[420 Girl]

Breckenridge's first medical marijuana dispensary opened recently, and four more could be setting up shop soon.

Medicine Man, LLC, started doing business Nov. 24 near the intersection of Main Street and Ski Hill Road.

The business upstairs at 101 N. Main Street complies with the town's specific location guidelines that prohibit such dispensaries from opening near schools, near solely residential properties or on a downtown ground floor.

Dispensary employee Josh Hopson said town staff were easy to work with, but neighbors had a few complaints — including concern about the unmistakable odor of marijuana.

Landlord Turk Montepare said there was a ventilation issue that has since been fixed and that the other tenants now “seem pretty satisfied.”

He said the discreet operation seems to be making a “relatively low impact” on the area.

“They've been very good to work with,” Montepare said.

Town spokeswoman Kim DiLallo said applications have been approved for dispensaries Green Natural Solutions at 1900 Airport Road and Organix at 1795 Airport Road. Two additional applications have not yet been approved.

Medicine Man office manager Brian Miller said he's not worried about losing business once the others open, as he's confident in the new dispensary's service and quality.

“Our main competition I think is the black market,” he said.

Medicine Man offers marijuana buds, hash and edibles such as suckers and brownie balls.

Hopson said the dispensary is caregiver for about a half-dozen medical marijuana card holders. The more patients for whom a dispensary is caregiver, the more marijuana it is able to keep in stock.

Those who make Medicine Man their primary caregiver get discounts and a free glass medicine jar.

10-page application
For patients who are just looking to buy some pot — such as visitors from the Front Range or locals who've designated caregivers elsewhere — the dispensary requires an application that's about 10 pages long.

Other dispensaries haven't previously used such applications, but a recent Colorado Court of Appeals ruling that a caregiver must know patients personally and do more than sell marijuana has created an incentive to get to know customers better.

The Colorado Board of Health is expected to approve a specific definition of caregiver later this month. Meanwhile there's no law prohibiting a dispensary from simply providing legal patients with pot.

Breckenridge attorney Sean McAllister said the applications record a patient's condition, allergies, amount of medicine used and more. He said they provide “evidence of a relationship” and that it's “better for them to have some connection” with the patient.

Hopson said Medicine Man could soon offer doctor services for consultations and clones of plants that patients can take home and grow.

Miller said many of the patients are home growers, but he's not concerned they'll stop buying medicine from the dispensary.

“It's not the easiest thing to do. Most people screw it up,” he said of home-grow operations.

He also said the dispensary may soon offer products such as dirt and nutrients for growers who need some help.

“I like the job,” he said. “They're all needing help; I like helping others.”

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