Pueblo County commissioners are discussing a new plan to encourage and place public service announcements in marijuana dispensaries.
If they go through with the idea, the PSAs will talk about safe consumption, keeping marijuana out of the hands of kids, and many other topics.
"We consider it our responsibility not only to license and regulate, but to enforce positive messages if we are going to have adults use cannabis in Pueblo," said Pueblo County Commissioner Sal Pace.
At a work session on Wednesday morning, commissioners talked with Greenlite, a Denver-based software and technology company that has technology to put PSAs on screens in the dispensaries.
"If they have an existing monitor in their location, then we can turn that over and be compatible to our technology. So it is really the software that goes into the monitors that really is what runs our platform," said Nick Stanitz-Harper with Greenlite.
Greenlite will charge the dispensaries to have the technology, but will not charge Pueblo County for services.
In other words: no tax payer dollars will be used to create or implement the PSAs.
"The dispensaries purchase the equipment from us -- it is inventory management, inventory tracking, and point of sale advertising control system for the dispensaries. So there is a cost to the dispensaries as well as the product companies that decide to advertise on those monitors," said Stanitz-Harper.
"I think the next step is: do we want to require dispensaries to have these messages up throughout the dispensaries, whether or not they have this platform or not? This is a really good first step to moving in that direction. I think every dispensary should have these positive safe-use messages up," Pace said.
Commissioners spoke with the Sheriff's Office, the Health Department, and the Liquor and Marijuana Licensing Board to see what the messages should say.
Commissioners will revisit the idea at a future meeting.