marijuana's moment." "as the nation's governors meet to legalize marijuana, the push to legalize marijuana has flourished d floundered over five decades, but a shifting sentiment appears to be bringing it to fruition." the essence of the story makes a couple of points. "america has been on the edge of legalization several times, but never has except in spent as close as the drug is now across the nation." so, should your state legalize marijuana? that is the question. theave this -- divided phone lines into yes, no, or undecided. send us an e-mail, or join us online at facebook. first a look at the other programs on the sunday morning -- the sunday morning programs, i should say, which will be re-aired later today on c-span radio. nancy callow? weeke topics include the ahead in congress, politics, and the situation in the ukraine. you can hear rebroadcast of those programs beginning at noon eastern times, beginning with "meet the press," on c-span radio. mark wells, a member of the miracle on ice u.s. hockey team will be a guest. at one p.m., "abc's "this week." or murmuring corps veteran, team would, fou

you're opposed to marijuana legallization. okay. you're a young, popular democrat.ackler on this one. i'm with you, an i tell you why in a secretary. i agree with you and i also disagree with you for two different reasons. but first, make your case to america right now, why should we not legalize pot. because it's happened in colorado is doing it, washington state is doing it, 20 states have legal medical marijuana. >> well, i am a good liberal democrat. and i don't like big business. and so this is the big business of addiction. because marijuana is now moved from the hemp shirts to the briefcases. they're trying to sell this new big business just like big tobacco and big liquor on the notion that they can make a profit off of people like me who are addicts because that's where their money is. their money is in people like me who like to use more than is really acceptable. >> stephen: okay, that is the one-- that is the one, that is the one part of this that i do like. because as an investor, i just found out there is this whole enormous market called pot that has

and they told me they cannot understand why states are moving to medical marijuana and legal marijuanathey cannot understand it becausethy understand from a very acute level, the message that legalization sends them. these are -- this is not from a bureaucrat in washington. these are from parents who struggle on a daily basis and have been devastated by addiction in their kids. they understand that -- they understand in a very dramatic and real way, that legalizing marijuana since the absolute wrong message to our youth. >> the gentleman will recognize the gentleman from tennessee. >> with all due respect, you should be listening to scientists. i understand the parents who are grieving because their child died of an overdose. they didn't overdose on marijuana. if you're listening to them rather than scientists. mr. botticelli, it may go back to a few good men, the movie, jack nickel son, you can't handle the truth. the drug war failed. your direction on marijuana is a failure. my young 22-year-old friend died of a heroin overdose. he smoked marijuana, probably the first thing he did, b

and they told me they cannot understand why states are moving to medical marijuana and legal marijuana. they cannot understand it becausethy understand from a very acute level, the message that legalization sends them. these are -- this is not from a bureaucrat in washington. these are from parents who struggle on a daily basis and have been devastated by addiction in their kids. they understand that -- they understand in a very dramatic and real way, that legalizing marijuana since the absolute wrong message to our youth. >> the gentleman will recognize the gentleman from tennessee. >> with all due respect, you should be listening to scientists. i understand the parents who are grieving because their child died of an overdose. they didn't overdose on marijuana. if you're listening to them rather than scientists. mr. botticelli, it may go back to a few good men, the movie, jack nickel son, you can't handle the truth. the drug war failed. your direction on marijuana is a failure. my young 22-year-old friend died of a heroin overdose. he smoked marijuana, probably the first thing he did,

marijuana for medical use. in 2012, colorado washington chose to legalize and regulate marijuana for recreational use. i believe the purpose of today's hearing is worthwhile. he reviewed the possession of federal agencies with respect to states that are legalizing marijuana both for medicinal .urposes and recreational use office of national drug control policy serves as a critical role in balancing our nation's drug control efforts by coordinating government wide public health and safety initiatives that address drug use and the consequences in our communities. in addition, the department of justice is encouraged with enforcing the federal controlled and a guidance for prosecutors. i am thankful that they are here today. i believe this hearing would have been more informative with sayjustice department to what offices work together to try to find a mutually acceptable date. your decision to move forward today seems to be one alone and it is not your prerogative. i hope we can continue to work together in a bipartisan way as we have in the past to get the viewpoint of the other agencies involved. person

