Report: White House Working To Portray Marijuana In Negative Light
DENVER (CBS4) - Colorado state lawmakers are reacting to a White House committee that is allegedly targeting legal marijuana in the country.
BuzzFeed reports it is called the Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee was apparently formed only to give negative information about pot.
According to emails and memos obtained by BuzzFeed, more than 12 federal departments are to come up with information about marijuana that shows consequences involving the use, the growth and health safety.
Rep. Jared Polis, who represents Colorado's 2nd Congressional District and is the Democratic nominee for governor, expressed concerns about the report. He said it's an attempt to interfere with the will of the people of Colorado, where the drug is legal.
"It's unscientific, and frankly it's a slap in the face to states like Colorado who've chosen their own direction to regulate marijuana instead of engage in continued prohibition," Polis said.
Following Colorado and Washington, nine states and the District of Columbia have now okayed recreational marijuana and 30 states in all have legalized medical marijuana.
"Would you approve of the government distributing negative information only about marijuana?" CBS4's Rick Sallinger asked Diane Carlson, founder of Smart Colorado. Smart Colorado is a group that tries to protect youth from harmful effects of the drug.
"Omigosh, if it's fact based, we absolutely need that information," said Carlson.
Federal authorities based in Denver that CBS4 contacted on Thursday said they haven't heard of the Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee.
