As the Colorado medical-marijuana community prepares for a rally today that it hopes will grab the attention of state lawmakers, Laura Kriho is among a number of cannabis advocates who have soured on what the community can accomplish by working with politicians, says the Denver Post. Frustrated by what she says are overly harsh regulatory proposals from state and local governments, Kriho said is increasingly inclined to bypass policymakers and use ballot initiatives and the courts to bring legal clarity to the state’s medical-marijuana policy.
The change in tone for some advocates is pronounced compared with a few months ago, when the Cannabis Therapy Institute formed a “Medical Cannabis Policy Group” to propose model regulations and members of the marijuana community talked eagerly of working with lawmakers on rules that would give certainty and legitimacy to the nascent industry. Boulder attorney Jeff Gard said politicians have seemed reluctant to do more than listen. “I don’t see where people are going to be willing to expose their political careers by supporting the rights of medical-marijuana patients,” he said. Kriho said cannabis advocates should consider pushing a ballot initiative that would legalize marijuana use for all adults.