Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper signed new state regulations into law Tuesday for recreational marijuana use, according to Reuters.
The new rules include guidelines on how much of the drug can be in one's system while operating a vehicle. It also calls for a vote on the tax that should be instituted on recreational marijuana sales.
According to Dan Pabon, assistant majority leader for the state's House of Representatives and a Democrat, the new law reflected the "will of the voters." After new legislation was affirmed in November, voters pushed for a regulatory system to go along with the legalization of the drug's recreational use.
In addition, lawmakers are calling for a referendum in November. The vote would decide whether a 10 percent excise tax and a 10 percent sales tax would go on recreational sales.
"The laws ... signed today put the health and safety of our kids front and center," said Pabon. "They drive a stake into the heart of a large black market while creating a regulated, legitimate industry."
The law also calls for a blood limit of five nanograms per milliliter while operating a vehicle.
According to Mark Waller, the House Republican leader, Colorado is strolling into "new and foreign territory," and the safety of the public must be a priority.
"Equipping law enforcement with the tools they need to ensure people make safe decisions behind the wheel is critical to maximizing public safety," he said.
Spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project Mason Tvert-who pushed to get the recreational use legalized-said the he sees the drug being legalized in other places around the country.
Sales of the drug are expected to begin early next year.
Nineteen other states allow the medical marijuana use. The drug is federally classified as an illegal narcotic. According to a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Denver, the Justice Department is still working on what it will do concerning the push to legalize marijuana.
