Pubdate: Fri, 09 Nov 2012
Source: Gazette, The (Colorado Springs, CO)
Copyright: 2012 The Gazette
Contact: http://www.gazette.com/sections/opinion/submitletter/
Website: http://www.gazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/165
Author: Barry Noreen

MANY NON-SMOKERS VOTED TO LEGALIZE POT

It is stunning that 53 percent of Colorado voters supported the 
legalization of marijuana on Tuesday.

We all know that the percentage of pot smokers is far less than that, 
so obviously, many voted for it for reasons other than an interest in 
getting high.

Someone voted for it because pot reduced the side effects of Aunt 
Betty's chemotherapy. Some voted for it because they couldn't 
remember ever hearing about a pot-crazed husband beating up his wife.

Some voted for it because they had grown weary of the shenanigans of 
state and local officials, who did their best to undermine the 
medical marijuana initiative approved by 54 percent of Colorado voters in 2000.

That's right: We have told our officials twice. Twelve years after 
the first time we told them, the majority is essentially the same.

Governors, the Legislature, an attorney general, district attorneys, 
county commissioners and city councils responded, in essence, by 
saying "we don't care what the election results say because we know 
what's best for you."

Something like this has happened before.

Voters approved the Colorado lottery in 1981 after being told the 
proceeds would be spent on outdoor recreation, open space and 
wildlife programs. The brigands in the Legislature fashioned a law 
that allowed them to spend lottery money on anything, and that's what 
they did until 1992, when angry voters fought back, approving Great 
Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), which diverted lottery money back to where 
it was supposed to go all along.

GOCO "was payback for the legislature," says landscape photographer 
and activist John Fielder, who spearheaded the GOCO campaign. 
Although there is no ideological linkage between GOCO and legalized 
pot, Fielder sees potential similarities between how government 
officials broke faith with the voters, circumventing the will of the 
electorate.

We can't be sure if Colorado's pot legalization experiment will 
become official, because the federal government might intervene. Even 
if that doesn't happen, though, consider that the Legislature would 
have to approve quite a few laws in the 2013 session and as we have 
seen, anytime a new revenue stream is created, lawmakers are prone to mischief.

Elected officials from El Paso County and Colorado Springs already 
are making negative statements about Amendment 64. It is true there 
are many unanswered questions concerning the poorly drafted amendment.

But if you think Colorado's elected officials are sincere about 
heeding the will of the electorate on this, a certain columnist would 
like to sell you a controlling interest in Pikes Peak.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom