Colorado State University begins archiving materials related to legalization of marijuana

FORT COLLINS – Since passage of Amendment 64 to the Colorado state constitution in 2012, the state has been in the forefront of regulating the use of marijuana, both for medical and for recreational purposes. Colorado State University’s library archive has begun collecting materials related to this historic event.

“The Amendment 64 Collection is focused on gathering text-based materials, photographs, ephemera, film and audio interviews documenting various aspects related to the passage of legislation regarding recreational marijuana and its socio-economic impact,” said Janet Bishop, associate professor and coordinator for Archives and Special Collections at CSU Libraries. “We are interested in materials related to production, regulation, media coverage, business, tourism, public and scholarly opinions — both pro and con — as well as medical and social justice issues.”  The Amendment 64 Collection will also document agricultural and scholarly research related to marijuana and hemp.

“While our focus is on Colorado, we anticipate that there will be a national and international element to some of our documentation, given the public curiosity about this topic and media coverage after the passage of Amendment 64,” Bishop added.

“While there are certainly divided opinions on the issue in Colorado and nationally, as the state’s land-grant university, it is our responsibility to provide insights and information on pressing issues facing society, and we believe this collection can assist in that important role and work,” said Patrick Burns, dean of CSU Libraries.

A unique aspect of the Amendment 64 Collection will be the inclusion of oral histories from people directly involved in the political process that led to the legislation, both for and against the effort, as well as individuals associated with various aspects of the industry. These stories will add a personal dimension to the historic collection documenting an issue that promises to continue to evolve.

“In addition to documenting a milestone event in our state’s history, we also believe this collection will augment our existing Agricultural and Natural Resources Archive,“ Burns added. “As with our other collections, our mission is to preserve primary source materials that have long-term cultural, research and instructional value.”

For more information about Colorado State University’s Archives and Special Collections, contact Janet Bishop at janet.bishop@colostate.edu.

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