That's Hayley standing at the corner of Stuart Street and South College Avenue in Fort Collins at 5:30 pm this afternoon, about an hour ago. She's holding a sign promoting the medical marijuana dispensary that's located in the building across the parking lot from where's she's at. "I just got this job," she said enthusiastically, and she seems to be doing it well. When I saw her, she was rhythmically swaying her sign back and forth in a way that was hard to miss.

I actually hadn't known about the dispensary until I saw Hayley and her sign, but I guess the dispensary isn't a secret. It was referred to in Tuesday's Coloradoan, as part of a story about the Language Exchange of Northern Colorado, which closed for business on September 1st but had been located on the opposite corner, across College Avenue from the dispensary ("Language Exchange of Northern Colorado closes" by David Young [07-Sep-10]).

According to the Coloradoan, the owner of the Language Exchange associated the demise of her business, in part, with its close proximity to the dispensary. The Coloradoan reported, ""The two cultures don't mesh on the same corner," said [Dannielle] North-Decunto, who operated a preschool and kindergarten out of her former South College location. Some parents expressed concern over some of the products nearby MMD [medical marijuana dispensary] shops sold, North-Decunto said." When I read that, I thought, "What rubbish―she's obviously trying to blame others for her business failure." I still think that. But, I was surprised this afternoon to see Hayley and her sign.

Hayley explained the dispensary had recently changed hands, and the new owner also owned a dispensary in Denver. Hayley said the new owner had doubled his Denver business when he put someone outside, holding a sign like hers.

That's all well and good – and as much as I support the use of medical marijuana – it does not strike me as a good idea to put a girl on the street with a placard, in order to promote a quasi-legal product that's touted for its medical benefits but remains an illicit drug almost everywhere else in the country. In fact, I agree with Dannielle North-Decunto. Such bald promotion is bad for surrounding businesses. It's bad for the neighborhood. And it's bad for medical marijuana. But most importantly, it sends the worst possible message to kids.

The dispensary can stay, but Hayley has got to go. (Sorry, Hayley... Your good nature and open affect will land you another job.)