Denver, the mile high city. Walk outside and take a deep breath of fresh mountain air. Beautiful. Especially if you’re a big fan of the smell of marijuana, which is now becoming one of the defining odors of the city.
Some citizens of Denver feel however that their city is starting to smell a bit too much like weed though. The City Council has approved a new ordinance that was voted in on Monday in order to control the smell.
It continues a move by the City Council to make sure Denver doesn’t become the only concentrated place for cultivation and dispensaries in the area. Last week the council supported a proposal to limit the number of dispensaries throughout the city.
Every year Denver City Council receives over 100 complaints about odors coming from cultivation spots and dispensaries. Under the new ordinance, business owners and employees will be allowed to submit formal complaints against anyone releasing offensive odors, not just people growing weed.
If the city recieves 5 complaints against a facility within 30 days, a formal inspection will take place to determine whether a business is within the law.
It’s not all bad for cultivators though. The ordinance means that marijuana operations are given the opportunity to work with the City on odor control. They would be required to submit an odor management strategy to environmental officials to explain how they plan to combat any smells. .
However, more than half of the cannabis cultivators in the city do already have some version of odor control, the aim is to make sure that the other half of cultivators are playing by the same rules.
The ordinance, which would also apply to other businesses from pet food manufactures to sewage treatment plants, must now go before a special health department board for final approval. Reports indicate that the new rules could take effect by the end of 2016.