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So the licensing and regulating of medical marijuana businesses over the past 2 ½ years has been a carnival of missteps and unachieved goals, according to a state audit released this week. That's the bad news.
The good news is that the state now perhaps has the experience and understanding to do a much better job (dare we say even a competent job?) in the regulation of recreational marijuana under Amendment 64 if it is willing to fund the endeavor adequately.
At least that's our somewhat optimistic take on the audit and the disturbing record it recounts, based upon several considerations.
First, a number of the audit's findings were already widely understood, such as the major backlogs in regulatory paperwork and the fact that the highly touted "seed-to-sale" model has been more aspirational than real. Regulators in the Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division of the Department of Revenue had to grope their way through uncharted territory after passage of legislation in 2010 authorizing medical marijuana outlets, but without nearly the resources they discovered they needed.
To be sure, the audit shows that the regulatory failures by no means can all be attributed to insufficient funding. Bad decisions and poor controls compounded problems.
Even with the funding shortfall, some processing delays, including for many license applications filed in the summer of 2010, are mind-boggling.
Still, regulators have acknowledged the shortcomings and presumably have learned from them as the state marches toward adoption and roll-out of rules governing recreational marijuana.
Unfortunately, the skills and wisdom officials have gained will not be worth much if lawmakers don't provide them with necessary funding.
Over time, that funding should come from fees and taxes assessed on the marijuana industry – including a special sales tax that would have to be put to voters this fall.
Like it or not, however, lawmakers will probably have to provide enough up-front money from the general fund to support state oversight for the period before tax revenues come on line and grow to significance.
"If (the regulation of) this industry is not fully funded, it will be a huge problem for the state of Colorado," Deputy Attorney General David Blake told The Denver Post.
He's right. And if you're looking for proof, check out the record on medical marijuana.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: denverpost.com
Author: The Denver Post Editorial Board
Contact: Contact Us - The Denver Post
Website: A lesson for regulation of pot in Colorado - The Denver Post
The good news is that the state now perhaps has the experience and understanding to do a much better job (dare we say even a competent job?) in the regulation of recreational marijuana under Amendment 64 if it is willing to fund the endeavor adequately.
At least that's our somewhat optimistic take on the audit and the disturbing record it recounts, based upon several considerations.
First, a number of the audit's findings were already widely understood, such as the major backlogs in regulatory paperwork and the fact that the highly touted "seed-to-sale" model has been more aspirational than real. Regulators in the Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division of the Department of Revenue had to grope their way through uncharted territory after passage of legislation in 2010 authorizing medical marijuana outlets, but without nearly the resources they discovered they needed.
To be sure, the audit shows that the regulatory failures by no means can all be attributed to insufficient funding. Bad decisions and poor controls compounded problems.
Even with the funding shortfall, some processing delays, including for many license applications filed in the summer of 2010, are mind-boggling.
Still, regulators have acknowledged the shortcomings and presumably have learned from them as the state marches toward adoption and roll-out of rules governing recreational marijuana.
Unfortunately, the skills and wisdom officials have gained will not be worth much if lawmakers don't provide them with necessary funding.
Over time, that funding should come from fees and taxes assessed on the marijuana industry – including a special sales tax that would have to be put to voters this fall.
Like it or not, however, lawmakers will probably have to provide enough up-front money from the general fund to support state oversight for the period before tax revenues come on line and grow to significance.
"If (the regulation of) this industry is not fully funded, it will be a huge problem for the state of Colorado," Deputy Attorney General David Blake told The Denver Post.
He's right. And if you're looking for proof, check out the record on medical marijuana.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: denverpost.com
Author: The Denver Post Editorial Board
Contact: Contact Us - The Denver Post
Website: A lesson for regulation of pot in Colorado - The Denver Post
