Limits to THC Potency advocated by anti-cannabis advocates
Colorado is a world leader in Cannabis legalization, and now the industry finds itself under a renewed attack.
In 2012, history was made when Colorado voters passed Amendment 64, which legalized the cultivation, sale, and possession of cannabis.
Over the past eight years, legal cannabis has faced numerous legislative challenges:
- In 2013, after Amendment 64 passed, Colorado Springs banned the sale of recreational cannabis. (source)
- In 2016, the Colorado Gov’t banned certain shapes of edibles (HB16-1436)
- Also in 2016, a proposed ballot initiative would have capped legal cannabis potency at 16% THC. (Ballot Proposal 139)
- In 2017, medical caregivers were banned from cultivating more than 16 plants. (HB17-1220)
- In 2018, anti-cannabis advocates in the State Legislature attempted to develop a tracking scheme for every legal cannabis plant in Colorado. (SB18-029)
- In 2019, Governor Jared Polis signed into law legislation allowing a medical marijuana patient to have their medical card revoked if they are convicted of a drug crime, and gave the Department of Public Health the ability to shorten the time a medical card is valid. (SB19-218)
- In 2020, an initiative to repeal legal cannabis was submitted for ballot access. (Ballot Proposal 282) (Thankfully, it was withdrawn)
>>Related: 2018 Gov. Hickenlooper signed an executive order cracking down on legal vaping.
Now, anti-cannabis advocates are attacking the industry with claims that Colorado’s “pot trade is dangerously underregulated,” and pleas to “rein in reckless pot peddlers.”
What do these anti-freedom idiots think are the problems with legal cannabis in Colorado?
Luke Niforatos, of Smart Approaches to Marijuana argues:
“There are no caps on the potency of marijuana, no serious attempts to address our raging illicit market, and of course, there is no real action to address the lack of diversity in the industry,” (source)
Luke Niforatos, a Colorado local, and his Washington D.C.-beltway organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana, or SAM, seemingly want Colorado to reverse legal cannabis, and begin mass arrests.
The calls to limit the potency of legal cannabis are echoed by Rachel O’Bryan of Smart Colorado:
“…due to the unwillingness of lawmakers to control this runaway industry, these ultra-potent pot products dominate the market and comprise 93% of products sold.
We have begged lawmakers to pay attention to potency for years because of the demonstrated risks to the growing brains of young people. ” (source)
O’Bryan fails to mention that the study she references in her article also shows that the rate of cannabis use among Colorado’s youth has “not significantly changed since legalization.”
I’ve ran into individuals working with Smart Colorado during legislative hearings at the State Capitol, when I spoke in favor of pro-cannabis legislation.
Related: Read June 2020’s Smart Colorado newsletter to see the agenda they are pushing
And what impact has Smart Colorado had on legal cannabis in Colorado, they recently bragged in a video interview:
These “accomplishments” include creating additional paperwork for legal cannabis companies, banning types of cannabis packaging, banning certain kinds of edibles, labeling changes, lowering home grow plant count, blocking cannabis consumption clubs, on-site use, and legal cannabis delivery.
And who is funding the prohibitionist aims of Smart Colorado?
Take a look at their website:
Notable donors include The Anschutz Foundation, the Daniels Fund, the El Pomar Foundation, and the Adolph Coors Foundation.
And in 2020, Colorado voters will have a chance to vote for US Senate Candidate John Hickenlooper, who not only opposed the legalization of cannabis in Colorado, but “doesn’t rule out recriminalizing recreational marijuana.”
The anti-legal cannabis movement in Colorado has donors with deep pockets, and an ideological framework.
In my opinion, prohibitionists are going to escalate their attack on legal cannabis until Amendment 64 is repealed and Colorado again sees arrests of cannabis growers, sellers, and users.
Any thoughts? Leave a comment!
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