|
| FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2012 file photo, people attending an Amendment 64 watch party celebrate after a local television station announced the marijuana amendment's passage in Denver. Using marijuana for recreational use is now effectively legal in Colorado. Gov. John Hickenlooper declared a voter-approved marijuana legalization amendment as part of the state constitution on Monday, Dec. 10, 2012. It was the last procedural step needed for the amendment to take effect. |
DENVER (AP) -- Marijuana for recreational use became legal in Colorado Monday, when the governor took the procedural step of declaring the voter-approved change part of the state constitution.
Colorado
became the second state after Washington to allow pot use without a
doctor's recommendation. Both states prohibit public use of the drug,
and commercial sales in Colorado and Washington won't be permitted until
after regulations are written next year.
Gov.
John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, opposed the measure but had no veto
power over the voter-approved amendment to the state constitution. He
tweeted his declaration Monday and sent an executive order to reporters
by email after the fact. That prevented a countdown to legalization as
seen in Washington, where the law's supporters gathered to smoke in
public to celebrate.
The law gave Hickenlooper
until Jan. 5 to declare marijuana legal. He told reporters Monday he
saw no reason to wait and didn't see any point in letting marijuana
become legal without his proclamation.
"If the
voters go out and pass something and they put it in the state
constitution, by a significant margin, far be it from myself or any
governor to overrule. I mean, this is why it's a democracy, right?"
Hickenlooper said.
Adults over 21 in Colorado
may now possess up to an ounce of marijuana, or six plants. Public use
and sale of the drug remain illegal.
Colorado
and Washington officials both have asked the U.S. Department of Justice
for guidance on the laws that conflict with federal drug law. So far the
federal government has offered little guidance beyond stating that
marijuana remains illegal and that the controlled Substances Act will be
enforced. Of special concern for state regulators is how to protect
state employees who violate federal drug law by complying with state
marijuana laws.
The U.S. Attorney's Office issued a statement Monday shortly after Hickenlooper's announcement restating its position.
Hickenlooper
also announced a state task force Monday to help craft the marijuana
regulations. The 24-member task force includes law enforcement,
agriculture officials and marijuana advocates.
The governor admonished the task force not to ponder whether marijuana should be legal.
"I don't think we benefit anyone by going back and turning over the same soil. Our job is to move forward," he said.
Hickenlooper
told the task force to "work to reconcile Colorado and federal laws
such that the new laws and regulations do not subject Colorado state and
local governments and state and local government employees to
prosecution by the federal government."
Colorado's
marijuana measure, Amendment 64, was approved with 55 percent of the
vote last month. One of the authors of Colorado's pot amendment, Mason
Tvert, called the declaration "truly historic."
"We
are certain that this will be a successful endeavor and Colorado will
become a model for other states to follow," Tvert said in a statement.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.