After initial opposition, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper now admits recreational use is working
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Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper opposed a 2012 state ballot initiative to allow the sale and use of marijuana for recreational purposes. He told voters it might "increase the number of children using drugs and would detract from efforts to make Colorado the healthiest state in the nation. It sends the wrong message to kids that drugs are OK." Spurning his advice, voters approved it.
So he might be excused if, four years later, he were tempted to gaze upon the results of this experiment and say, "I told you so." In fact, Hickenlooper has done just the opposite. "It's beginning to look like it might work," he said recently.
For years, the state had allowed the medical use of cannabis, which was sold in licensed dispensaries. Under the new system, pot is regulated and taxed much like alcohol. The new shops began doing business Jan. 1, 2014.
Andrew Freedman, the governor's "marijuana czar," acknowledges that "for the most part, Colorado looks a lot like it did before legalization." He says Hickenlooper is "pleasantly surprised that there were not as many challenges as he thought."
The fears expressed back then are familiar ones: Drug use would soar. Kids would take the change as approval to get high. Stoned drivers would make the roads more dangerous. And public health would suffer. But by now, anyone waiting for a parade of horribles may be running out of patience.
There have been some unwelcome side effects. Emergency room visits for marijuana-related problems have increased, apparently because of inexperienced users ingesting too much of the drug—often in edible form, such as candy bars.
A couple of deaths were blamed on reactions to overdoses. So the state issued new rules to prevent such mistakes.
Aside from those and the emergence of pot tourism, legalization has been remarkable for how unremarkable it's been. Freedman told the Los Angeles Times he's seen no real change in health or safety problems.
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