Spurred by a pair of medical-marijuana regulation bills freshly signed into law by Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, advocates in Colorado are eyeing a legalization push for the 2012 ballot, the Boulder Daily Camera reported June 11.

The Boulder-based Cannabis Therapy Institute is still in the fundraising and planning stages of its proposed “Legalize 2012” initiative, but advocates said the measure would call for taxing and regulating the sale of marijuana in ways similar to existing regulations around the production of alcohol.

Greg Stinson, president of the Front Range chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws said the new medical-marijuana laws, which include provisions for the growth, dispensation, and taxation of the drug, legitimize and strengthen the case for legalization.

“The climate is a lot more favorable,” he said.

The polls seem to back Stinson’s assertion. Last May, a Rasumussen survey of Colorado likely voters found 49 percent in favor of legalizing and taxing marijuana, with 39 percent opposed and 13 percent undecided. The last statewide ballot initiative to legalize marijuana was in 2006; it was voted down by a 61 percent to 39 percent margin.