Kentucky gov rips Colorado legalization; state’s marijuana adviser says laws evolving
Marijuana legalization is a suckers bet that has had negative consequences in Colorado and is not right for Kentucky, the Bluegrass States Gov. Matt Bevin said this week.
Bevin, while a guest on Terry Meiners talk show on WHAS radio on Tuesday in Louisville, shot down any prospect of recreational marijuana legalization happening under his watch.
We are not, while Im governor, going to be legalizing the use of marijuana in this state for recreational purposes or for revenue-generating purposes, Bevin said.
Bevin addressed the topic of cannabis legalization after Meiners noted that legalizing marijuana and casino gambling were floated as potential solutions to Kentuckys pension crisis.
Bevin scoffed at those ideas, chuckling at the idea that a lot of toked-up people gambling would be a boon for Kentucky.
He said there was no political appetite for casino gambling and that the situation was far from rosy in Colorado, a state considered a trailblazer in cannabis legalization, according to the audio from the WHAS show:
Bevins comments about Colorado span a variety of issues raised since recreational marijuana sales began in 2014, including: over-consumption concerns related to cannabis-infused edibles; Nebraska and Oklahomas ultimately unsuccessful legal bid against Colorado marijuana laws; ongoing questions about public health and safety effects; and efforts to wrangle and curtail gray and black market operations. Regarding Bevins remark about overdosing, there are no reported cases of a fatal overdose from marijuana alone, according to multiple federal and international agencies.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and state officials are not taking a position of advocacy or opposition to legalization, but rather of good government, Mark Bolton, senior legal counsel and marijuana adviser for the governors office, said in an interview Wednesday with The Cannabist.
Colorado officials mission since the passage of recreational marijuana Amendment 64 in 2012 has been to implement the will of the voters and build a regulatory enforcement system that addresses public health and safety issues, Bolton said.
Hickenloopers messaging since that time typically involves noting that Colorado officials put a lot of work into its regulations, continue to address issues as they evolve, and that more data are needed to get a clearer understanding of the potential effects, Bolton said.
I think the governor always communicates with others by saying, give it a few more years to see what the real outcomes are, Bolton said.
Bolton added that several of the issues Bevin raised were addressed by Hickenlooper and Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman in their response to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions inquiry about the effectiveness of state marijuana laws.
Bolton said hes not aware of a conversation between Hickenlooper and Bevin ...
