Suthers noted that he opposed the medical-marijuana law that passed nine years ago, warning at the time that the legislation was written so broadly that it could cause the very type of confusion about what's allowed and what's not that's come to pass in recent months. Likewise, he argued that the goal of advocates has always been the legalization of marijuana for all uses, not just the medical kind. What he's not sure of today, though, is whether the majority of Colorado voters now back the lifting of all pot sanctions.
He certainly doesn't. He talked up crimes at dispensaries without making reference to specific incidents -- although he did say that some clients apparently don't like to pay for their ganja. He also used the old gateway argument, maintaining that drug abusers he's spoken with who began smoking marijuana (and drinking alcohol) around age twelve or thirteen were often riding the meth pony five years down the line. He also touched on various remedies, ranging from a tightening of dispensary guidelines by state legislators to a ballot measure that could do the reps' job for them.
As for marijuana legalization, he pointed to the example of Alaska, which he said tightened up edicts that had previously been loosened after noticing a rise in assorted social ills. He hopes Colorado residents won't have to learn the same hard lessons, but he admitted that such an outcome is possible. Just not preferable -- at least from his point of view.
Smoke on that.
