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 and South Dakota. Why is our state still burying its head in the sand? While we often refer to marijuana as a "controlled substance," prohibition has made control impossible. Legalizing, taxing, and regulating marijuana leads to safer outcomes for consumers and communities. Prohibition breeds violence, as both buyers and sellers are vulnerable to assaults. Prohibition also guarantees that marijuana will not be tested for purity and potency, exposing consumers to pesticides, molds, bacteria, or even lacing with dangerous drugs. By regulating marijuana, authorities will actually know who is selling it, where it is being sold, and to whom. When marijuana is legalized and properly regulated, production and sales occur under the watchful eye of state regulators — not in back alleys and basements. An April 2021 Quinnipiac poll found 69% of Americans think marijuana should be made legal. Please follow the will of the majority of voters and support an effort to legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana for adults who are 21 or older.

Marijuana prohibition is a waste of taxpayer resources. It’s time to take a more sensible approach — legalizing, taxing, and regulating marijuana 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 marijuana, a substance that is safer than alcohol. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are arrested each year for marijuana-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 marijuana could bring in much-needed jobs, small business growth, and revenue for the state. Colorado, which legalized marijuana for adult use in 2012, brought in more than $360 million dollars in adult-use marijuana tax revenue in 2020 alone. Meanwhile, over 41,000 Coloradoans are currently licensed to work directly in the cannabis industry, and another 1,670+ are licensed as business owners. It’s past time we treat adults like grown-ups and replace the folly of marijuana prohibition with sensible regulation.