Colorado Senator Makes a Remarkable Volte-Face on Cannabis And Calls For Descheduling

Colorado was the first state to legalize recreational cannabis back in 2021 through a ballot initiative. At the time, Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) was the governor and he strongly opposed the initiative. Voters had the day and recreational cannabis was successfully legalized through Amendment 64 which was a citizen-led initiative.

At the time, Hickenlooper had several concerns about the possible adverse effects of legalizing weed. Like most other citizens, he feared that this would led to increased use by underage citizens. He claims that he was concerned about his own children trying out cannabis just because it was legal.

By making cannabis legal, even those who would not have otherwise experimented with it were going to, or so he thought. He was also worried about making Colorado the “guinea pig” of the adult-use program, being the first state to take cannabis to the ballot.

It’s now almost 10 years since Colorado legalized cannabis for recreational use. A number of studies have been conducted to investigate whether marijuana use among youths in Colorado has increased following legalization. Study after study has shown no evidence for this theory. If anything, research has shown that teen use of marijuana has dipped.

Following this, Hickenlooper has admitted that his previous judgment might have been misguided. Last Thursday, he word out through a recorded video to a meeting that had been organized by the Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education, and Regulation (CPEAR).

In the video, the senator raises many issues, aside from admitting that he might have been wrong about the preconceived ills of legalizing cannabis.

“I think we’ve proven and demonstrated that there is no increase in experimentation among teenagers. There is no change in frequency of use, no change in driving while high—all the things we most worried about didn’t come to pass.”

He talks about Colorado’s legalization journey and the milestones that have been achieved since 2012. Notably, he mentions that the state has served as a benchmark for the 18 other states that have taken a similar bold step in the subsequent period.

“I think we created a pretty good framework. Most of the other states have either followed it or wished they followed it.”

He also emphasizes the need to clear misconceptions on the impact of legalization on underage consumption. He also goes ahead to call for the removal of cannabis on schedule 1 of the controlled substances act (CSA).