. >>> there is a push tonight legalize marijuana -- push to legalize marijuana on the november ballot. they need 400,000 signature it is it will undoubtedly be a huge amount of tee seer to see a change in these laws. >> we are very concerned one or two might make it on the ballot and we are preparing for the sight of a lifetime. >> currently new york and washington are the only places where marijuana is legal. the. >>> and community catastropheingit with other drivers, they soon can make it possible. . >>> 454 lucas hoped to building is on the site currently occupied by a sports basement store but they have rejected his proposal and competing proposals. >> he mentioned he might move to chicago and i would be terribly disappointed if he decided to do that. >> the presidio yes trust said tell not do that but he will start with others. >>> the agency is recommends that google move the barge to a permitted construction site, however the company that leases the space at $79,000 a month said they will try to apply for the correct permits. >>> and they are trying to stake out new turf in the

legalization advocates permission to collect signatures they need to put the marijuana legalization initiative on the ballot. it would legalize adult recreational use and protect existing medical marijuana dispensaries. voters rejected the idea in 2010 but advocates say unlike prop 19 this initiative has widespread industry support. and as voters watch a booming industry in california generate millions of dollars in tax revenue, views are starting to change. >> national poll we are now polling at 51%. we have states even in the southern states getting ready like florida and tennessee. >> california's legislative analyst office said legalization will save the state $100 million annually in law enforcement costs and would generate a few hundred million dollars in tax revenue but there's still the question of federal law. the drug enforcement agency said marijuana is illegal. supporters now have until june to collect the more than 500,000 signatures they need to qualify this for the november ballot. >>> covered california, the state agency responsible for handling obamacare hired convic

say thousands of marijuana activists weighed in on this proposal, so there's widespread support in the industry. they believe this year voters are on their side. >> they will legalize for the recreational user and protect the medical cannabis providers. >> reporter: voters may get another chance to decide if marijuana will be legal. the secretary of state gave legalization advocates permission today to collect signatures to put the marijuana legal initiative on the ballot, an idea voters rejected in 2010. >> grassroots, we all wrote this together. >> reporter: she says unlike prop 19, this initiative has widespread support in the industry. and as voters watch a booming industry in colorado generate millions in tax revenue, views are changing. >> we are now calling it 51%. we have states, even in the southern states, getting ready, like florida and tennessee. >> reporter: california says legalization will save $100 million annually in law enforcement costs and generate a few hundred million in tax revenue. but there's still the question of federal law. the drug enforcement agency says marijuana is illegal. >> going down the path to legalization in this country is re

marijuana sales. even with that much money on the table. a panel of governors say their states with will not follow suit. it should not have anything to do with legalizing >> reporter: and the democratic governor of connecticut said it will not entice the state down the road. but it has decriminalized smaller amounts of pot. and missouri's governor said some in the state are considering legalizing it for medical purposes: >> this is a bridge too far. >> reporter: the governor of texas, who may put his hat in the ring for the presidential nomination, said his state has been focused on adjusting the penalties for the drug crimes. >> the glad a kid has a marijuana cigarette where you send thome prison to learn to be a criminal 1 not good policy. >> reporter: colorado said the money made from pot sales will go to prevent them from using the drug and towards substance abuse treatment. >> voter -- voters will have to wait two years before voting on whether it will be legalised. and why the measure is being put on the back burner. >> reporter: a coalition of pro marijuana legalization groups has been working to put a measure in front of voters this year. but t

