0 >> listen, it's cold out there you need layers, i'm thinking long underwear, pajama jeans and a swantz on top. and a couple of snuggies, you should be good to go. >> this is piers morgan live, welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. bad news, america, colorado is running out of pot already. the new legal rocky mountain high, is such a success they're running out of the stuff. both sides battle it out tonight in a soaking hot debate. and speaking of pot, baby, it's cold outside. very, very cold. temperatures fumbling across the country. minnesota, the windchill taking temperatures down to 60 below, and record lows in places like chicago too. cold enough to freeze your skin in under five minutes. what you need to know about the polar vortex, life and death battle. the family praying for a miracle for jahi mcmath who has been declared brain dead. dreams of a better life on school, and the reporter who's been so touched by this story, he's been helping them personally. i want to begin with our big story, which is the big pot lack in colorado. an expert in the area is editor for the canibus post. >> thank you very much. >> this must be a great week for you, season the it? this is like the combination of a lifetime's work. >> you know, as a journalist, it's been a phenomenal week, this story is the one that keeps giving, we've been waiting for january first to witness it firsthand and be inside the newsroom and be all around the city with all the pot shops opening up, and lines of hundreds of people, people waiting 3, 4, 5 hours, it's a great story, we're thrilled to be covering it. >> we believe an estimated $1 million in marijuana was sold on january 1st alone in colorado. any sense of where we are after one week? >> things are certainly moving forward, as you mentioned some, shops are reporting very low inventory. other shops are certainly raising their per gram amount that they're charging, we're seeing some of the shops double their prices for out of state visitors. >> the latest poll january 3rd to the 5th, says that 55% of americans are in favor of legalizing marijuana, 44% against. in terms of the age breakup, the younger generation, 18 to 34, 67% in favor, 34 to 4944%. and it starts to fall off. no real surprise there, i except that the momentum clearly is behind legalizing this drug in america. how long do you think before states like california will be right now here, follow the lead of places like colorado? >> well, i think we're going to start seeing some ballot initiatives in 2016, and we're going to have a much clearer idea of what that picture looks like, we're certainly hearing things about massachusetts, oregon, illinois, the tide is certainly moving forward, and, you know, for the pro marijuana movement, this is certainly what they call progress. >> thank you very much this is the tipping point for pot in america. we've been debating this for a long time. joining me now, a founder of drug policy alliance welcome to you. a stellar panel of experts. let me start with you, howard samuels, is this a force for good or continued concern as america moves toward legalizing marijuana? >> it's disastrous. we're looking at mass production of marijuana. and that's sort of the issue, we're going to be producing it at a mass level, addiction rates are going to rise. one out of six people are addicted. i was addicted to marijuana, now, i was addicted for years, that took me to heroin, okay? i love how people are so happy about this, about now everyone can get loaded for, you know, legally. i just think that what we're looking at is a real issue, and there is a disconnect about america. i think that it's not about reefer madness, like it was years ago, how you took one hit of pot and you ended up murdering a family, which is kid cue house, you don't die from marijuana, yet it is not safe and it is not harmless. >> i remember doing a whole show about this. there's no evidence that anyone has overdosed on marijuana. with the exception of younger minds, there could be a possible risk of some kind of damage, once you get to your mid-20s and over, no scientific evidence at all of not even damaging you, but being any kind of gateway drug either. and he said, frankly, we're going to be legalizing cigarettes, which is a clear link to cancer or alcohol as we do, what is the difference? >> well, i'll tell you, i'm on the front lines, i deal with addiction daily in the trenches, i deal with marijuana addicts who have memory issues, they can't regulate their feelings and emotions. they have panic attacks, anxiety attacks. emotionally it is a disaster, it destroys people's lives. we have to have an understanding here. >> how many lives do you think it destroys? >> thousands. >> the percentage of people that take it, compared to tobacco and alcohol. let me turn to neil franklin. obviously a pretty damning verdict -- from your experience of law enforcement, what do you make of this? >> the front lines that i've been on are ones of law enforcement obviously, and from -- let me put it this way, you've seen the numbers of people standing in lines, i believe you showed it, piers, hundreds of people standing in line in colorado, i've seen not one child in line, not one. that means the kids aren't buying marijuana from these facilities. millions of dollars are not going into the hands of criminal gangs and organizations and the cartel who are operating in colorado. we're keeping that money from them, when they get that money, when they get the millions of dollars, what can they do with it? they buy guns, they use the guns to manage their business, it creates dangerous neighborhoods and dangerous environments for our kids. something else, as we eliminate the opportunity for these drug dealers to operate on the street corner selling marijuana, you know what, they no longer hire children to work their business. they no longer hire children to walk to schools and sit in classrooms and sell marijuana to kids. kids have less opportunity to buy marijuana now. >> okay, let me bring in mitch rosenthal. you mentored howard samuels years and years ago. and helped him with his own addiction issues. very polarizing views about this, tell me this i'm a father of three sons 13, 16 and 20 they're all going to be exposed to swak co, drugs of some sort, alcohol and so on. what is the