Massachusetts Legislators Travel to Colorado to Learn about Marijuana Legalization

Legislators from the Massachusetts State Senate recently contacted the Milbank Memorial Fund with a request. They wanted to learn about Colorado’s experience legalizing marijuana since there will likely be a voter referendum on the issue in their state.

As with many states that want to learn from the experience of others, the Fund set up a four-day meeting in Colorado for eight members of the Massachusetts legislature. Officials from across Colorado government, including legislators, the governor’s office and banking, public health and agriculture, were both gracious and collegial with their time and experience.

Christopher F. Koller, President of the Milbank Memorial Fund, notes that the Fund’s goal in supporting the trip was to strengthen “the ability of state leaders to make good health policy. We are pleased we can help Massachusetts leaders and its citizens benefit from Colorado’s experience.”

In a Boston Globe article about the trip, Jeffrey M. Berry, a Tufts University political science professor, said that the trip was a good idea. According to the article, “Just as businesses seek best practices from other companies, [Berry] argues, so too should lawmakers look to other states for ways to make the best health policy.”

Read the report that resulted from this trip.