Disappointing Decision

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]D[/dropcap]espite Colorado’s progressive cannabis policy, Gov. John Hickenlooper recently made headlines when he vetoed three cannabis-related bills in just two days in early June.

Of the three bills Hickenlooper vetoed, House Bill 1011 would have allowed more flexibility for cannabis investment, House Bill 1258 would have allowed cannabis sampling in dispensaries and House Bill 1263 would have would add autism as one of the qualifying medical conditions for cannabis.

Proponents behind the bills were sorely disappointed. Rep. Jonathan Singer, one of the sponsors of HB-1258, the tasting room bill, recently chatted with CULTURE. “After working on this bill for about three years, we were just trying to give average folks an option, not even something that is ideal, but at least an option to be able to use cannabis in a public setting where they have someone who is a trained budtender, just like a trained bartender,” Rep. Singer said. “That way you have someone who is there to stop a novice who overconsumes or someone who is trying for the first time. You’ve got someone there to kind of walk them through what that situation might be like and they don’t get themselves in trouble and have a bad time or put themselves in danger.”

Singer continued to explain that this bill would have not only benefited consumers, but it would have also benefited public safety overall. It would give consumers a legal option for trying cannabis safely, rather than forcing them to act out of compliance with the law.

“When it came to the autism bill, to hear from the parents who are struggling to find treatments for their children that work to me was a no-brainer, and to see how much support it got really did solidify my belief that this is something that really does benefit the public.”

HB-1011 was also vetoed, which would have opened cannabis investing up to publicly-traded cannabis businesses. Gov. Hickenlooper’s decision to veto HB-1263 created shock and disappointment for medical cannabis patients, families and caregivers across the state. Many parents gave testimony that the bill would allow their children suffering from autism to access medicine when nothing else helped.

“When it came to the autism bill, to hear from the parents who are struggling to find treatments for their children that work to me was a no-brainer, and to see how much support it got really did solidify my belief that this is something that really does benefit the public,” Rep. Jovan Melton, who backed both the tasting room bill and the autism bill, told CULTURE. “So it was very disappointing to see the governor’s office kind of shy away from those bills, but that is their prerogative, and we will work on them and bring them back next year.”

Overall, while the bills had a lot of support leading up to their final resting place on the governor’s desk, that wasn’t enough to get them to pass. Many Colorado residents are disappointed.

“We knew going in that both bills were both going to be heavy lifts, but we had bipartisan support from both chambers, so it is very disappointing that we didn’t see more come from the governor’s office on this,” Melton added. “It definitely does help to move the conversation forward and we will bring the bills back next year, but vetoing what to me were really sensible bills really kind of stalls the process unnecessarily.”

While none of these bills were enacted this year, the bills will have an opportunity to be reintroduced in the legislature next year, possibly with better results.