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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri
Time: 11:44 am
Time: 11:44 am
Results for drug policy (colorado)
2 results foundAuthor: Hudak, John Title: Colorado's Rollout of Legal Marijuana Is Succeeding Summary: In November 2012, Colorado voters decided to experiment with marijuana. Formally, they approved Amendment 64, modifying the state constitution. This move was historic and did something which, to that point, no other state or modern foreign government had ever done: legalize retail (recreational) marijuana. As part of the amendment, the state was required to construct legal, regulatory, and tax frameworks that would allow businesses to cultivate, process, and sell marijuana not simply to medical patients-as had been happening in Colorado for over a decade-but to anyone 21 and older. This change came despite existing federal prohibition of marijuana and opposition from the governor, state attorney general, many mayors, and the law enforcement community. At its heart, this report is about good government and takes no position on whether the legalization of retail marijuana was the correct decision. Instead, it takes for granted that Amendment 64 and its progeny are the law and should be implemented successfully, per voters' wishes. The report examines what the state has done well and what it has not. It delves into why, and how, regulatory and administrative changes were made. Finally, it offers an evaluation of how effective the implementation has been. Key findings include: - It's too early to judge the success of Colorado's policy, but it is not too early to say that the rollout-initial implementation-of legal retail marijuana has been largely successful. - The state has met challenging statutory and constitutional deadlines for the construction and launch of a legal, regulatory, and tax apparatus for its new policy. In doing so, it has made intelligent decisions about regulatory needs, the structure of distribution, prevention of illegal diversion, and other vital aspects of its new market. It has made those decisions in concert with a wide variety of stakeholders in the state. - Colorado's strong rollout is attributable to a number of elements. Those include: leadership by state officials; a cooperative, inclusive approach centering on task forces and working groups; substantial efforts to improve administrative communication; adaptive regulation that embraces regulatory lookback and process-oriented learning; reorganizing, rebuilding, and restaffing critical state regulatory institutions; and changes in culture in state and local government, among interest groups, and among the public. - Regulations address key concerns such as diversion, shirking, communication breakdowns, illegal activity, and the financial challenges facing the marijuana industry. However, some regulations were also intended to help regulators, as they endured rapid, on-the-job training in dealing with legal marijuana. - Despite real success, challenges involving edibles, homegrown marijuana, tax incentives, and marijuana tourism remain, and the state must address them in a more effective way. Details: Washington, DC: Center for Effective Public Management, Brookings Institution, 2014. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 26, 2014 at: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2014/07/colorado%20marijuana%20legalization%20succeeding/cepmmjcov2.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2014/07/colorado%20marijuana%20legalization%20succeeding/cepmmjcov2.pdf Shelf Number: 134263 Keywords: Drug Policy (Colorado)Marijuana Legalization |
Author: Gettman, Jon B. Title: Marijuana Arrests in Colorado After the Passage of Amendment 64 Summary: Colorado's Amendment 64 was enacted in November 2012. The constitutional amendment allowed for the personal possession, cultivation and private use of marijuana in the state of Colorado for people over 21 years of age. The state was also mandated to establish a framework for taxation and regulation so adults could legally purchase non-medical marijuana from licensed cultivators and retailers. The new rights conferred to adults went into effect on December 10, 2012. The first retail stores opened on January 1, 2014. This report reviews changes in the number and characteristics of marijuana arrests in Colorado after the passage of Amendment 64. Not all arrests are equal in terms of consequences for the individual and the costs to the criminal justice system because an arrested individual may be charged with several criminal violations. Consequently this report refers to arrests in terms of the number of individual charges prosecuted in court. Data obtained from the Judicial Branch of Colorado was used to compare the number of cases and charges brought before the courts in the state prior to the passage of Amendment 64. Additional data from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation was used to review the racial characteristics of those arrested by law enforcement for marijuana law violations. This report reveals that marijuana-related charges statewide (not including Denver) decreased by 85% between 2010 and 2014. An overwhelming majority of this decrease in charges came in the aftermath of Amendment 64. Possession charges at all levels (not simply the level now legal or previously considered a petty offense) are the primary reason for the decline. Cultivation charges over the last two years were halved when compared to the previous two years before Amendment 64. In addition, all drug-related charges are down 23% since 2010. This underscores the central role of marijuana prohibition in the drug war, as well as marijuana legalization's implications for criminal justice reform more generally. This report also finds that racial disparities for marijuana offenses persist at similar levels as before Amendment 64. However, disparities for the charge of intent to distribute actually went down, easing fears of many racial justice advocates. While the overall decrease in marijuana-related offenses statewide has been enormously beneficial to communities of color, one troubling concern is the rise in disparities for the charge of public consumption, especially in Denver. It is also worth noting that, due to a lack of credible data, this report does not analyze Amendment 64's impact on the state's Latino population. The report also reveals a sharp decline in synthetic marijuana arrests since retail stores opened in 2014. According to judicial county court records, arrests for synthetic marijuana in 2014 have declined by 27% from the prior year. Given the health impacts of marijuana are more established and understood than those related to synthetic marijuana, advocates see this as yet another potential benefit of legalization. Details: New York: Drug Policy Alliance, 2015. 17p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 15, 2015 at: http://www.drugpolicy.org/sites/default/files/Marijuana_Arrests_After_the_Passage_of_Amendment_64.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.drugpolicy.org/sites/default/files/Marijuana_Arrests_After_the_Passage_of_Amendment_64.pdf Shelf Number: 135227 Keywords: ArrestsDecriminalizationDrug EnforcementDrug LegalizationDrug Policy (Colorado)Drug ReformMarijuana Legalization |