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LAST YEAR, URUGUAY BECAME THE FIRST COUNTRY TO LEGALIZE THE PRODUCTION AND SALE OF MARIJUANA
FOR RECREATIONAL PURPOSES. AND ON JANUARY 1, COLORADO BECAME THE FIRST U.S. STATE TO
DO SO. A SIMILAR MEASURE IN WASHINGTON STATE WILL TAKE EFFECT SOON, AND OTHER STATES COULD
FOLLOW SUIT. VOA'S BRIAN PADDEN JOINS ME RIGHT NOW, HE JUST GOT BACK FROM COLORADO. THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING ME. HOW IS THE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA AFFECTING THE STATE OF COLORADO?
WELL IT'S A BIG ECONOMIC BOOM INITIALLY FOR IT. IT BEGAN LEGAL OPERATIONS AS OF JANUARY
FIRST, AND BUSINESSES I VISITED IN DENVER SAID THERE WERE LINES OUT THE DOOR AND AROUND
THE CORNER FOR THAT FIRST WEEK. ONE OF THE BIGGEST DISPENSARIES I WENT TO VISIT IS MEDICINE
MAN DENVER, IT'S A HUGE ESTABLISHMENT, AND WHAT THEY TELL ME IS THAT THEY WERE PREVIOUSLY
ONLY DEALING IN MEDICAL MARIJUANA, WHERE YOU NEEDED A PRESCRIPTION TO GET IT, NOW WITH
RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA THEY SAY THEIR BEST DAY DURING THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA TIME IS EQUIVALENT
TO A NORMAL DAY NOW.
WOW. BUT CRITICS ARE STILL ARGUING FOR AND AGAINST THE LEGALIZATION WHEN IT'S NOT USED
FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES. WHAT KIND OF ARGUMENTS DID YOU COME ACROSS IN COLORADO?
ONE OF THE MAJOR CONCERNS ABOUT HOW COLORADO IS LEGALIZING THIS FOR RECREATIONAL PURPOSES
IS THE MESSAGE IT'S SENDING TO YOUNG PEOPLE. YOU'RE NOT SEEING A LOT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION
ABOUT THE DANGERS OF IT, YOU'RE SEEING A LOT OF HAPPY PEOPLE SMOKING, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT
HOW IT'S FREE AND LEGAL, AND CRITICS OF THE LEGALIZATION BILL SAY IT SENDS THE WRONG MESSAGE.
IT GLAMORIZES IT.
CRITICS WOULD ALSO ARGUE THAT ALCOHOL IS GLAMORIZED, YOU'VE GOT POP STARS COMING IN AND SHOWING
OFF BUT WITH THAT SAID, WHAT ABOUT THE DANGERS IN TERMS OF DRIVING BUZZED? OR DRIVING UNDER
THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL? HOW DO THEY COMPARE BETWEEN THESE TWO?
THE STATE LEGISLATURE HAS PASSED A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE OF THC IN THE BLOOD LEVEL TO INDICATE
WHAT INTOXICATION WOULD BE. BUT POLICE IN DENVER HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH MEDICAL MARIJUANA
FOR YEARS, HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH PEOPLE INTOXICATED FOR YEARS. THE POLICE TELL ME THEY HAVE NO
PROBLEM DEALING WITH ANYONE WHO'S INTOXICATED, WHETHER IT'S ON MARIJUANA, ON PRESCRIPTION
DRUGS, OR ALCOHOL. IF YOU ARE DRIVING A VEHICLE UNSAFELY AND YOU SEEM INTOXICATED, THEY HAVE
THE AUTHORITY TO ACT.
AND DO YOU THINK THE ECONOMY WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS?
THEY'RE PROJECTING I THINK 500 MILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR IN SALES FROM THIS. OF THAT, 67 TO
70 MILLION IS REVENUE FOR THE STATE. BUT THAT MONEY WILL GO TO ENFORCING REGULATIONS TO
TRY TO KEEP MARIJUANA AWAY FROM CHILDREN, TO KEEP IT FROM TRAVELLING OUT OF THE STATE
AND TO BE USED FOR EDUCATION AND TREATMENT PROGRAMS.
AND WE HAVE SOME GOODIES HERE. I SHOULDN'T BE CALLING THEM GOODIES. EXCUSE ME FOR THAT!
BUT WE HAVE SOME PRODUCTS HERE BRIAN GOT FROM COLORADO. WHAT'S THAT?
THESE ARE ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING PARTS OF THE LEGAL MARIJUANA INDUSTRY -- INFUSED
PRODUCTS. CAKES. THESE ARE CANDIES. THEY'RE INFUSED WITH THC AND THESE WERE DEVELOPED
FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENTS, SO THERE'S VERY PRECISE INDICATIONS ON HOW MUCH THC IS
IN EACH LITTLE PIECE OF CANDY. I'M TOLD THAT THESE ARE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS IN THE SENSE
THAT THEY LOOK LIKE CANDY TO CHILDREN AND SO PARENTS ARE WARNED TO PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL
WITH THESE AND PUT THESE AWAY.
ALL RIGHT, GREAT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. Thank you.
ALL RIGHT