Pubdate: Thu, 25 Oct 2012
Source: Steamboat Today, The (CO)
Copyright: 2012 The Steamboat Pilot & Today
Contact: http://www.steamboattoday.com/submit/letters/
Website: http://www.steamboattoday.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1549
Author: Roger Sherman
Note: Roger Sherman, Campaign director for Smart Colorado, an issue 
committee opposed to Amendment 64

LEGALIZATION NOT SIMPLE

Legalizing the sale, possession and use of marijuana in Colorado by 
passing Amendment 64 is not simply a question of whether we think 
it's appropriate for Coloradans to smoke pot. Amendment 64 raises 
serious questions about the proper role of our state constitution, 
the effect liberalizing our marijuana law will have beyond our state 
borders and whether we want to defy existing federal law.

The U.S. Constitution, which many people consider the finest, most 
succinct legal document ever written, is distinguished by the limited 
number of issues that its 27 amendments address. They almost all deal 
with extremely important - foundational - issues. Colorado's 
constitution, by contrast, has been amended more than 150 times for 
issues great and small.

Colorado voters already approved a constitutional amendment 
legalizing the use of marijuana for medicinal uses. Its provisions 
conflict with some of the provisions in Amendment 64. Bringing them 
into sync will require expensive litigation that a cash-strapped 
state cannot afford - or, even worse, another constitutional amendment.

There's not enough space or time here to enumerate all of Amendment 
64's potential unintended consequences. A few include: the damage to 
our image as we become the marijuana capital of the country; the 
likelihood that Colorado will be a magnet for out-of-staters coming 
in to purchase and transport pot to other places where it is illegal; 
and the likelihood that in impaired driving traffic fatalities will increase.

Lastly, even with Amendment 64, use, possession and sale of marijuana 
still will be illegal under federal law. That's confusing to our 
citizens, and it sets our state up for expensive federal lawsuits.

It's important that Coloradans are talking about whether legalizing 
marijuana is a good idea, but it is a dialogue and decision that 
properly should be taking place on a national level.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom