I hope you agree it’s past time to legalize, tax, and regulate cannabis for adults 21 and older. Nineteen other states have taken this more sensible approach, including states on all sides of the political spectrum — from red Montana to purple Arizona to blue California. Why does our state remain stuck in the past? Prohibition ensures that production and sales are completely unregulated. Unlike licensed, regulated cannabis businesses, illicit sellers operate virtually anywhere and have no incentive not to sell to minors. Taxing and regulating cannabis would displace the underground market, creating thousands of good jobs and tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue. As a state legislator, you have an opportunity to help us move away from the same old failed policies. Will you please support an end to cannabis prohibition?

On Election Day 2020, all four states with cannabis legalization on the ballot approved the measures handily, from blue New Jersey, to purple Arizona, to red Montana. Why is our state still burying its head in the sand? While we often refer to cannabis as a "controlled substance," prohibition has made control impossible. Legalizing, taxing, and regulating cannabis leads to safer outcomes for consumers and communities. Prohibition breeds violence, as both buyers and sellers are vulnerable to assaults. Prohibition also guarantees that cannabis will not be tested for purity and potency, exposing consumers to pesticides, molds, bacteria, or even lacing with dangerous drugs. By regulating cannabis, authorities will actually know who is selling it, where it is being sold, and to whom. When cannabis is legalized and properly regulated, production and sales occur under the watchful eye of state regulators — not in back alleys and basements. An October 2021 poll found 68% of Americans think cannabis should be made legal. Please follow the will of the majority of voters and support an effort to legalize, tax, and regulate cannabis for adults who are 21 or older.

Cannabis prohibition is a waste of taxpayer resources. It’s time to take a more sensible approach — legalizing, taxing, and regulating cannabis for adults 21 and older. Law enforcement officials’ time and resources would be better spent addressing serious crimes instead of arresting and prosecuting adults for using cannabis, a substance that is safer than alcohol. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are arrested each year for cannabis-related offenses, the vast majority of which are for simple possession. Meanwhile, clearance rates for many serious crimes are exceptionally low, and most violent crimes never result in an arrest. Legalizing, taxing, and regulating cannabis could bring in much needed jobs, small business growth, and revenue for the state. Colorado, which legalized cannabis for adult use in 2012, brought in nearly $400 million dollars in adult-use cannabis tax revenue in 2021 alone. Meanwhile, over 41,000 Coloradoans are currently licensed to work directly in the cannabis industry, and another 1,800+ are licensed as business owners. It’s past time we treat adults like grown-ups and replace the folly of cannabis prohibition with sensible regulation.