Pubdate: Tue, 04 Mar 2014
Source: Washington Times (DC)
Copyright: 2014 The Washington Times, LLC.
Contact:  http://www.washingtontimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/492
Author: Valerie Richardson

GOVERNOR HOPEFULS DUBIOUS OF LEGAL POT

But None Call for Outright Repeal

DENVER - Colorado may be the first state with a retail marijuana 
market, but that doesn't mean the next governor has to like it.

A week after Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper discouraged other 
governors from moving forward with legalized pot, top Republican 
gubernatorial candidates at Sunday's debate said they have serious 
concerns about the drug spreading to teenagers, not to mention the 
hit to Colorado's image.

"I'll be honest, I'm tired of hearing all the jokes about the 'Mile 
High City' or 'Rocky Mountain High,'" said Colorado Secretary of 
State Scott Gessler, who is seeking the GOP gubernatorial nomination.

His comments came during a live GOP gubernatorial primary debate on 
KDVR-TV Sunday, shortly after Mr. Hickenlooper warned fellow 
attendees at the National Governors Association meeting to look 
before they leap into legalizing recreational pot.

"I don't think governors should be [in] the position of promoting 
things that are inherently not good for people," said Mr. 
Hickenlooper, who's running for re-election.

It wasn't the governor, but the voters who approved Amendment 64, 
which legalized small amounts of recreational marijuana for adults 21 
and over. Washington voters passed a similar initiative in the same 
election cycle, and that state's officials expect to launch its 
regulated retail market in June.

Only one of the top gubernatorial candidates in either party - former 
Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo - supported Amendment 64. Mr. Tancredo 
has declined to appear in Republican primary debates, saying they 
contribute to the party's self-inflicted election year wounds.

Colorado unveiled its marijuana market on Jan. 1, And while sales are 
booming, the gubernatorial candidates say they're worried about the 
product filtering down to children and teenagers.

"I look at the kids up and down my block, and my own kids, and I 
don't want our children to get access to it," said former state 
Senate Minority Leader Mike Kopp, one of four candidates who took 
part in the debate. "It harms them. The science is settled: It harms them."

Mr. Hickenlooper's proposed budget for the next fiscal year projects 
$610 million in marijuana sales, about $200 million more than initial 
projections, generating about $98 million in excise and sales tax 
revenues for the state.

The first $40 million of that windfall by law must go toward 
public-school construction, and the governor has proposed using the 
rest for substance abuse and public-health programs focused on youth. 
That's fine with businessman Steve House, another Republican vying 
for the party's nomination.

"We already know from looking at several high schools across the 
state that there's at least 30 percent more marijuana being 
confiscated out of high schools ... We need to make sure the rest of 
the money at least early on to make sure our children are protected," 
said Mr. House at the debate.

At the same time, none of the Republican candidates said they would 
push for a repeal, at least not yet.

"It's not at the top of my agenda; however, we cannot bury our heads 
in the sand," said Mr. Kopp. "If the impacts are greater than anybody 
expects in this new untrodden territory, then you have to put that 
issue before the voters to consider."

Republican state Sen. Greg Brophy said he worried about his 
12-year-old son's experience growing up in a state with a legalized 
pot market for adults, but also criticized the regulations approved 
last year by the Democratic state legislature.

"We also promised we would regulate marijuana like alcohol, and we're 
not doing that," said Mr. Brophy. "We've created the most burdensome 
regulatory system ever seen by mankind here, and that's why I didn't 
support any of that."

As for the knock to the state's reputation, that problem may solve 
itself as other states move toward legalization. The next state on 
the marijuana horizon is Alaska, where voters are slated to vote in 
August on an initiative legalizing recreational pot for adults.

"I do think it hurts our image," said Mr. House. "I also think that 
if 17, 18 other states do it, which it looks like they will soon, 
it'll go away."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom