Governor John Hickenlooper announced his opposition to Amendment 64 yesterday. Amendment 64 will be on the ballot this year and if passed will allow the use and possession of marijuana by anyone over 21. Hickenlooper said in a statement “Colorado is known for many great things – marijuana should not be one of them.”

The full statement is below.

“Colorado is known for many great things – marijuana should not be one of them. Amendment 64 has the potential to increase the number of children using drugs and would detract from efforts to make Colorado the healthiest state in the nation. It sends the wrong message to kids that drugs are OK.

“Federal laws would remain unchanged in classifying marijuana as a Schedule I substance, and federal authorities have been clear they will not turn a blind eye toward states attempting to trump those laws. While we are sympathetic to the unfairness of burdening young people with felony records for often minor marijuana transgressions, we trust that state lawmakers and district attorneys will work to mitigate such inequities.”