united to legalize marijuana and we will tell you why one of them calls legalization a slap in the face. >>> it has never happened before, u.s. fining an airline for failure to act after a crash. >>> and -dad, why are you getting that? -that's my cereal. is there a prize in there? oh, there's a prize, all right. is it a robot? no. is it a jet plane? nope. is it a dinosaur? [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] inside every box of heart healthy cheerios are those great tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that can help lower cholesterol. stickers? uh-uh. a superhero? ♪ kinda. [ male announcer ] and we think that's the best prize of all. ♪ personal information compromised, but is it working? we will tell you what we found. >>> new nats' manager is keeping an eye on bryce harper's knee, but the young slugger says it feels better than ever has. >>> quite a rough landing for two parachuters training at the virginia naval station. the wind took them into an a auxiliary landing field, and neither man was injured, but it took firefighters over an hour to cut them down. >> tonight the un

driving while impaired by marijuana or any drug has always been illegal. >> now, colorado has some legalesh holds for marijuana, one of the issues that arises when you read about all of this is that people have different tolerances and that marijuana stays in people's systems. so a heavy user can actually still have pretty high levels of the active ingredient marijuana in their system days after the last time they smoked. >> well, colorado, what people are tested on is blood. and the blood will show the active ingredient. the ingredient, impairing ingredient which is delta nine tetra knapp knowledge. >> how about the issue that it stays in people's systems longer longer. you drink and it's out of your system but the active ingredient can stay in a day or two. >> it shows the body discharging it. but if a person takes blood that will show what the active ingredient is. >> have a seen any change on the roads since marijuana became legal? >> we haven't but we are only 50 days in to this. >> right. >> so it will take a while to analyze a data. maybe in a year and five years from that. >> a l

. >> with marijuana legalization on the rise concerns about the safety and prevalence of driving after smoking pot are growing. the issue of driving under the issue of marijuana is complicated from how to measure impairment to knowing how much driving impairment is impaired when high. >> we are joined by glenn davis, the highway safety manager of the department of transportation. according to "american journal of epidemiology" the number of car crash system with pot in their systems increased three fold from 1999 to 2010. do you believe marijuana is to blame? >> i believe that that shows that marijuana certainly is a substance that is used did is a contributors to the cashes. according to a study by the pacific institute of research and evaluation. a 20-year-old drunk driver is more likely to be in a fatal crash - it's 20 times more likely than someone not drinking, at 44, nine times more likely. driving while high doesn't seem to have nearly as much of an effect. is driving after using marijuana less dangerous than drunk driving? >> i don't think so. marijuana is an impairing substanc

a lot of people go to amsterdam and use marijuana or eat the little cookies but that's not actually a legalerlands sort of turning their shoulder and saying it's okay. this is the worst place in the world where recreational sale of marijuana is actually legal. >> host: what did you learn? [laughing] >> guest: how much time do you have? the size of the business is so much larger than i think anybody even anticipated. the state of colorado came out last week and said they think in the fiscal year to come they think the marijuana business in colorado alone is going to be worth $1 billion. this is a phenomena that is taking that state a ice storm and if we pick up the front page of "the new york times" this morning it's moving state-by-state by state and well-liked to be on the ballots this year in alaska and probably coming soon to rhode island. lots and lots of states are talking about it not only from the standpoint of legalization from the standpoint of the libertarian freedom issue but also in terms of revenue that states think they can collect as a result of taxing legal marijuana. >> hos

and i think in certain cases marijuana in and specifically for people with severe medical illnesses should be utilized but i think the general legalization of marijuana sends the wrong message to society. especially young people where it could be very damaging and i think overall it's a bad thing. >> what do you say ms. reign when the marijuana, the casual user says look, i'm a successful person and business. i'm a good family man but i want to get high on the weekend and you shouldn't stop me and it should be legal because they are doing the same thing with alcohol. and you say? >> oh, i think it's completely different. i think the pot today is hundreds of times more potent than it was back in the 1970s. if you deal with enough addicts that are addicted to pot you you get to see the travesty and what it causes. >> you see people addicted to marijuana that's another thing that's put out there you can't get it? >> it's a horrible drug and it stays in the body for such a long period of time that it is very very common that they relaps. it's not at all the innocent drug that it is portrayed. >> doctor, final question for you, i know people

