Marijuana advocates said the smooth rollout of legalized recreational pot smoking in Colorado could serve as a model for the country.
Some critics predicted in advance of Wednesday’s opening day there would be long lines of unruly customers fighting over a scant supply of pot at newly opened recreational marijuana stores, but advocates and those opposed agreed nothing of the sort took place.
Crediting a cooperative spirit that brought together marijuana industry leaders, police, elected officials and bureaucrats tasked with overseeing the rollout, those involved celebrated a problem-free start to recreational marijuana sales…
Among the outreach efforts the two sides undertook together were 50,000 flyers handed out Wednesday at pot shops, encouraging responsible use of the drug — including refraining from driving under the influence, restricting use to those 21 and older and not carrying marijuana across state lines.
The relative success of Colorado’s rollout has emboldened marijuana advocates in other states…
In Massachusetts, for example, pro-pot activists applauded Colorado — and argued it could serve as a model for their state.
“The essence of what’s happening is that people are getting educated,” said William Downing, treasurer of the pro-marijuana group Bay State Repeal. “People are learning. The rest of the nation is finding out that they have been lied to about cannabis by their government for many decades.”
Hypocrites are winding up to get ready to block anything approaching reason and law about pot use – and maybe even taxation. The leading example I’ve seen so far here in New Mexico has been in a response to Democrat Jerry Ortiz y Pino introducing a bill for legalized consumption similar to that beyond our northern border in Colorado.
The first conservative I saw interviewed on TV said, “collecting taxes and funding needs for the state isn’t sufficient reason to legalize marijuana” – I remember seeing the same dude on the tube touting his support for the legislation that legalized the state lottery which is taxed to provide college scholarships.
Frankly, we have sufficient cowards in the Roundhouse to keep any bill decriminalizing pot from even getting a vote on the floor of the legislature – much less bringing it to a state referendum.