EDITORIAL: Time for legislators, regulators, governor to address legal marijuana

Colorado’s world-renowned venture into commercialized marijuana has failed to deliver what voters were promised: an industry regulated like alcohol.

In 2016, the Colorado Legislature and Gov. John Hickenlooper should try to give voters what they were promised.

Throughout 2015, a Gazette series titled “Clearing the Haze” has revealed a discrepancy between public perceptions of the drug, driven by corporate messaging developed by the industry, and truths revealed by the world’s body of reputable medical science and public records. State government, we have found, fails to ask hard questions about marijuana and the problems and costs it imposes on the public, and there is scant tracking of outcomes other than gross revenues. Amendment 64, which legalized pot, was drafted with the aid of marijuana-industry lawyers. Critics believe it puts industry interests ahead of public health, safety and quality of life. The following are ideas and recommendations for improvements.

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