Before North Carolina buys into the marijuana lobby’s PR message that pot is a “harmless” and legitimate “medicine,” lawmakers would be wise to consider the impact of legalization in states like Colorado, which was one of the first to legalize the drug for “medical” and recreational use in 2000 and 2012, respectively. As such, Colorado is a literal “testing ground” for marijuana legalization that offers other states a glimpse into the individual and societal impacts of commercializing pot.