1. a) What recommendation did the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment make to marijuana regulators?
b) For what reason did the department make this recommendation?

2. Who will make the actual decision about the proposed ban?

3. For what reason have state lawmakers already ordered state pot regulators to require edible marijuana to have a distinct look when it is out of the packaging?

4. a) What reasons does the marijuana industry give for opposing a ban on most pot edibles?
b) What is most likely their real reason for opposing a ban on sales of most edibles?

5. The headline of the article is “Colorado officials want ban on most marijuana edibles”
a) What other individuals/groups might want a ban?
b) How do you think people who don’t smoke or use marijuana food/candy view the unforeseen problem?

6. Of the law of unintended consequences, Wikipedia states: the law of unintended consequences has come to be used as an adage or idiomatic warning that an intervention in a complex system tends to create unanticipated and often undesirable outcomes.

The Library of Economics states: The law of unintended consequences, often cited but rarely defined, is that actions of people - and especially of government - always have effects that are unanticipated or unintended. Economists and other social scientists have heeded its power for centuries; for just as long, politicians and popular opinion have largely ignored it.

Do you think the politicians/citizens who supported legalizing recreational marijuana should have foreseen these unintended consequences and worded the law differently to address the issue before it became the problem it is today? Explain your answer.

7. Edible marijuana industry reaction to the proposed bans (from the Boulder Daily Camera):

Holden Sproul, the sales manager at The Growing Kitchen — a marijuana-infused product manufacturer in Boulder County — said a ban [on marijuana edibles] would greatly affect businesses and hurt recreational marijuana users. "Obviously it would take a toll on our current structure," Sproul said. "But it would mostly be a terrible thing for the customers."

Sproul said he understands the efforts to protect children, but said he thinks parents will simply have to make sure they keep their edibles out of the reach. "It's a valid concern, but it's like just about anything in society with children: It is the responsibility of the adults around them," Sproul said.

Bryan LeFever, the store manager of Boulder's Terrapin Care Station, said dispensaries also would be impacted by the ban. LeFever estimated about 30-40% of sales are edibles. "It would be a pretty big bummer for a lot of customers coming in," LeFever said. "A lot of our customers that come in don't want to inhale the smoke. It would really affect business, because now they would not have an option."

LeFever said edibles are especially popular with newer customers. "A lot of people who haven't touched (marijuana) because it was illegal come in, but they don't want to smoke," LeFever said. "Those people usually come in and go right to the edibles. They just rather would have something they can just eat."

Shawn Coleman, a Boulder-based consultant to the marijuana industry, said a ban on edibles would be "absolute madness." Coleman said banning edibles and forcing marijuana users to either smoke it or use highly concentrated liquids would enforce the perception of marijuana users as people chasing a high.

"They're taking away from adults the opportunity to have an experience that is not a drug experience, but really a culinary experience," Coleman said. "They're saying, 'No, don't do that. We want you to take cannabis like you're a crackhead.'

What do you think of this reasoning?

8. CNN Money reports:

If instituted, the ban would take most edible marijuana products off the shelves, which could be a significant blow to the state's nascent recreational marijuana industry. However, it's not clear if the ban would be adopted by the state. The health department's recommendation is one of several that will be debated by state officials and marijuana industry representatives who are on the task force. It's also unclear if Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper would support an outright ban.

Do you think Colorado lawmakers and the Governor should support the ban of many edible forms of marijuana? Explain your answer.