Clear thinking has prevailed at the Gold Dome with the demise of proposed legislation that would have enabled the sale of high-potency THC beverages wherever alcohol is legally available — bars, liquor stores, restaurants and even grocery and convenience stores. As it turned out, the bill’s sponsors couldn’t line up enough votes and withdrew the proposal.

The now-dead Senate Bill 164, opposed by the Gazette Editorial Board, would have established a regulatory framework for the manufacture, distribution, sale and consumption of beverages infused with the psychoactive, intoxicating compound found in cannabis. The Colorado Hemp Beverage Coalition had claimed the legislation, co-sponsored by Democrats including state Sen. Julie Gonzales and state Rep. Steven Woodrow, both of Denver, would have created a “clear and responsible regulatory framework” for sale.

Clear? Sure. Responsible? Not a chance.

Given their yearslong experience with legalized retail marijuana, Coloradans are painfully aware of the destructive short- and long-term effects of consuming high levels of THC, especially for developing brains. The cat’s been out of the bag: Colorado’s Big Marijuana industry and culture overall has misguided the public for years about just how high-potency THC is metabolized in your body and brain.

The impact would be similar with hemp-derived THC in beverages.

In the short term, throwing back even one, never mind a six-pack, of THC-laced drinks puts people, namely youths with developing brains, in a disassociated state where they can hurt themselves or others due to the sudden onset — never mind other symptoms. People all over the state are well aware of anecdotal stories of loved ones they know, whether locals or visitors, stunned at the way super-high-dosage THC edibles can disorient users. 

Anyone in the THC-peddling industry is lying to themselves, and you, if they don’t admit as much. Many “budtenders” even warn consumers at purchase. Fainting and other accidents brought on by THC occur frequently. And the last place you want someone high on dozens, perhaps hundreds, of milligrams of a THC drink is behind any wheel.

Then there are the long-term consequences, especially for kids, who in our state’s disingenuous marijuana culture are led to believe pot is innocuous and certainly less dangerous than any other drug, alcohol included. THC’s role in inducing assorted psychoses, especially in young people, is substantiated by mounting data from a growing body of medical research. THC is found in the bloodstream of alarming percentages of teen suicides in Colorado, as state vital statistics make clear.

The standing state measure banning the sale of hemp-derived products with more than 1.75 milligrams of THC per serving in liquor stores will stay in place. Potent, high-THC edibles and drinks, despite their underrated danger, still will be available at pot shops.

The truth is, most Coloradans aren’t clamoring for more THC products, whether marijuana- or hemp-derived. That’s evident from stagnating sales at pot shops — which explains why the “traditional” pot purveyors actually had opposed this particular bill. They didn’t want the competition.

The public is waking up to the dangers of the modern marijuana industry. That’s certainly true for Coloradans, who’ve seen what legalization has done to our state since 2012. 

We hope and trust that was at least one reason lawmakers shunned this bill. We’d like to think that, this time at least, they opted for protecting our kids.