The Gazette, 22 Dec 2012 – Last month Colorado voters resoundingly passed Amendment 64 into the state constitution, legalizing both recreational marijuana and industrial hemp. So far, realizing the will of the voters is on track, but implementation risks threaten to undermine the intentions behind Amendment 64. Policy makers are contending with thriving black markets and gray markets (goods or services that while legal, are still traded outside of any tax or regulatory regime), so it is in their best interests to get this right-even if they didn’t support the initiative in the first place. The most glaring opposition comes from President Barack Obama, despite his recent opaque comments in an interview with Barbara Walters about how enforcing marijuana prohibition is not a "top priority." He has tragically escalated the policies of his like-minded predecessor, George W. Bush, for four years by taking hostile actions against legal, legitimate medicinal marijuana businesses in direct contradiction to his campaign promises. Continued hostility should be expected from the Obama administration until proven otherwise.