Marijuana Now Legal in Colorado

Governor had til Jan. 5 to make it so, but saw no point in waiting
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Suggested by AstroDude
Posted Dec 10, 2012 7:50 PM CST
Marijuana Now Legal in Colorado
In this Nov. 6, 2012 file photo, people attending an Amendment 64 watch party celebrate after a local television station announced the marijuana amendment's passage in Denver.   (Brennan Linsley)

Feeding unsuspecting classmates pot brownies still isn't legal in Colorado, but smoking pot for your own recreational use now is, after Gov. John Hickenlooper today took the purposely low-key procedural step of declaring the voter-approved change part of the state constitution. Hickenlooper, a Democrat, opposed the measure but had no veto power over the voter-approved amendment to the state constitution. He tweeted his declaration today and sent an executive order to reporters by email after the fact.

He said he didn't want to make a big deal about the proclamation, a decision that prevented a countdown to legalization as seen in Washington. He technically had until Jan. 5 to declare marijuana legal, but told reporters he didn't see the point in waiting. "If the voters go out and pass something and they put it in the state constitution, by a significant margin, far be it from myself or any governor to overrule. I mean, this is why it's a democracy, right?" Hickenlooper said. Adults over 21 in Colorado may now possess up to an ounce of marijuana, or six plants. Public use and sale of the drug remain illegal. (More marijuana stories.)

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