A Hoosier substance abuse counselor says Colorado‘s newly legal marijuana industry could be the beginning of a national public policy shift. Colorado
officially opened two dozen marijuana shops where people can legally purchase pot without a doctor‘s note or other heavy restrictions.

Most of the shops are located in the Denver area. Indianapolis-based Heartland Intervention‘s Scott Watson says the policy issue is really not about “right or wrong.” He says he‘s not “the morality police.” Watson says the Colorado experiment is progressive and he believes that if there are negative results – such as a rise in marijuana abuse – the state will hopefully take swift action to address the issue. Ultimately, Watson says it‘s way too early to say what impact the new law will have on Colorado or the nation.

INDOT says snow plows will be busy all day today. Spokesman Nathan Riggs says they‘ve got a “full call out” on staffers. Riggs says there are 740 trucks out working on interstates and U.S. routes across the state.

He says about 170 of those are in East-Central Indiana with 68 in the Indianapolis area.

Riggs says the rate of snowfall and high traffic made the Thursday morning rush hour a challenge for crews that were trying to clear the roads.

He says they were stunned by the timing of snow which came just in time for rush hour. Indianapolis Department of Public Works Spokesperson Lesley Gordon also says the timing of the snow made plowing a challenge. Gordon urges motorists to drive carefully and be patient.