other states like washington which also made marijuana legal also predicts it will bring nearly $190 million over four years. voters in california will likely have to wait two more years before getting a chance to decide if marijuana for recreational use. should be legalized in the golden state. kron 4's charles clifford has details on why the ballot measure has now been delayed. standup for the past few months a coalition of pro marijuana legalization groups has been working to put a ballot legalization groups has been workinwhatoes at firstt spooul tte le? ok. hoy bunches oats. ching! mmmm! mmmm! mm! it's thoats. honey. yeah. hoy bunches oats. for outreach to elected officials, public health leaders and law enforcement, enough money for a robust statewide campaign. this is a serious and complex issue; it's more important to get it right than to get it fast." organzers also believe that they'll have greater support if they wait until the next presidential election. ben tulchin is president of tulchin research. they conducted a statewide poll that found broad support for legalizing ma

we couldn't simply rely on people who use marijuana to legalize marijuana for adult use in colorado.mplications of marijuana prohibition, the criminal justice implications, the harm that it takes on our communities, and of course the obvious fact, that marijuana is objectively safer than alcohol. >> and i think we've got some full screens to look at. 8 million pot arrests in the united states between 2001 and 2010, 8% for possession. $3.6 million spent on enforcement in 2010. this issue of the racial disparity is one we've been talking about quite a bit in the context of sentencing roles and new guidelines, even with regard to sentencing of young people. so was that the strongest message that people responded to? >> it was tremendously important to talk about that. marijuana prohibition takes an enormous toll on every community, but even more so on communities of color. it's oftentimes referred to -- in fact, our broader drug war is oftentimes referred to as the new jim crow because of the disproportionate impact on communities of color. >> hillary, one of the main selling points was

struggling from addiction, before it's too late. >> it's been a month since colorado legalized recreational marijuana. business is soring, but pot is illegal under federal law. it's causing a lot of budding legal problems. >> after a month of legal marijuana sales, the results of colorado's green rush are in - long lines, short supplies and an unhealthy dose of chaos. >> i'm looking for an upper. irkth stimulating? >> yes. for the two dozen dispense ris business is growing faster than the stocks in their greenhouses. >> we have a line out the door, a constant flow of customers and revenue. previously we'd have 15 to 20 patients, now we are see 100 to 150 a day. >> some sellers ran out of stock. with 100 dispense ris to open next month, the problem is not supply, it's a legal system that has not caught up with a drug that is illegal under u.s. federal store. >> this shop changed bank accounts several times. banks are afraid of running afoul of federal law. as soon as they discover who they are dealing with, they shut the accounts, but take credit. >> we are on the 7th or eighth act. it's terrible and

. >>> the effort to legalize marijuana in california is heating up. secretary of state gave legalization advocates permission yesterday to collect signatures needed to put the marijuana legalization initiative on the ballot. it would legalize adult recreational use and protect existing medicinal marijuana areas. advocates say this initiative has widespread industry support. >>> now for a look at the weather this morning, it is quite chilly outside if you've been outside already this morning. it's down to 30 degrees in santa rosa, 34 if livermore, there you see san jose at 38. 44 degrees right now in san francisco. today will be the dry half of your weekend forecast. notice there 5:30, things still looking pretty dry. but watch that area of low pressure offshore it does kind of an interesting slider move down the coast, through this time tomorrow morning more clouds and a chance of some rain coming in for sunday. you can see how the system more or less just heads down the central coast. the coastal areas will see the best chance of seeing rain out of th

