Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper reiterated he does not want cannabis clubs letting people safely smoke marijuana in his state’s confines. Upon hearing that Colorado’s Senate voted 25-10 in favor of legalizing cannabis clubs under House Bill 184, Hickenlooper responded that he opposes the bill as it stands.
The current bill “authorizes the operation of a private marijuana club” as long as the club employs Colorado residents ages 21 or older, does not serve food or alcohol, and leaves consumption of cannabis in clubs “up to the clubs.” That last part drew the governor’s ire — Hickenlooper stated the bill must ban all indoor marijuana consumption to pass his desk.
Should those changes be made, it’s still unclear if Hickenlooper will green light the new law. The governor told The Denver Post,
“Smoking is bad for you — very bad for you.”
Hickenlooper went on to imply that he does not want to ruffle the Trump administration’s feathers, adding that,
“Given the uncertainty in Washington, this is not the time to be … trying to carve off new turf and expand markets and make dramatic statements about marijuana,” he said. “The federal government can yield a pretty heavy hand on this and I think we should be doing everything we can to demonstrate … we are being responsible in how we implement the will of our voters.”
In related news, Governor Hickenlooper also indicated that he opposes Senate Bill 192 which would legalize marijuana delivery in Colorado. Whether Hickenlooper believes his rhetoric or not, his words appear likely to appease the federal government. Two years ago, Hickenlooper told FOX News,
“‘If you look back, [legalization] has turned out to be not as vexing as some of the people like myself’ thought legal marijuana would be.”
Moreover, these remarks come on the heels of Hickenlooper standing up for legal cannabis just two weeks ago. After hearing about “greater enforcement” on recreational cannabis coming from the Trump administration, Hickenlooper conceded marijuana’s success in Colorado.
“I think it’s the wrong time to pull back from this experiment, and if the federal government’s going to come and begin closing in and arresting people that are doing what’s legal in different states, my God, it creates a level of conflict that’s going to be very difficult.”
Colorado sold over $1.3 billion worth of cannabis in 2016 and the tax dollars the state receives from those sales directly benefit Colorado. In 2015, $40 million tax dollars were given to state school systems in grants to improve infrastructure. In November, the governor proposed using $12.3 million to create low-income housing in Denver and help solve the city’s homelessness crisis. Moreover, the state has seen a steady influx of tourism dollars with over $5 billion spent by tourists in 2015 alone.
Still, Hickenlooper never wanted legal cannabis in Colorado and has repeatedly stated he does not believe Colorado should be known as “the marijuana state.” So while this politician recognizes the fiscal benefit to Colorado, he appears steadfast in his refusal to allow the industry to naturally progress toward sensible consumption laws.
Since legalizing cannabis over three years ago, Colorado residents have been without venues to safely consume cannabis. Cannabis clubs in Colorado Springs and surrounding Denver exist but have been raided in the past and operate in a murky area.
Last November, Colorado passed pilot Initiative 300, a law that will grant permission to certain venues to allow vaporizing indoors. This law has not yet been implemented and when it goes into effect, it will still fall well short of a cannabis club business model.
