Regents wag finger at amendment 64

Last month the University of Colorado Board of Regents approved a decision opposing Amendment 64, an attempt to legalize marijuana which will be on the ballot on Nov. 6.

This announcement was made the same day Gov. Hickenlooper voiced his opinion on the subject on the official Colorado government web portal. “Colorado is known for many great things—marijuana should not be one of them. It sends the wrong message to kids that drugs are OK,” he said.

Amendment 64 would legalize marijuana in much the same way that alcohol is legal, making it legal for adults to possess, but illegal for anyone under the age of 21.

According to CU Connections, Regent Stephan Ludwig made a motion to the table and abstained from voting, citing time restrictions. “Normally, when we are asked to look at a resolution that may or may not impact the university . . . we’re deliberative, we think it through, we’re presented with the facts,” he said. “In this case we haven’t looked at the pros and cons, the fiscal impact, any positives and negatives, all those things. We’re being asked to vote on our personal opinions rather than more deliberative method we’ve voted in the past.”

The Advocate tried to contact board chairman Regent Michael Carrigan of Denver multiple times for a comment about their decision to oppose, but he did not respond to the Advocate’s requests.

“I do believe that the Regents do have a legitimate concern with regard to parents being less willing to send their children to CU if marijuana is legalized,” said David Brigham, a CU Denver student persuing a master’s degree in political science. “Looking at the larger picture, the war on drugs is a failure as public policy, and has done more irreparable harm to our nation and other states across the world that are involved in the war on drugs.”

According to Brittany Anas of The Daily Camera, “The Amendment 64 campaign has argued that marijuana is a safer substance than alcohol and on Tuesday [Sept. 12] slammed CU for being hypocritical.”

At the CU campuses—Denver, Boulder, and Colorado Springs—alcohol-related deaths and crimes occur as they do in other places the across the nation. The University of Colorado Board of Regents is, according to its website, “charged constitutionally with the general supervision of the university, unless otherwise provided by law.” The Regents are in charge of setting a standard rulebook for all campuses to abide by.

Last year, 21-year-old Michael Alexander Hoffman, a student at the University of Colorado Boulder, died after a night spent drinking with friends. Also, in 2004 CU Boulder student Gordie Bailey died after an alcohol -induced fraternity initiation hazing gone awry.

“I’m in favor of Amendment 64 because I think it can bring in a lot of tax revenue to the state, and that’s very important. It will also reduce criminal alleys for marijuana drug distribution, and if we could regulate it, it would make it safer for everybody,” said Alex, who didnt’ want his last name included, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering at Metro. “The positive effects far outweigh the negative effects, especially when used responsibly, and if the government allows safe education and access to it.”