At a meeting on Wednesday, City Council member Robin Kniech said it wouldn’t, for instance, stop existing businesses from moving into already saturated areas.
"I’m very concerned that we’re giving a false sense of what this law does and doesn’t do," Kniech said.
The temporary ban is in front of a city committee. Some council members complain the mayor's office is stacking the deck with committee witnesses who are biased against marijuana.
"I just think the data is being presented in a very biased way," said City Councilwoman Mary Beth Susman
Ashley Kilroy, the city’s pot czar, disputed that. She said more time is needed to study the impact of legalization before allowing new businesses.
"We need time to fully flesh out the issues, to have all the data," Kilroy said. So yes, that’s why we’re asking for the two years."
There are already more than 200 pot shops in Denver. The City Council isn’t expected to vote on the moratorium until April.
