Anti-Pot Colorado Politicians and Towns Having a Change of Heart

As someone who has been writing about the cannabis community and industry for the past several years, it has been interesting to watch the evolution of Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper (D) on the issue of recreational marijuana legalization.

When Governor Hickenlooper was up for reelection in 2014 he called Colorado’s legalization “reckless” and warned other states against following a similar path. The following year he finally admitted that legalization in Colorado was working much better than he had expected.

Not only has the sky not fallen in Colorado, but by many measures the state is much better off. So much better off that towns in the state that had previously banned recreational sales are now looking into reversing course and reaping the benefits they are seeing in other towns and cities in Colorado.

“The predictions of fire and brimstone have failed to materialize,” said Mason Tvert, Director of Communications for the Marijuana Policy Project. “Most Coloradoans, including the governor, recognize that the law is working.”

It’s always great when elected officials see the error of their ways and admit when they were wrong about something; of course, if they could just refrain from shooting their mouth off in the first place we would all be saved a lot of hassle. Then again, a politician who doesn’t shoot their mouth off is usually not a successful politician.