It’s not medical marijuana. It’s not
decriminalization. It’s completely legal pot – and voters in Colorado
and Washington decided they would become the first states in the country
to legalize and regulate marijuana for recreational use, ushering in a
huge victory for drug law reform advocates.
Additional Links
The new laws differ in each state, but the
cores are the same and will legalize the recreational use of marijuana
for people 21 and over, require a hefty tax on each sale, and enforce
strict DUI laws.
"The victories in Colorado and Washington are
of historic significance not just for Americans but for all countries
debating the future of marijuana prohibition in their own countries,"
said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance
(DPA). "This is now a mainstream issue, with citizens more or less
divided on the issue but increasingly inclined to favor responsible
regulation of marijuana over costly and ineffective prohibitionist
policies."
The campaigns to legalize marijuana succeeded
in part by deep-pocketed donors. Among the campaigns’ many contributors
were Peter Lewis, the Progressive Insurance chairman who has been a
long-time advocate of marijuana legalization, and Rick Steves, the
famous travel writer and PBS host.
The initiatives were also financially backed in part by pro-legalization advocacy groups DPA and the Marijuana Policy Project.
But it was the campaigns’ arguments about why
marijuana should be legalized that helped win over voters. From
reducing the cost of law enforcement and weakening drug cartels to
adding much-needed tax revenue in a time when it is needed most, the
pros of legalization outweighed the cons.
"It’s ridiculous to be trying to maintain the
law enforcement effort
