reporter: hired to move cash from stores to secret vaults. we don t like to say how much our clients have in their store. reporter: pot advocates who argue weed is less harmful than alcohol point out that overall crime is down. though any connection to marijuana is hazy. the system of regulation is actually safer for the public than an unregulated black market. reporter: they have been closely watching in washington state where recreational stores open this week. there you go. thank you. reporter: hoping to avoid the growing pains felt in colorado. ganja s ground zero. clayton sandell, abc news. we do like to kid about this, but of course you re impaired when you re high. there was one death linked to edible marijuana, a college student lept to his death from a hotel balcony. approved in 2012 by voters to
in two weeks the state s capitol will decide whether to legalize possession for adults 21 and over. the measure does not decide on whether purchasing or selling it is legal. the vote follows victories in washington and colorado for pot advocates. a victory in portland is widely seen by supporters as one of the first dominos to fall to gain broader acceptance on the east coast. joined now by the director of project sam, smart approaches to marijuana, and author of reefer sanity, seven great myths about marijuana and dan, director of federal policies at the marijuana policy project. dan, starting with you here, you support marijuana legalization. why might portland be the linchpin to the east coast and wider acceptance there? well, we re betting that voters in portland, just like voters in colorado and washington and elsewhere across this country are tired of the public policy disaster that is marijuana prohibition. they re tired of seeing countless tax dollars used