On November 6th, Colorado and Washington cast their respective votes in the presidential election, and both states went blue. Their ballots however, went green when both states approved the initiated amendments for the use of recreational marijuana.
However, as Colorado Gov. Hickenlooper put it in his written statement, “don’t break out the Cheetos or Goldfish too quickly,” for there are a couple of things to consider.
It’s going to take time for the laws and regulations to pass. In January, the amendments will be added to each state’s constitution. However, where marijuana is sold, and who gets to sell it, could take up to a year for the states to decide.
Additionally, under the Controlled Substances Act, marijuana is still considered a Schedule 1 drug. This means that on a national level, possession is still considered illegal, and intervention on a federal level could result in jail time. States who have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes haven’t faced a lot of federal persecution, but Colorado and Washington are the first states to approve marijuana for nonmedical purposes.
The bottom line: these states will be testing grounds to how the federal government reacts. Meanwhile, pro-marijuana enthusiasts in other states will be waiting to see how successful Colorado and Washington are. Either way, these states will either set the tone for other states to follow suit, or be made an example to remind U.S. citizens of the power of federal law.