you have to be 21 years or older. people from outside of colorado can buy a quarter ounce. can you share an ounce with a friend. are you happy with that criteria? >> governor hickenlooperer opposed this, he's in favor of doing this in a responsible way. washington state is going to open up in a few months. there's going to be an initiative on the ballot in oregon, possibly one in alaska, we'll see about california. the idea is, how do we legally regulate marijuana. >> no question it should not be a criminal issue. >> thank you. >> it should not be a criminal issue. >> we have a consensus. >> absolutely, i agree with you. >> people are getting arrested, having their jobs taken away.
and helped him with his own addiction issues. very polarizing views about this, tell me this i'm a father of three sons 13, 16 and 20 they're all going to be exposed to swak co, drugs of some sort, alcohol and so on. what is the best argument a parent can use of a child of teenaged years that marijuana is more dangerous to them than alcohol or tobacco. >> i don't know that marijuana is more dangerous, it is very dangerous, though and we have now only 8 or 9% of the american public who use marijuana, 52% of the public drinks 22% smokes. and the consequences, the health and social consequences are tremendous. we're going to see. we've already seen increases in colorado. teens in colorado have a marijuana use rate, 50% more
waiting 3, 4, 5 hours, it's a great story, we're thrilled to be covering it. >> we believe an estimated $1 million in marijuana was sold on january 1st alone in colorado. any sense of where we are after one week? >> things are certainly moving forward, as you mentioned some, shops are reporting very low inventory. other shops are certainly raising their per gram amount that they're charging, we're seeing some of the shops double their prices for out of state visitors. >> the latest poll january 3rd to the 5th, says that 55% of americans are in favor of legalizing marijuana, 44% against. in terms of the age breakup, the younger generation, 18 to 34, 67% in favor, 34 to 4944%. and it starts to fall off.
of marijuana to be mass produced. and -- >> there are millions of dollars being raised to create illegal things -- >> why would you create a drug for my children to eat and smoke -- >> no drug is being created. >> let me just say, i know this debate, it always does raise temperatures. there is one other massive issue, which we haven't addressed yet, which is a tweet came in from ben & jerrys saying we are hearing reports of stores selling out of ben & jerry's in colorado, what's up with that. that's a joke you'll only understand if you're down with the kids. i want to turn to another big story the absolutely freezing temperatures. people from coast to coast staying in tonight to stay warm, my cnn colleagues are shivering
marijuana use rate, 50% more than the rest of the country. we're going to see a significant increase in the fallout from legalization in colorado and in washington state. this is not benign. you look at houses all over american, 60 to 70% of the kids that are there whose lives have become so out of control, that they have to be in a residential setting are there because of marijuana use, it's a serious problem. >> let me turn to ethan, i'm not an expert. someone at the sharpened of this, 60, or 70% of people in the houses that he has, in terms of residency for addicts and so on are going to be marijuana related. >> the fact that 10% of all people who drink alcohol become alcoholics.
america. how long do you think before states like california will be right now here, follow the lead of places like colorado? >> well, i think we're going to start seeing some ballot initiatives in 2016, and we're going to have a much clearer idea of what that picture looks like, we're certainly hearing things about massachusetts, oregon, illinois, the tide is certainly moving forward, and, you know, for the pro marijuana movement, this is certainly what they call progress. >> thank you very much this is the tipping point for pot in america. we've been debating this for a long time.
what's really going on here is a transformation of what was an illegal industry. organized criminals in the u.s. and mexico and elsewhere billions and billions of dollars. even if it wasn't a problem for most of them. we're moving to another world where this is going to be legally regulated. there will be problems with misuse and abuse. we need to stop treating this as a criminal issue. there's overwhelming evidence that it has generated vast harms, crime, violence. there's not something of marijuana that makes people turn to a life of crime. much as i respect the work howard and mitch do with treating drug addicts, these are becoming arguments of the past. how do we regulate marijuana as a legal product. >> are you happy with the steps colorado implied. you have to be 21 years or older.
transformation of what was an illegal industry. organized criminals in the u.s. and mexico and elsewhere billions and billions of dollars. even if it wasn't a problem for most of them. we're moving to another world where this is going to be legally regulated. there will be problems with misuse and abuse. we need to stop treating this as a criminal issue. there's overwhelming evidence that it has generated vast harms, crime, violence. there's not something of marijuana that makes people turn to a life of crime. much as i respect the work howard and mitch do with treating drug addicts, these are becoming arguments of the past. how do we regulate marijuana as
i think that it's not about reefer madness, like it was years ago, how you took one hit of pot and you ended up murdering a family, which is kid cue house, you don't die from marijuana, yet it is not safe and it is not harmless. >> i remember doing a whole show about this. there's no evidence that anyone has overdosed on marijuana. with the exception of younger minds, there could be a possible risk of some kind of damage, once you get to your mid-20s and over, no scientific evidence at all of not even damaging you, but being any kind of gateway drug either. and he said, frankly, we're going to be legalizing cigarettes, which is a clear link to cancer or alcohol as we do, what is the difference? >> well, i'll tell you, i'm on the front lines, i deal with addiction daily in the trenches, i deal with marijuana addicts who have memory issues, they
>> absolutely, i agree with you. >> people are getting arrested, having their jobs taken away. >> you don't legalize it and mass produce it. just like the alcohol industry and tobacco. >> would you then outlaw alcohol and tobacco? >> too late. >> too late? >> why would i add a third industry that is a dangerous industry that gets your children and my children even more exposure. >> how are you adding a third industry. >> we are. >> you're transforming from an illegal industry to a legal industry. >> marijuana -- >> howard you're transforming it from an illegal industry. you empower criminals. wait a second, into a legal -- >> the idea of -- >> because -- >> the reality is, colorado will get its hands on tax revenues, the money in colorado is going to school construction. >> as we said right now, there are millions of dollars being