Columnist Discusses Legalization Of Marijuana In Colorado

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Wayne Laugesen, from the Colorado Springs Gazette told Talk Radio 1210 WPHT Midday host Dom Giordano that he has not seen any real upside with the legalization of marijuana in Colorado.

"I'm not seeing a lot of upside right now except that I suppose that we don't have law enforcement spending a lot of time and money spinning their wheels trying to get marijuana off the streets, not that they ever did much of that in Colorado mind you, but we're not seeing any of it now."

Listen to the full interview here...

While Laugesen feels that marijuana has not been priority in the Centennial State for quite some time, he was quick to deny allegations by some that it is not an addictive drug.

"That's not what we're hearing from parents and drug counselors and drug users themselves. We've interviewed a number of teenagers who are trying to get over their addiction to marijuana and they say it's very addictive. Addiction can be viewed in many different ways. I'm not sure that there's many people going through the DTs (Delirium Tremens) of the result of marijuana withdrawal, but that doesn't mean that they're having an easy time giving it up and they're not craving it at all times…Well, we certainly have of a lot of people who are addicted in the sense that they can't seem to get away from it and it's holding them back."

He feels that the thriving use among underage people is because of the state's "thriving" medical marijuana industry that he feels is "pretty much a joke."

"You walk into a medical marijuana doctor and that's all that this doctor does is write notes for medical marijuana—tell this doctor that your back is killing you and really no questions are asked and you get a note. So, no permanent resident of Colorado who's a regular marijuana user would use the recreational system, that's for tourists because you get a 22 percent tax break if you buy medicinally."