Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Colorado Says Recreational Marijuana is Legal

Voters approved an amendment legalizing recreational marijuana use in Colorado on Tuesday, making this one of two states to end prohibition of the drug but also raising new legal questions and setting up potential court battles.  The historic result, projected by The Denver Post on Tuesday night, drew raucous cheers and applause from the amendment's supporters, who gathered in hundreds at Casselman's in downtown Denver.  "We won! We won!" supporters cried as the results were splashed across a giant screen.
   Amendment 64 led late Tuesday night with 53.3 percent voting yes and 46.7 percent voting no, with 1,863,535 votes or about 66 percent of active voters counted, according to the Colorado Secretary of State's office.
   "This is really groundbreaking," said Beau Kilmer, co-director of the Rand Drug Policy Research Center. "No modern jurisdiction has ever removed the prohibition on the production and possession of marijuana for recreational purposes. ... Since no one has done this before, there are a lot of uncertainties."  Voters in Washington state approved a similar measure Tuesday; in Oregon a legalization issue failed.
   The amendment will allow those 21 and older to purchase up to one ounce of the drug at specially regulated retail stores. Possession would be legal but not public use. Adults could grow up to six marijuana plants at home. It sets up a direct challenge to federal drug law, which regulates it as an illegal substance. Federal authorities have not said how they will respond.
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This will be interesting....

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