A Colorado district attorney drew attention this week after he pronounced marijuana to be a "gateway drug to homicide."

The controversial remarks made by 4th Judicial District Attorney Dan May came at a news conference Tuesday about a large black market marijuana bust in the state, KKTV reported. Thirteen people have been indicted, Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman announced.

“Marijuana is the gateway drug to homicide in our community and across our state, and people need to start recognizing that,” May said at the news conference. He went on to say that Colorado Springs had 22 homicides in 2016, and eight were directly tied to marijuana.

In a statement, the Southern Colorado Cannabis Council called May's comments "utterly false" and "extremely dangerous." The council said numerous studies show "no correlation between cannabis use and violent crime."

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Cuthbert is the county seat of Randolph County, one of 94 Georgia counties that registered more deaths than births in 2024. The county's hospital closed in 2020, leaving longtime state Rep. Gerald Greene to drivce himself 46 miles to Albany while suffering from a kidney stone recently. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC