Jon Keyser on Drugs

Feds should let marijuana businesses use normal banking

A: One of the reasons people are so frustrated with government right now is because government holds private businesses and citizens to standards to which the government does not comply. This is a prime example. Right now, the State of Colorado is allowed to use the federal banking system to deposit the tax revenue generated by marijuana businesses, but the very same businesses paying these taxes to the state are denied access to banks. I support opening the banking system to marijuana businesses so they can move out of the shadows and away from an all cash system that invites corruption and puts business owners in unnecessarily dangerous situations.

Focus on awareness and treatment for opioid addiction

A: About 80% of heroin users say they became addicted to opioids when they were first legally prescribed to them by a physician. My focus would be on awareness and treatment, so pain management programs are tailored for patients in a way that will prevent prescription opioid abuse and would not lead to heroin use.