Mass. State Lawmakers Visit Colorado On Marijuana Fact-Finding Trip
BOSTON (CBS) -- Eight state lawmakers are in Colorado this week to learn about that state's two-year-old experience with legalizing marijuana.
State Senator Jason Lewis, who chairs the Senate Special Committee on Marijuana, said that, with the likelihood that voters here in Massachusetts will decide the fate of a ballot question in November to legalize pot, getting first-hand knowledge from the four-day fact-finding visit will be valuable.
"If that were to pass, we want to make sure we're ready to deal with all of the policy ramifications that would come from that, in terms of public health impacts, public safety, creating a whole new industry," said Lewis.
In the event that legalized marijuana came to Massachusetts, Lewis said lawmakers would face questions such as what the minimum legal sale age should be, what sort of products would be allowed, what kind of licensing system to use. He stressed that this was only a fact-finding trip, though.
"It is not the purpose of this committee to determine whether or not Massachusetts should legalize marijuana--but rather, to really prepare ourselves for that possibility," said Lewis.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Don Huff reports