‘We Are Seeing the Ill Effects’ of Pot Legalization, Says Colorado Police Officer

Four years on, legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado has brought its own set of problems

A billboard in central Denver in April 2017 placed by Smart Colorado, an advocacy group that raises awareness on the risks that marijuana poses to youth. The Canadian Press/Joe Mahoney

As legalization of recreational marijuana forges ahead in Canada, a U.S. law enforcement officer says making the drug legal is not such a good idea if Colorado is anything to go by.

Marijuana was legalized in Colorado in January 2014, and the consequences across the state have been negative with “no upside,” says Ernie Martinez, a command officer with the Denver Metro Police Department for 35 years and director-at-large for the National Narcotics Officers Associations Coalition.