you were an outspoken critic of the legalization of marijuana. >> right. >> reporter: and now you're of making sure it's done right. how do you reconcile that? >> the people have spoken. and have legalized marijuana in colorado. my personal views aside, i need to carry forth the regulatory framework and the mechanisms of this industry in a professional and responsible manner. >> reporter: this doctor has spent 20 years studying brain addiction in marijuana in teens. >> it disrupts the development of circuits. and studies show that regular use as an adolescent is associated with a 6-8% reduction in iq. >> reporter: high school senior started smoking in the eighth grade. >> before school, during school, after school, at night, late at night and woke up in the morning and started all over again. >> his whole life became unmanageable and he couldn't stop. that's an atexas. >> reporter: his parents enrolled him here. >> my recovery. my life. >> reporter: a rehab center for teen boys. >> no one wants to become an addict, it sneaks up on you. >> reporter: over a lifetime, 9% of marijuana smo

another initiative would do nothing more than make marijuana legal with very few restrictions. get on the ballot, much less win. marijuana, is already big business in california. that would only grow with legalization. in the pipeline, four initiatives approved by california secretary of state to gather signatures. each needs more than 500,000 to qualify for the november ballot. each fighting for signatures and money. >> i think that the all the various different initiative efforts should try and come together on a unified strategy. >> reporter: steve d'angelo says the various sides are momentum, but the critical question is if they can raise enough cash to win. >> as long as we have 60% of poll numbers going into the initiative, and a budget of something like $20 million, we can win initiatives in california. >> reporter: some of the initiatives are already struggling. of all of these initiatives, this one faces the first deadline. february24, to gather half a million signatures. i talked to its author tonight. he says it would take a miracle to get there, but they plan to ref

in europe and portugal has legalized marijuana, what's happened over there? lly legalized it. this was for the use, the personal use of low level amounts of any drug. not just marijuana. rather than be referred to a criminal system, you're being referred to this panel of sort of three social workers that determine if you need treatment or a fine or whatnot. and the issue is, drug use has increased since that happened in 2001. they have not seen the reductions in crime that they were hoping for. frankly there has been a message sent that low levels of drug use is okay. on all drugs, by the way. >> portugal's use of drugs has risen in the face of this decriminalization. >> no doubt about it. >> in holland, if anybody has travelled to amsterdam, they know what that is. it's a free zone for drugs and marijuana in particular. it's happened there. >> marijuana use is tripled among adults after that. lately they've been scaling back their policy. it's a public nuisance to have these coffee shops that attract the kinds of tourists they don't want. so they're closing d

another initiative would do nothing more than make marijuana legal with very few restrictions. ars just to get on the ballot, much less win. marijuana, is already big business in california. that would only grow with legalization. in the pipeline, four initiatives approved by california secretary of state to gather signatures. each needs more than 500,000 to qualify for the november ballot. each fighting for signatures and money. >> i think that the all the various different initiative efforts should try and come together on a unified strategy. >> reporter: steve d'angelo says the various sides are momentum, but the critical question is if they can raise enough cash to win. >> as long as we have 60% of poll numbers going into the initiative, and a budget of something like $20 million, we can win initiatives in california. >> reporter: some of the initiatives are already struggling. of all of these initiatives, this one faces the first deadline. february24, to gather half a million signatures. i talked to its author tonight. he says it would take a miracle to get there, but they

legal pot dealer. evolving federal policy over marijuana coming up. ♪ >> 20 states have laws legalizing marijuana in fort is still illegal and federal law. it makes it difficult for state licensed marijuana businesses to get and keep the bank accounts. in late january, eric holder said he would issue guidelines for banks working with state sanctioned marijuana businesses. in the meantime, some of the shops are being forced to operate like illegitimate businesses. at the end of the day, this small business cleans up in more ways than one. he is the owner of a state licensed marijuana dispensary. he shuts the blind and locks the doors. before he counts the days take. ofthis night, e has a lot money to count. he has been dealing only in cash . >> this makes me nervous. hisf the banks that ran transactions figure out what he was selling. >> wheelock american express and then one day we did not have the ability to process credit cards. we got an e-mail saying you are being cut off. >> in the eyes of the federal government, it seems he is selling an illegal substance. >> how do deal with an all cash business?

