Steve Pomerance

The University of Colorado, in what has been argued to be a possible violation of the First Amendment, successfully closed off its Boulder campus on 4/20 to prevent what have been for the most part peaceful assemblies. The explanations varied from concerns about CU’s reputation to worries about disruption to the academic process. Per the insignias on the car doors, apparently police from as far away as Jefferson and Adams counties helped keep the pot-smokers at bay. Now the CU regents and administration will have to do the same every year, or risk looking foolish, at least until pot is legalized. (Whether cops from across the Metro area will continue to be willing to participate is another matter.) The War on Drugs is widely acknowledged to be a failure, and our prisons are filled with users and pushers, supporting the emerging business of private for-profit incarceration. We should have learned from Prohibition and cigarettes; for the most part, it’s better to regulate, discourage...

On Monday I attended a very interesting meeting that was part of Governor Hickenlooper’s project called TBD (To Be Determined) Colorado. This is a citizen-based effort funded by donations from individuals, foundations and corporations. Its purpose, in short, is to make policy, revenue and expenditure recommendations to the Legislature and the governor to improve Colorado’s quality of life. Apparently 40 similar meetings are to be held statewide, with a second round of meetings in May as well as various follow-up events. Given the attendance at our local meeting, some thousands of people will ultimately be involved. The meeting consisted of video presentations on a number of topics, including education, health, transportation, and the state budget. Each presentation was followed by a discussion in small groups with reporting out of some of each group’s conclusions. There was also a preliminary discussion about why we all value living in Colorado. The clear winner was, no surprise, t...