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Governors: Buzz over pot just smoke

They're cautious about legalization, despite growing wave of support

The Columbian
Published: February 22, 2014, 4:00pm

WASHINGTON — All the buzz at the National Governors Association meeting over legalizing pot, some say, is just smoke.

Nearly three months after Colorado began selling recreational marijuana, the nation’s governors are taking a cautious approach to loosening their drug laws despite growing support for legalization.

Republican and Democratic state chief executives meeting in Washington this weekend expressed broad concern for children and public safety should recreational marijuana use spread. At the same time, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper is warning other governors against rushing to follow his lead.

He said he’s spoken to “half a dozen” governors with questions about his state’s experience, including some who “felt this was a wave” headed to their states.

“When governors have asked me, and several have, I say that we don’t have the facts. We don’t know what the unintended consequences are going to be,” Hickenlooper said. “I urge caution.”

The Democrat continued: “I say, if it was me, I’d wait a couple of years.”

States are watching closely as Colorado and Washington establish themselves as national pioneers after becoming the first states to approve recreational marijuana use in 2012.

A group is hoping to add Alaska as the third state.

Colorado became the first to allow legal retail sales of recreational marijuana on Jan. 1 and Washington is expected to launch its marketplace soon.

Hickenlooper confirmed that early tax revenue collections on Colorado pot sales have exceeded projections but cautioned that tax revenue “is absolutely the wrong reason to even think about legalizing recreational marijuana.”

Recent polling suggests that a majority of Americans support efforts to legalize the drug. But governors gathered in Washington this weekend had a more cautious approach.

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, a Republican, called legalization “bad public policy” with unintended consequences.

Earlier this month, the Obama administration provided banks with guidance on how to do business with marijuana firms, aiming to make banks feel more comfortable working with marijuana businesses that are licensed and regulated.

Meanwhile, Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, said implementation of his state’s decision to create a legal pot marketplace was succeeding. He also offered some advice to his fellow governors.

“I would encourage them to follow their state’s will,” he said. “Our will was to de-criminalize this product. And so far it’s working well.”

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