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Colorado and Washington State are inextricably linked as pioneers on the road to marijuana legalization.
As the only states in the country with voter-approved ballot measures allowing adults 21 and over to own and consume small amounts of marijuana, the Centennial State and the Evergreen State are looking to each other for hints of what is working and what isn't, as they embark on an unprecedented journey.
"The more conversations we have, the better both of our states will be," said Alison Holcomb, drug policy director at the ACLU of Washington and primary author of the state's pot-legalizing Initiative 502.
The states' pot legalization measures in large part mirror each other, sharing the same consumption and possession limits and age requirements. Both states allow for the creation of recreational marijuana retail outlets and both worry about what any decision from the federal government will have on the effectiveness of their laws.
But Colorado and Washington are implementing their respective ballot measures, Amendment 64 and Initiative 502, in very different ways.
In the Evergreen State, the Washington State Liquor Control Board is responsible for drawing up the regulations for Initiative 502 and enforcing them. It decides how many retail locations will be allowed in each county in the state, using population as an allocation tool. The agency has until Dec. 1 to finalize its rules.
In Colorado, state lawmakers and the Department of Revenue are charged with creating rules to implement Amendment 64. City and towns have the power to ban or limit the presence of marijuana retail outlets. The state has until July 1 to get its regulations for recreational marijuana stores in place.
"Colorado is on a faster track," said Brian Smith, spokesman for the Washington State Liquor Control Board.
And that means Washington may be looking east more than Colorado looks west -- at least at first. Colorado, Smith said, has the advantage of having come up with extensive regulations for its medical marijuana industry, which can act as an effective guide for regulating a recreational marijuana sector. Washington has legal medical marijuana, he said, but it is largely unregulated.
"By having that system in place, you have that experience we don't necessarily have in Washington State," Smith said.
Holcomb said she has heard concern from Washington residents about the potential for industry consolidation and its effect on the marketing of marijuana, especially when it comes to children. Federal authorities are also worried about the effects of widely available marijuana on children, she said, as well diversion of the drug beyond state lines.
"My main concern is going to be whether we can create and preserve a public health strategy," she said.
But Holcomb said despite inevitable stumbles both states will experience in the early going, Colorado and Washington have the wherewithal and determination to find success in the untested world of legal cannabis.
"Hopefully, Washington and Colorado together can provide very important lessons to the rest of the world about the opportunities and pitfalls of reforming marijuana laws," she said.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: dailycamera.com
Author: John Aguilar
Contact: Contact Us - Boulder Daily Camera
Website: Colorado, Washington: Pioneers in permissible pot - Boulder Daily Camera
As the only states in the country with voter-approved ballot measures allowing adults 21 and over to own and consume small amounts of marijuana, the Centennial State and the Evergreen State are looking to each other for hints of what is working and what isn't, as they embark on an unprecedented journey.
"The more conversations we have, the better both of our states will be," said Alison Holcomb, drug policy director at the ACLU of Washington and primary author of the state's pot-legalizing Initiative 502.
The states' pot legalization measures in large part mirror each other, sharing the same consumption and possession limits and age requirements. Both states allow for the creation of recreational marijuana retail outlets and both worry about what any decision from the federal government will have on the effectiveness of their laws.
But Colorado and Washington are implementing their respective ballot measures, Amendment 64 and Initiative 502, in very different ways.
In the Evergreen State, the Washington State Liquor Control Board is responsible for drawing up the regulations for Initiative 502 and enforcing them. It decides how many retail locations will be allowed in each county in the state, using population as an allocation tool. The agency has until Dec. 1 to finalize its rules.
In Colorado, state lawmakers and the Department of Revenue are charged with creating rules to implement Amendment 64. City and towns have the power to ban or limit the presence of marijuana retail outlets. The state has until July 1 to get its regulations for recreational marijuana stores in place.
"Colorado is on a faster track," said Brian Smith, spokesman for the Washington State Liquor Control Board.
And that means Washington may be looking east more than Colorado looks west -- at least at first. Colorado, Smith said, has the advantage of having come up with extensive regulations for its medical marijuana industry, which can act as an effective guide for regulating a recreational marijuana sector. Washington has legal medical marijuana, he said, but it is largely unregulated.
"By having that system in place, you have that experience we don't necessarily have in Washington State," Smith said.
Holcomb said she has heard concern from Washington residents about the potential for industry consolidation and its effect on the marketing of marijuana, especially when it comes to children. Federal authorities are also worried about the effects of widely available marijuana on children, she said, as well diversion of the drug beyond state lines.
"My main concern is going to be whether we can create and preserve a public health strategy," she said.
But Holcomb said despite inevitable stumbles both states will experience in the early going, Colorado and Washington have the wherewithal and determination to find success in the untested world of legal cannabis.
"Hopefully, Washington and Colorado together can provide very important lessons to the rest of the world about the opportunities and pitfalls of reforming marijuana laws," she said.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: dailycamera.com
Author: John Aguilar
Contact: Contact Us - Boulder Daily Camera
Website: Colorado, Washington: Pioneers in permissible pot - Boulder Daily Camera
