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Amendment 20

Colorado Residents Appear Ready To Legalize Marijuana

regulate marijuana like alcohol

Many states have now joined the marijuana reform movement and it appears more on the way.  At one point, certainly 12 years ago, passing legislation to allow for the use of medical marijuana was a much more controversial move.  With only a handful of states previously legalizing medical cannabis, Colorado voters passed Amendment 20 and officially altered the state’s constitution.

This November, Colorado residents will have another controversial choice when they enter the voting centers.  Thanks to the efforts of many residents and groups such as Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, Colorado residents may take the next logical step in providing relief and adopting new progressive strategies for a struggling economy and new age safety measures.  If residents pass amendment 64, they will effective legalize, tax, and regulate the sale of marijuana even for recreational use.  While the usual detractors have and will continue to dust off the same decades old talking points memo, many want to see a different approach.  Amendment 64 even has the support of many parents who would rather see safety mechanisms in place to prevent their teens from purchasing marijuana as opposed to just hoping they do not seek out street vendors.

A similar bill was voted on in 2006 and narrowly failed.  However, in the previous six years Colorado has seen its demographics change considerably.  While this can be measured by Census figures, it only takes a copy of the 2008 electoral map, and current polling data to show Colorado has changed drastically in the political arena and now appears to be a lean Democrat or at the very least a toss-up state.  Other than Bill Clinton in 1996, no Democrat has won Colorado in a modern election besides Obama.  A new poll seems to highlight the shift and now shows that Colorado residents are leaning heavily toward enacting Amendment 64.  The poll was conducted by The Denver Post and shows that Colorado residents are in favor of the bill by a margin of 51-40% (with 8% undecided).

Even if passed it does not guarantee that Federal agents will not interfere.  However, now many more tax dollars and jobs will be at stake should the Feds decide to demonstrate their legal authority.  However, if that fear governed Colorado residents before, they would not have persevered through the last 12 years.  With more national support that ever, and certainly than in 2000, Colorado residents again seem poised to bring about major change.

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