Colorado Leads the Way Toward Complete Legalization

Submitted by Medical Marijua... on Tue, 09/20/2011 - 18:53
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The advances made toward medical marijuana rights recently have been incredible, but many people don't think it's enough. Why stop at medical marijuana, after all, when science and experience show no real reason to restrict its popular use?

This is the question that Colorado is asking as they seek to completely legalize the drug. Colorado Springs is currently being used as a test market for complete legalization, and the population will soon see a number of TV spots and mailing packets in support of the development.

The TV ad has raised some controversy. It features a woman drinking coffee at a café who admits that she does not use marijuana but believes that the time has come to legalize it. Many people like the idea that the message comes from someone who doesn't use marijuana, but others dislike the fact that it doesn't represent the population of medical marijuana users.

The TV ad, as well as the mailing packets, represents the start of a yearlong campaign for widespread legalization. The law being proposed would allow anyone above the age of 21 to purchase marijuana, the same legal limit as with alcohol. After all, the effects of alcohol are much more extreme than marijuana, so it doesn't make sense to heavily regulate one, while happily allowing the other.

The marijuana would also be taxed just as alcohol is taxed. This would solve many of the economical struggles of local governments, as they could use these taxes to fund schools, support local health care and other services, and prevent other budget cuts as necessary.

The law also recommends that marijuana be sold with a health warning, just like cigarettes. A traditional pack of cigarettes, for example, expresses potential risks of using tobacco; marijuana could be packaged in the same manner.

The efforts in Colorado represent a wave of acceptance that has been predicted by many. If Colorado can pull this off, there will be many states to follow suit, and we are sure to see the face of marijuana regulation change completely.