Colorado is poised to make history in 2012!

In November, Colorado voters will decide whether to end marijuana prohibition once and for all in that state! The Marijuana Policy Project, through an issue committee it helped establish, the Coalition to End Marijuana Prohibition, is providing financial support to this initiative campaign. MPP staff — including three campaign staffers on the ground — are also dedicating time and energy to the effort.

The initiative would make the adult use of marijuana legal under state law, establish a system in which marijuana is regulated and taxed similarly to alcohol, and allow for the cultivation of industrial hemp. If adopted by the voters, it could make Colorado the first state in the country — and the first geographic area in the world — to enact a state-legal system of marijuana cultivation and sales to all adults. Click here to read the full initiative language.  

The effort is being coordinated under the umbrella of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol. Led on the ground by initiative proponents Brian Vicente of Sensible Colorado and Mason Tvert of SAFER, two long-time MPP grantees, this campaign is the culmination of a six-year effort to build support for marijuana policy reform in the state.

The campaign turned in 163,000 signatures and will soon get official word that enough of them were valid, qualifying the initiative for the ballot. The campaign is now poised to reach out to Coloradoans to educate them on the importance of ending their state's marijuana prohibition. Education campaigns like this are never easy, and your help is needed! If you are in Colorado, please consider volunteering for the campaign.

Finally, whether you are in Colorado or not, you can support the campaign by making a donation to the Coalition to End Marijuana Prohibition. Every dollar you give will pay for our education and outreach campaign. Your dollars can help make history!

If you have not already done so, please sign-up for our free and state-specific email alerts so you don’t miss your opportunity to advocate for sensible marijuana policy in the Centennial State.

Recent poll shows strong support for taxing and regulating marijuana in Colorado

An August 2011 Public Policy Polling survey found that 51% of Coloradans think “marijuana usage should be legal,” with only 38% believing it should remain illegal. Please visit the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol website to see how you can help, and let your elected officials know that you support a taxed and regulated system of marijuana distribution. If you are a law enforcement officer, judge, attorney, or clergy member who supports a change in Colorado's marijuana policy, we would like to hear from you. Additionally, if you are a patient or a medical professional, please email state@mpp.org to see how you can be of special help.

2012 legislative session begins in Denver

On January 11, the 2012 legislative session began in Denver. Supporters of sensible marijuana policy have begun to file favorable bills. On the other side of the ledger, there has been public talk of the reintroduction of an unnecessary and unsubstantiated driving under the influence of THC bill that simply puts patients at risk.

Colorado Senator Pat Steadman (D – Denver) recently introduced SB 75, the Medical Marijuana Financial Cooperatives Act. This bill would allow a group of medical marijuana licensees or registered medical marijuana patients (or both) to form an exclusive financial cooperative that would serve as their bank. This bill comes in response to state and national banks closing the accounts of state-regulated medical marijuana businesses for fear of federal action against the banks. By forcing the closure of the accounts of medical marijuana businesses, the federal government leaves legitimate state-regulated businesses with no choice but to operate as cash-only, which makes the state regulators’ job much harder. Sen. Steadman recognizes that allowing these businesses to invest their earnings in a financial institution would provide more transparency to the medical marijuana program. 

While Sen. Steadman champions sensible legislation to move Colorado forward, one of his colleagues is determined to implement draconian laws in the Centennial State. According to the Denver Post, Sen. Steve King (R – Grand Junction) is planning on introducing legislation that would set a bright-line rule for when one is guilty of driving under the influence of drugs — even if the person could prove they were actually not impaired! A similar proposal was submitted last year, but ultimately failed due to the very real concern that such a proposal would ultimately target patients who may be perfectly sober. There is also a lack of sufficient scientific research on this topic, particularly as it pertains to regular users of marijuana, such as patients.

MPP fully expects marijuana policy to be debated in the halls of the capitol, so please sign up for our state specific alerts to stay up-to-speed on all the goings-on in Denver.

Learn more about Colorado's marijuana laws

Did you know that arrests for simple possession accounted for 95% of all marijuana arrests in Colorado in 2007? You can learn more about marijuana laws in Colorado by reading this report by economist Jon Gettman, Ph.D.

Thank you for supporting MPP and all of our allies. To stay updated on the status of marijuana policy reform in Colorado, be sure to subscribe to MPP's free legislative alert service, if you haven't done so already.