Pubdate: Wed, 28 Nov 2012
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2012 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122
Author: John Ingold
Page: 8A

HICK TO CREATE NEW POT GROUP

The governor says the task force will deal with marijuana-vote fallout.

Gov. John Hickenlooper will create a task force to deal with the 
fallout from the state's legalization of marijuana use, possession and sales.

Eric Brown, the governor's spokesman, said in a statement Tuesday 
afternoon that the yet to-be-formed task force will work "to identify 
the policy, legal and procedural issues that need to be resolved 
related to Amendment 64."

"The task force will be charged with offering suggestions for 
legislative and executive actions that need to be taken for the 
effective and efficient implementation of the amendment," Brown said.

The task force is to include state officials, lawmakers, marijuana 
advocates and other "stakeholders"- likely a reference to 
law-enforcement, drug treatment and community representatives.

More details on the task force will be announced soon, Brown said.

The task force will need to get down to business quickly so the state 
can meet the deadlines set out in Amendment 64, which legalizes use 
and possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for those 21 and older. 
It also allows for commercial marijuana sales through specially 
licensed stores, and the state Department of Revenue must have rules 
for those stores in place by July 1 and begin issuing licenses for 
them Jan. 1, 2014.

That means lawmakers will have only one legislative session - the one 
beginning in early January - to write laws governing the new stores. 
And Revenue Department officials will have to hold a hearing on 
proposed rules for the stores sometime in the spring.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom