Marijuana divides 4th District candidates

Marijuana is dividing some of Colorado’s congressional opponents who agree on many other topics.

Republican Rep. Cory Gardner said in a televised debate taped Tuesday that he didn’t support federal legalization of marijuana.

Gardner’s Democratic opponent, Brandon Shaffer, said marijuana should be decriminalized and that “we don’t need to fill our prisons with people who are not criminals.”

Shaffer’s spokeswoman later added that Shaffer does not favor legalizing the drug, just removing criminal penalties.

Shaffer is challenging Gardner is a sprawling eastern Colorado district. The candidates agree on many topics, including the need for a balanced budget amendment, a new farm bill and for a tax credit for wind-energy producers. They disagree on the new health care law, which Gardner has voted to repeal but Shaffer supports.