. >>> people who sell marijuana legally have a big problem. banks will not handle their money. now the government is stepping in with new rules that could help that problem. also russian president vladimir putin hangs out with american athletes with selfies and the online reactions next. >> colorado's legal marijuana business is bringing in millions of dollars. so far banks have not been willing to take all that money. not take that cash. the treasury department is trying to bridge the gap and the guidelines issued today may not be enough for banks. paul beban is live with details. what are the new guidelines? >> reporter: well good evening, richelle, it is confusing. what we have is another sort of two steps forward one step back situation for the legalized marijuana. i'm in the wellness center in downtown denver. some of them don't want to be on camera for security reasons, reasons about their jobs, so we'll stay over here. but the issue is that these new guidelines coming out from the department of treasure one of the enforcement arms got a very enthusiastic reception from m

morning.ood do not legalize marijuana. it destroys the youth. it turned out to be a gateway drug for me. i am in recovery right now. it turned out that once i stopped, my bipolar -- it had exacerbated my bipolar.

and they're offering it to same-sex couples and the support roughly mirrored the trend for marijuana legalizationor same-sex couples. in july 2013 the number jumped to 54%. still support for marijuana legalization is outstripping support for same-sex marriage and support is not only growing but broadening across the political spectrum. governor rick perry said last month he supports decriminalizing marijuana. new york governor andrew cuomo a moderate democrat who had opposed medical marijuana has use his power the allow 20 hospitals to dispense marijuana. twhoes have been tough on marijuana in the past is edging toward more relaxed policy and his attorney general said he will allow colorado and washington businesses to sell recreational pot at least for now. there are efforts often bipartisan. here to help us sort out how it happened and how it became a potential winner is kayton dawson, john nichols and glenn martin. i want to go to you first. this has become not just a der crammic but a fair issue. there are a fair number of politicians getting on board. >> there's two issues. there's not the t

>> nbc harry smith joins us with more on the legal state of marijuana in colorado. most recent polls show a lot of americans favor legalizing pot. based on the folks you spoke with for your special, how would that work on a big scale? >> reporter: the governor of colorado says what's going on in colorado is a social experiment unlike anything that's ever happened before. he was just in washington the other day and urged the other governors thinking about this to take their time and watch what happened in colorado. there no blueprint for all of this. while they're seeing tax revenue coming in. what is hard to measure is what the down side is. we don't really know what the down sides are of this yet. it's a big social experiment. >> you have goers, tour companies, folks creating edible marijuana. what surprised you the most reporting this special? >> reporter: everything. we spent an entire week there and everyday my head was spinning. i couldn't believe the scope of it. one of the things colorado's already estimated in the fiscal year to come in colorado alone to be w

marijuana legalization happened in colorado and wshington. virginia quality sweeping the nation.e been talking about and take that as an example. and so is congress and then comes 80% of americans saying no way. >> like ted cruz and rand paul and marco rubio. they are smaller libertarians and i think the more this collapse is, it will be easier for people like that. >> and they should always be opponents of power and they should never be the palate. [applause] >> why should i pay for health insurance if i don't want it and what else can we be forced to pay for? >> i think that the reality is that why should you have to pay for it in my health insurance premiums tripled. >> sheeted sick, why should everyone ask pay for her sickness? >> absolutely. everybody came to the system and you're all going to be this financl not as. and then paying the penalty and pay the actual insurance premium. and the one thing that drives up the price of health insurance is when groups -- every plan has to have in vitro fertilization. at some point the people said everyone has to pay more. the. john: t

while medicinal marijuana is legal in california, it's illegal to sell. that's about to change as the federals weed through the issues. >> these guidelines are said to help this man's business. >> he is the founder of the all american san jose club. he has been in business five years and he said simple things like opening a bank account for his business is almost impossible. >> if a bank finds out you are connected to a marijuana business, they are likely to close your account. >> if you have a large amount of cash on you, you are definitely a target. >> the new federal guidelines include avoiding dealing to minors. >> the american banking association isn't so sure about the move. they say -- >> it is said federal guidelines make perfect sense. >> i think their responsibility to make sure the whole system works and they are just providing guidelines. >> there is a petition starting to circulate to legalize marijuana in california. >> a rare sight in fresno this evening. he rolled up sleeves when he got to this farm and toured it with other key politicians

