Many people tell us that the solution to the problems of marijuana legalization is “regulating,” so that the stronger stuff will no longer be sold. Let’s go back to the marijuana of the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, they say. (THC levels had skyrocketed from 3.6% in the 1990s to around 20% in Colorado and more than 20% in Washington.) Can states regulate marijuana?
Since states are the “laboratories of democracy,” and several states have had legalization for years, we can evaluate whether or not regulation works.
Today the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Tracking Authority (RMHIDTA) issued a Press Release. The report counters much of the drug lobbying group’s “spin” on marijuana.
Spin: Drug Policy Alliance’s recent Status Report: Marijuana Legalization in Colorado After One Year of Retail Sales [2014] and Two Years of Decriminalization [2013]” claims: “Since the first retail marijuana stores opened on January 1st, 2014, the state of Colorado has benefitted from a decrease in crime rates…”
