by Custer County Sheriff Shannon Byerly
(Editor/GG: The Sentinel recently asked Custer County Sheriff Byerly the question below as the new Colorado pot law, House Bill 1220, dramatically changed the rules for growing pot in our state. We felt it would be informative for our readers, especially in light of the many, huge illegal grows busted this summer in our county.)

Could you give us an overview of the new marijuana HB 17-1220, “Concerning Measures to Stop Diversion of Legal Marijuana to the Illegal Market” and how this bill would affect law enforcement in Custer County?

House Bill 1220 is a new law passed by the legislature, at the behest of the Governor’s office and in cooperation with the Medical Marijuana industry, to assist in curtailing the large black and gray marijuana markets that have developed since the
adoption of legalized marijuana in Colorado. This new law was specifically designed to target the illegal cultivation operations in residential properties as well as close the caregiver loophole in existing law. So, what does this new law mean, and how will it affect those who are growing marijuana in Custer County? Here is how HB 17-1220 works in a nutshell;
The law limits the number of plants that can be grown on, or in, a residential property to 12 plants. This means no matter where a person lives, in an apartment or a 40-acre property, they are only allowed to have 12 plants on the property at any one time. The law also does not specify if the plants are mature or in the seedling stage, the limit is 12 plants period.  Continue reading Colorado’s New Pot Law and Custer County →