The Takeover continued from page 12 2022 contain almost no mention of any fi nes or license revocations involving growers in the Moffat area. The MED has conducted 59 fi eld inspections of Moffat cultivations in the past 42 months, as well as 40 inventory- tracking reviews — which sounds like a lot but works out to around one inspection per grow operation for that entire period of time. Biggio says the state comes knocking at Area 420 around once a year: “They’re swamped, and we’re in the middle of nowhere.” But even in relative isolation, Area 420 is still subject to the same market forces that are facing Denver-area growers. After years of superheated growth, retail marijuana sales in Colorado have been in a months- long slump, driving prices down. Saguache County grower Kyle Grote says that it’s a case of supply exceeding demand. “There are more cultivations than there are stores,” he notes. “There’s more supply on the market right now, and that’s what has driven the price down so much.” Launched in 2015, Grote’s operation is one of the oldest licensed marijuana farms in the valley; after years of working with major distributors, he fi nally was able to open his own retail shop in Villa Grove that’s at- tracted a steady, mostly older clientele. He’s weathered the green rush and its shakeout, a hemp crash and now the price slump. Taxes, fees and the costs of running a grow make for a much slimmer profi t margin, he sug- gests, than most newcomers anticipate. “The market is so fragile,” he says. “You’ve got to do everything by the book in this business.” The town of Moffat has collected close to $200,000 in excise taxes from cannabis cultivation over the past two years. The money is sitting in a bank account, awaiting a decision by the town board on how to spend it. Much of it is expected to go toward redrill- ing town wells and improving water quality. “We think that would be the best use of it,” Mayor Foxx says. “That, and fi xing some of our more primitive roads.” According to Biggio, improving the wells is a key to the town’s future. If Area 420 hadn’t generated the necessary revenue, “the town wouldn’t be here twenty years from now,” he declares. “Once we do this, the town is back to broke. So I guess it’s up to us to sell more weed to bring more money into this town — because nothing else is doing it.” Justice’s company is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a water chlori- nation system that will benefi t the entire town, she says: “One thing I can say is the town of Moffat needs help. I wish residents were as passionate about sewer, sanitation and water as they are about the proposed name change.” The improvements certainly won’t hurt Area 420’s viability in a volatile industry. Sales in Phase Two are now underway. The owners of the project are in a position similar to that of the shopkeepers who sold shovels to miners in the short-lived days of Colorado’s gold rush. Then as now, the race belongs not to the swift, but to those who collect the price of admission from winners and losers alike. 14 Email the author at [email protected]. Needing Your Emotional Animal W/ You? For eligible people who need their emotional support animal to accompany them at/or away from home, I am available to provide the documentation and counseling. Call Elaine Lustig, PhD at 303-369-7770 CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED DEBT & IRS PROBLEMS? SET UP YOUR INITIAL CONSULTATION BEFORE THE IRS AND OTHER CREDITORS ENFORCE COLLECTION EFFORTS. MICHAEL M. NOYES ATTORNEY & CPA 303-756-6789 AUGUST 11-17, 2022 WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | westword.com
