California Senate Leader Raises Concern on Pot Legalization After Meeting with Colorado Governor

Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times, wrote that, “a chance meeting with the governor of Colorado has left California Senate leader Kevin de León  (D-Los Angeles) with concerns about an initiative that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana in this state, he said Wednesday.”

“I’m not there yet,” De León told reporters when asked his position on Proposition 64. “I don’t know if I am behind the times in comparison to other folks, but I still have my concerns.”

Former mayor of the City of Downey and past president of the Los Angeles County Independent Cities also raised concerns:

Let pot shops sell marijuana candy and soda, like the products in these pictures, near where our kids live. These things look just like the candy that children love, and I’m not sure why the pot industry feels the need to market such kid-friendly stuff, unless it is taking a page from the tobacco industry’s handbook.

Fail to properly protect us from stoned drivers: Proposition 64’s proponents refused to include a DUI standard for marijuana. This has become a real problem in states that have legalized pot like Washington, where the percentage of traffic deaths involving stoned drivers doubled in just one year post-legalization. And it belies the claim that pot smoking only hurts the user.

Puts the pot industry in charge of safety standards: Prop 64 conveniently puts the pot lobby in charge of setting the marijuana product safety and testing standards…which (also conveniently) will be based on voluntary codes. That’s like putting Philip Morris in charge of tobacco regulation.