Bell, a quietly determined 69-year-old, who announced his retirement from politics last week, decided to make the legalisation of same-sex marriage his legacy.
Unlike many states (including Washington, which has also legalised marijuana but not yet licensed recreational outlets) Colorado's medical-marijuana system is well regulated; not only did that make full legalisation an easier sell to voters, it provided a foundation for the recreational industry.
But - despite the plea for legalisation made over the weekend by Sir David Ramsbotham, outgoing chief inspector of prisons, which is echoed in private by a number of senior police officers - there is no prospect of the government undertaking the radical overhaul of drugs that is now urgently needed.
Or when 220,000 people signed a petition calling on MPs to discuss the legalisation of cannabis, making it the third most popular parliamentary petition ever, and only 14 of a possible 650 MPs bothered to turn up.
Legalisation of cannabis is making slow but unstoppable progress across much of the developed world, many experts believe, following the end of prohibition in two US states.
The only difference between decriminalisation and legalisation is that under legalisation the state becomes the official pimp by making certain aspects of the trade legal.
However Jarecki dresses it up, tax and regulation is just another way of saying legalisation, because no sane voice is arguing for making hard drugs uncontrolled substances.
Droleg's Mr Reusser reckons that legalisation could make clean heroin available for SFr10-15 per gram, a tenth of the current street price.This is going too far for the Swiss federal health department.
No doubt terrorism will remain a threat whatever drug regime is in place, but the collapse in prices that would follow legalisation would make a big dent in the resources it can command.
Critics of the law have questioned both the effectiveness and the morality of it, but Mr Fine - a strong advocate for legalisation - makes an economic case against it.
