Pubdate: Sun, 29 Sep 2013
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2013 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122
Author: Brian Vicente
Note: Brian Vicente is a partner at Vicente Sederberg LLC and chair 
of the Committee for Responsible Regulation.

WE NEED TO REGULATE MARIJUANA RESPONSIBLY

Since the time I started working on reforming marijuana laws in 
Colorado nine years ago, I have been motivated by one goal: to 
regulate marijuana responsibly.

That was my goal last year as the co-director of the Amendment 64 
campaign, which established the framework for regulating marijuana in 
the state. And it continues to be my goal as chair of the committee 
backing Proposition AA, the measure on this November's ballot that 
will set statewide excise and sales taxes on marijuana.

While the 15 percent excise tax fulfills the promise of Amendment 64 
by providing tens of millions of dollars annually for public school 
construction, the true import of the measure is ensuring that there 
are sufficient funds to enforce the regulations that will govern the 
cultivation and sale of marijuana in Colorado.

Proposition AA will raise the revenue needed for this regulatory 
oversight through a 10 percent sales tax on marijuana products. 
Compared to the state of Washington, which also passed an initiative 
to regulate marijuana last November and will impose a 25 percent tax 
on marijuana sales, this 10 percent figure is quite reasonable. It is 
also fair to the citizens of Colorado, since it ensures that 
marijuana users who take advantage of the regulated market will in 
essence be providing the funds needed to maintain it.

This is the responsible path. Through regulations, we are able to 
provide consumer protections, such as tracking, testing and labeling. 
We also protect our communities by diminishing the likelihood of 
marijuana being diverted out of the system.

We recently witnessed a spectacle in Civic Center in Denver, during 
which opponents of Proposition AA gave away free marijuana joints as 
a way of encouraging more people to oppose the measure. One of the 
organizers even falsely presented himself as a "co-drafter" of 
Amendment 64, in order to give the event-or perhaps himself-more credibility.

In reality, Amendment 64 campaign leaders like myself strongly 
support Proposition AA. It is consistent with the ballot title of 
Amendment 64, which began, "Shall there be an amendment to the 
Colorado constitution ... providing for the regulation of marijuana?"

The people of Colorado responded affirmatively. And now, Proposition 
AA will provide the funding needed to regulate the system.

It is easy for activists to rile up a crowd with calls for no 
marijuana taxes, especially when they provide free marijuana. But it 
is not the responsible path.

We are at a turning point in U.S. history. While not everyone reading 
this column will have voted for Amendment 64 last November, my hope 
is that a growing number of Coloradans are beginning to appreciate 
that having marijuana cultivated and sold by regulated, taxpaying 
businesses is preferable to having those activities conducted 
underground, with profits flowing to drug cartels.

Even the U.S. Department of Justice is now on record acknowledging 
this benefit. In a memo issued by Deputy Attorney General James Cole 
last month, detailing how the federal government will respond to the 
marijuana measures passed in Colorado and Washington, he wrote that a 
"robust" system of regulations could address federal enforcement 
priorities by "replacing an illicit marijuana trade that funds 
criminal enterprises with a tightly regulated market in which 
revenues are tracked and accounted for."

But the U.S. Department of Justice was not giving Colorado carte 
blanche to move forward with its regulated system. Rather, the memo 
provided a stern warning that the federal government would be 
monitoring the state to ensure that there were "necessary resources" 
to enforce the regulations that exist.

The acknowledgment of the benefits of regulating marijuana is a 
dramatic shift by federal law enforcement officials, and we are 
grateful for the respect they have given our state and its voters. In 
return, we are firmly committed to respecting their concerns by 
ensuring that the necessary resources they desire are available. This 
is not only the responsible thing to do, but it is also the 
intelligent thing to do.

Please join me in voting "yes" on Proposition AA so that Colorado can 
regulate marijuana responsibly.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom