BYOP? Breckenridge club invites pot smokers
BRECKENRIDGE, Colo.—Club 420 doesn't sell medical marijuana. It simply sells memberships for people who want to use marijuana using club vaporizers.
The Breckenridge club opened last week and sells memberships for $20 a month. But Club 420 has some town officials concerned. Breckenridge Councilman Jeffrey Bergeron says the pot club is bad for neighbors.
"I don't think it's particularly good for neighbors of that business and just the perception of the own," Bergeron told the Summit Daily News.
The owner of Club 420 says the business is "a very peaceful place" and isn't connected to any dispensaries. Collette Wilson told the newspaper that members have to be 21 and agree not to seek to buy marijuana on club property.
She didn't say whether members have to prove they have state clearance to use medical marijuana. The town of Breckenridge voted last year to decriminalize marijuana possession in small amounts for adults over 21, even without a marijuana card.
Club 420 in Breckenridge isn't the first business to allow marijuana consumption on the premises, and the practice has state lawmakers concerned. The state Legislature is considering a law that would make it illegal statewide to consume marijuana at business.
Breckenridge Police Chief Rick Holman says neighbors have complained about Club 420.
"They don't feel that type of business is appropriate in the town," Holman said.
Holman said a changed ordinance would be considered at the town council May 11.
Wilson insisted her club is a valuable addition to the town. The club lets patrons use vaporizers worth up to $1,000—a valuable alternative to smoking the drug.
"We're definitely health advocates, and smoking is dangerous to your health," she said.
Club 420 also provides wireless Internet use. Wilson said plans are in the works for an oxygen bar and large-screen TV theater.
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Information from: Summit Daily News, http://www.summitdaily.com/
