If anybody should know that smoking marijuana in public is against the law in Colorado, it’s an attorney versed in pot laws who is one of the state’s most vocal marijuana rights activists.
But somehow, as The Denver Post’s John Ingold reported, Robert Corry allegedly took leave of his senses and, according to police, lit a joint at Coors Field during a Colorado Rockies game last week. This was clearly a public place and one where lots of families with small children go.
No one, least of all Corry, should be confused about that.
But so it is with a certain small minority of marijuana rights activists, who damage their own cause by constantly pushing for more freedoms before the ones they have just obtained take effect.
Under Amendment 64, retail sales of recreational pot will become legal in January. The federal government and the rest of the country are watching; it’s critical Colorado vigorously regulate marijuana and enforce the law.
We have opined in this space previously that police should ticket people openly consuming marijuana in public the same way they ticket those who illegally consume alcohol in public.
And perhaps the ticketing of Corry, a well-known figure in the marijuana movement, will send a needed message to rogue pot consumers that this behavior is unacceptable.
Don’t get us wrong. We believe the vast majority of marijuana users will follow the law and won’t smoke publicly, but it’s clear there are misperceptions out there.
A Utah woman cited along with Corry for allegedly sharing his joint reportedly told police, “I took a puff and passed it. After all, I was in Colorado.”
With Denver already full of medical marijuana dispensaries, the bulk of retail pot shops will also be concentrated here. Many folks may mistakenly believe they’ve come to Amsterdam.
But even in Amsterdam, public consumption of pot is illegal.