marijuana stores and strip clubs. it failed to pass. and that's interesting. because throughout the debate on legalizationjuana, people are saying regulate it like alcohol. colorado law prohibits the use of ebt cards at bars, liquor stores and gambling places but marijuana is really a loophole. that is something that needs to be legally reconciled. >> how could it fail? colorado i can't imagine that politicians think food stamps should be used to buy weed. how does that fail when it comes up for a vote? >> i heard it failed completely along party lines. and i think that's really interesting. another problem that that creates is when i was talking to the basically the administrators of the program, they were saying that even if they know that abuse is going on, they don't have the legal authority to act on it. so i think as other states look at colorado's marijuana legalization experiment, this something that stands out as a place for regulatory improvement. >> i guess it falls under the headline never dull. jillian, thank you. >> thank you. >> coming up, another new spat, senator lindsey graham taking on

they are swimming in marijuana millions. >> legal marijuana retailers turned in a report yesterday and in tons of dough. they estimate they will make $184 million in tax revenue over 18 months. >> it's a lot more than they thought they would be making. >> it is. >> joining us is alison kosik and dan ripple. alison, we are talking about a lot of money, money that this government is really going to use. >> exactly. so you mentioned that $184 million figure, michaela. that's the teax revenue frtax r through june of 2015 and that number is coming from the total sales of revenue, coming from more than $600 million during the same period of time. i mean, sit and think about that amount. it's really stunning when you think about it. and also, part of the reason you're seeing these revenues so high is because it's being taxed so big in colorado. 25% -- there's a 25% tax on marijuana. it's taxed three times during the profit, when marijuana is pr produced, sold, and bought. >> that's incredible. the three times, at each point, that's a whole lot of money. that's what boggled both of our minds.

not doing business with the bank, there is other pretty big legal issues that remain for the legalized marijuana businesses. >> yes. exactly. as you said it's still illegal under federal law. this is a halfway point for these businesses to comply with the state laws and the federal laws to get some kind of legal reassurance and at the same time the rules of them being announced by the treasury department. the banks have to report transactions with marijuana businesses. they just are required to do it in a particular way. the justice department is not making any legal guarantees as long as the businesses stay away from eight priority areas which is keeping the drugs away from kids and keeping it from being tracked across state lines where it's not legal. those are the area that is the feds say they will concentrate on. there is the possibility they will get in trouble. >> evan perez, we will stay on top of that story. the other story is the travel along the eastern seaboard right now. it is crippled. up to its knees by the ice storm that encased cities from atlanta to maine. airports are scrambli

marijuana sellers. intending to increase availability of financial services for legal marijuana businesses. her step towards enabling legalized marijuana industry to cooperate in the u.s. this after washington and colorado became the first two states to approve recreational use of marijuana. >> the state attorney general says he's proud of a ruling and in a ruling u.s. district judge said same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. she also put the ruling on hold and aif awill youed to take affect virginia could fk the first state to allow same-sex marriage couples to marry. coming up snow can make people do crazy things. we're going to show you one of them, next. >> i'm still taking your questions and i'll answer your questions here live in just a little bit. >> i'm spencer christian. our camera shows clouds in various levels, rain 24 hours behind. i'll have the accu-weather forecast coming up. >> taking a look at friday afternoon commute this, is 680 in walnut creek. back >>> take a look at what might be one of the most unlikely valentine's day pairings of all. she insists on fo

first states in the nation to make recreational marijuana legal, let alone first place in the world to this is something we will do in a legal way. will eat cookies and what have you. nation of the netherlands turn the shoulder to say it is ok. the worldplace in where recreational sale of marijuana is legal. guest: what did yohost: what di? www.c-span.org [laughter] that the size of the business is so much larger than anyone anticipated. the state of colorado aim out last week that they think in the fiscal year to come amid they think the marijuana business in colorado alone will be worth $1 billion. that isa phenomenon taking the stage by storm. page ofick up the front the new york times this morning, moving state by state by state. likely be on the ballots this year in alaska. probably coming soon to rhode island. lots of states are talking about it, not only from legalization from a freedom issue, but in that they think they can collect as a result of legal marijuana. what do you think states that are looking at this can learn from colorado and the peace you put together atco time:

