Don’t Legalize Marijuana Yet, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper Warns Other States

In November 2012, Colorado voters
approved a scheme to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana in their
state, opening up a whole new revenue stream for local and state
governments while instilling fear in the hearts of drug warriors
who profit from the continued criminalization and demonization of
marijuana and other narcotics.

The state’s governor, however, doesn’t think other states should
follow Colorado’s lead. The AP
reports on the recent National Governors Association
meeting:

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper is warning other
governors against rushing to follow his lead.

He said he’s spoken to “half a dozen” governors with questions
about his state’s experience, including some who “felt this was a
wave” headed to their states.

“When governors have asked me, and several have, I say that we
don’t have the facts. We don’t know what the unintended
consequences are going to be,” Hickenlooper said. “I urge
caution.”

The Democrat continued: “I say, if it was me, I’d wait a couple of
years.”

Thankfully for Colorado residents, it wasn’t up to Hickenlooper,
it was up to them to decide to move Colorado toward a saner
marijuana policy. So far, most places in the United States that
have moved toward legalizing marijuana, be they Colorado or
Washington or any of the
local municipalities that have gone in that direction, have
done so through various ballot initiatives. In Alaska, where the
courts effectively legalized the consumption of marijuana in 1975,
voters
are moving toward putting the actual legalization of marijuana.
Alaska was one of five
states I suggested could be next to legalize marijuana.
 Residents in all of them will likely have to rely on voters
in their state to legalize marijuana, because as Hickenlooper
illustrates, the politicians don’t have the spine, and the drug
war’s a good hustle for politicians and other government
employees.