sicker, and the marijuana helped. My grandfather died of cancer, and I think how much easier the end of his life could have been if he had marijuana.”

Hartman didn’t even realize marijuana was legal for medical use until a few months ago. He got his patient card (he has a back injury), started visiting other dispensaries, talked to a lawyer, talked to some friends and on Sept. 17, he opened the locally owned, family-operated Boulder Wellness Center.

Brooke Wise, Russel Wise’s wife, prepares the dispensaries’ herbal teas, which can be taken by themselves or with a small amount of marijuana, as well as topical salves, tinctures and oils. Rebecca Diaz, Hartman’s wife, runs the front desk.

Hartman said during the first few weeks the dispensary was open, the patients mostly were younger people in their early 20s, but the patient base now is mostly people in their 50s and 60s. He doesn’t advertise and prefers to let his business grow through word of mouth.

Hartman said he’s proud of the contributions he already makes to the local economy — from the bottled water and snacks he buys to the chair masseuse who works at the wellness center. He wants to give to charitable causes as his business grows.

After so many years in the underground, he said it’s been an adjustment, even for him, to realize he runs a legitimate business. At first he was surprised when patients stopped by with their parents or co-workers while running a few errands.

“A few years ago, I would have been a criminal,” Hartman said. “Now I can call my mom and tell her I own my own business.”