. >>> in the fight to legalize marijuana, there is a fight today. it starts in maryland where the top law enforcement agents from across the state are trying to snuff out the bill. chris gordon has the story. >> legalization is not the answer, and we will fight it to the very end. >> reporter: the battle lines are being drawn over the legalization of marijuana. the maryland sheriff's association will gather in annapolis to publicly affect their opposition. >> it affect's one ability to drive, judgment, and any reaction in the event that a small child or anyone would run out into the street in front of th them. >> some who smoke marijuana disagree. >> i feel better with somebody on the highway under marijuana than alcohol any day. >> reporter: do you smoke? >> i have before, yeah. >> reporter: and this is the sponsor of the bill to legalize marijua marijuana? >> in maryland we are spending $100 million to prosecute and arrest people on marijuana offenses, and ruin inging a lof people's job prospects, and their resumes. >> reporter: there is a complete

the first recreational marijuana shops are now open in colorado finally the question of what effect legal marijuana will have on the american public can be answered with real world experience you know there are a lot of people out there with strong arguments as to why we should legalize this controversial play it firstly there are plenty of things just as bad for us as marijuana or worse like beer cigarettes antidepressants and mystery fast food meats which are totally legal secondly young men are often thrown in jail for the absolutely victimless crime of smoking marijuana i could see punishing someone for drugs like crystal meth which can and do turn people into maniacs but have any of you out there ever heard of someone breaking into people's houses on a we've rampage no no you haven't the downside to all of this is that across america and all the world people are looking for change and they want to message store rise but when the masses are stoned out of their minds it makes things in life that we shouldn't tolerate become very tolerable we now call allow us to make it through another

anna, just learning how much money colorado expects to bring in from the legal recreational sale of marijuana>> we're talking lots of money, christine. about six weeks since it became legal to sell it for recreational use here in colorado. to say business is going strong is and understatement. the state released new tax revenue projections for selling marijuana and it beat expectations by tens of millions of dollars. now leaders here at the state capitol get to decide how to spend it. >> reporter: high hopes for a colorado green rusher being realize. >> exceeded all my expectations. >> reporter: business here previously just a medical marijuana dispensary more than quad quadrupled. people are lining up at the door get their hands on this stuff. packed at 10:00 when doors opened pd in fact, this pot shop averages about 500 customers a day, and the state of colorado is reaping the benefits as well. sales and excise taxes, over 25%. >> total, $147.77. >> reporter: marijuana dispensaries were required to turn in january tax reports on thursday. >> we paid about $190,000 in sales tax that we colle

director hal hammler, after his county had tax totals two months after the recreational sale of marijuana became legalreational pot stores, shops, sold nearly $1 million worth of marijuana last month. that generated about $56,000 in local sales taxes, exceeding expectations, most of the state's 160 rec stores are located in the denver area and officials expect the state to take in a total of $134 million in taxes this year. joining me now, nbc news correspondent harry smith shaking his head, who was deep in colorado to investigate the pot rush. we had the gold rush a long time ago. >> silver rush, lead rush. >> who saw this one coming? >> nobody, except the people inside. and i think it's especially strange for us here, because there's no medical marijuana anywhere around on the east coast. you go there and it's so normalized, and then you add then the legalization and the doors have just -- it's a flood of people saying, i'm going to buy, i'm going to partake in this new freedom. >> and you make a great point. we were talking in the commercial break that in states where medical marijuana is legal --