Unlike some would have us believing, Colorado has no regrets when it comes to the legalization of recreational cannabis. Recently we’ve heard and seen things, like a Massachusetts senator saying that Coloradans are having “buyer’s remorse”, as well as reports that would lead you to think that cannabis legalization has caused problems among Colorado’s youth – but this information is taken out of context and some of it seems like outright lies when you compare it to the opinion of the voters who decided to pass Amendment 64 in the first place.
In order to find out how the voters were feeling about their decision nearly four years later, the Marijuana Policy Project commissioned a survey, which was conducted by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling. They reached out to 629 registered voters in the state of Colorado to ask them a series of questions – and the responses they got were still largely in favor of legalization. In fact, when asked if they would vote yes on a measure to repeal Amendment 64, 51 percent said they would oppose such a measure while only 36 percent would support it and 13 percent said they were not sure.
“There are a lot of folks trying to make it seem like the sky is falling in Colorado or that voters regret their decision,” said Tvert, “but this is yet another poll showing that they still support it.”
When asked about the impact legalization has had on the state, voters were asked two separate questions – to the first 47 percent said it has had a positive impact in general, while 39 percent said it has been negative, and 9 percent said it had no real impact while 6 percent were unsure; but voters more widely agreed that, from an economic standpoint, legalization was definitely a good move as 61 percent say the economic impact has been positive and only 19 percent say it has been negative. Overall, it is clear that the economic value of the cannabis industry is being recognized by the residents of the state.
“It’s easy for opponents of legalization to put words into the mouths of Colorado voters,” Tvert said, “but these results actually let voters speak for themselves, and voters by and large would not want to go back to prohibition.”
With Pueblo County’s Measure 200 – which aims to discontinue commercial sales and cultivation of cannabis within the county – may give some the idea that Coloradans are unhappy with their decision a few years later, this statewide poll shows otherwise. Besides, Pueblo is not the first county to try and end recreational sales and the chances are, with the area being revitalized and many residents being employed with an improved quality of life thanks to the cannabis industry, the legal cannabis industry is there to stay. This survey makes it clear, there is no buyer’s remorse – and the majority of voters would still pass Amendment 64 if given the chance.
