Colorado Governor Does About-Face on Marijuana Legalization

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a vocal opponent of legalizing recreational marijuana, has changed his mind.

The Democratic governor had opposed the decision by Colorado voters in 2012 to legalize adult-use cannabis through Amendment 64. Two years later, in 2014, Hickenlooper suggested that vote was “reckless.”

But now Hickenlooper is backtracking, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Referring to another statement he made in 2014 while running for reelection – when he told the Denver Post that if he could “wave a magic wand” and undo voters’ decision he would – Hickenlooper said recently in Los Angeles: “If I had that magic wand now, I don’t know if I would wave it. It’s beginning to look like it might work.”

Hickenlooper’s marijuana czar, Andrew Freedman, later clarified to the Times that the governor still thinks the “grand experiment” of legalization in Colorado continues to play out, but that “he’s optimistic.”

“In the beginning, we had problems with edibles and hash oil fires but now, for the most part, Colorado looks a lot like it did before legalization,” Freedman said.