best argument a parent can use of a child of teenaged years that marijuana is more dangerous to them than alcohol or tobacco. >> i don't know that marijuana is more dangerous, it is very dangerous, though and we have now only 8 or 9% of the american public who use marijuana, 52% of the public drinks 22% smokes. and the consequences, the health and social consequences are tremendous. we're going to see. we've already seen increases in colorado. teens in colorado have a marijuana use rate, 50% more than the rest of the country. we're going to see a significant increase in the fallout from legalization in colorado and in washington state. this is not benign. you look at houses all over american, 60 to 70% of the kids that are there whose lives have become so out of control, that they have to be in a residential setting are there because of marijuana use, it's a serious problem. >> let me turn to ethan, i'm not an expert. someone at the sharpened of this, 60, or 70% of people in the houses that he has, in terms of residency for addicts and so on are going to be marijuana related. >> the fact that 10% of all people who drink alcohol become alcoholics. what's really going on here is a transformation of what was an illegal industry. organized criminals in the u.s. and mexico and elsewhere billions and billions of dollars. even if it wasn't a problem for most of them. we're moving to another world where this is going to be legally regulated. there will be problems with misuse and abuse. we need to stop treating this as a criminal issue. there's overwhelming evidence that it has generated vast harms, crime, violence. there's not something of marijuana that makes people turn to a life of crime. much as i respect the work howard and mitch do with treating drug addicts, these are becoming arguments of the past. how do we regulate marijuana as a legal product. >> are you happy with the steps colorado implied. you have to be 21 years or older. people from outside of colorado can buy a quarter ounce. can you share an ounce with a friend. are you happy with that criteria? >> governor hickenlooperer opposed this, he's in favor of doing this in a responsible way. washington state is going to open up in a few months. there's going to be an initiative on the ballot in oregon, possibly one in alaska, we'll see about california. the idea is, how do we legally regulate marijuana. >> no question it should not be a criminal issue. >> thank you. >> it should not be a criminal issue. >> we have a consensus. >> absolutely, i agree with you. >> people are getting arrested, having their jobs taken away. >> you don't legalize it and mass produce it. just like the alcohol industry and tobacco. >> would you then outlaw alcohol and tobacco? >> too late. >> too late? >> why would i add a third industry that is a dangerous industry that gets your children and my children even more exposure. >> how are you adding a third industry. >> we are. >> you're transforming from an illegal industry to a legal industry. >> marijuana -- >> howard you're transforming it from an illegal industry. you empower criminals. wait a second, into a legal -- >> the idea of -- >> because -- >> the reality is, colorado will get its hands on tax revenues, the money in colorado is going to school construction. >> as we said right now, there are millions of dollars being raised to create acres and acres of marijuana to be mass produced. and -- >> there are millions of dollars being raised to create illegal things -- >> why would you create a drug for my children to eat and smoke -- >> no drug is being created. >> let me just say, i know this debate, it always does raise temperatures. there is one other massive issue, which we haven't addressed yet, which is a tweet came in from ben & jerrys saying we are hearing reports of stores selling out of ben & jerry's in colorado, what's up with that. that's a joke you'll only understand if you're down with the kids. i want to turn to another big story the absolutely freezing temperatures. people from coast to coast staying in tonight to stay warm, my cnn colleagues are shivering in chicago. i'm here in los angeles, it's a balmy 60 degrees tonight. no issues here, let me go to you, it looks unbelievably cold. tell me what it feels like. >> put did this way, we don't need any ben & jerry's ice cream here, maybe some hot chocolate. when you're hot you're uncomfortab uncomfortable, when you're cold, it actually hurting. my face hurts right now. this is a deep dish pizza, hard as a rock. it's ugly out here. be happy where you are. >> you can barely talk. >> i want to turn to stephanie, it's even worse where you are. it was 12 below zero this afternoon, morning windchills were 60 below in minnesota. minus 50, skin can freeze in less than five minutes. how is your skin doing? >> you can see i look a little bit. i've been told i look like kenny from south park, i look like a ninja. the main part is it's so cold i'm trying to protect every little hair i can. it's so painfully cold, it's about negative 15, it feels more like negative 40 because of the wind here. this bottle of water we put out, and in less than a half hour, frozen. just shows you how fast this -- it was completely liquid in the truck, and really hard here. we've been out here pretty much throughout the day, and we've watched steam come off the river, something i didn't know could happen, because the water is warmer than the air. just frigidly cold, so bad that the governor of minnesota went ahead and had the public schools close today. the vast majority will also be closed tomorrow, piers. >> i think we better wrap up, because apparently you look like you're literally about to freeze to death, i'm going to make an executive decision to release you before i'm accused of cruelty. good luck to everyone out there. it looks incredibly cold. we'll have more ahead on the polar vortex that's causing the cold temperatures. a family's desperate battle to save a 13-year-old who asz been declared brain dead. the family refuses to believe it after she grabs her mother's hand. morning they send me out to get the goods. but what they don't know is that i'm using my citi thankyou card at the coffee shop, so i get 2 times the points. and those points add up fast. so, sure, make me the grunt. 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