With the legalization of the sale of marijuana coming into effect in Colorado on January 1st, everyone in the Centennial State has been getting ready for the bloodshot eyes of the nation to be on them. In that spirit, the Denver Post has hired a marijuana editor, and their introductory interview with him is pretty amazing.

Ricardo Baca, who covered entertainment and music for the newspaper for the past twelve years, will be taking over the post. He seems pretty excited.

Does he smoke weed?

"The short answer: I've covered concerts for a living over the last 15 years. That means hanging out with musicians, working with people in the industry, attending music festivals in Austin and the Coachella valley and New York and L.A. So yes.

Will he share the "beat" with the other reporters in the newsroom?

My colleagues who first approached me about this job told me that I will have access to reporters throughout the newsroom, and the entire staff knows that this is our biggest initiative for the coming year. Best of all, the staff wants to be involved because we're all professional journalists and this behemoth of a story is the real deal.

Will there be a marijuana critic?

We are absolutely hiring a freelance pot critic. And a freelance pot advice columnist. And a freelance video game writer. What we're doing here is covering cannabis culture and news from a professional, journalistic and critical point of view. If you think you have something to offer: rbaca(at)denverpost.com.

Will he be able to smoke on the job? Here, HR steps in for an answer:

The Denver Post's drug and alcohol policy applies to this position. That means the Company will test for cause if someone appears to be impaired while at work or on the job, just as we would for alcohol. What would trigger a test? While not a comprehensive list, a test could be triggered for things like inappropriate or changes in behavior or inability to complete assignments. As with alcohol, you are not allowed to ingest (either via cigarettes or food) marijuana in the office or come to the office "reeking" of marijuana. If you do imbibe marijuana in the course of covering it for your job, we expect you to take necessary steps to ensure you do not drive while impaired or put anyone at risk.

The whole thing is worth a read. Should be an interesting year in Colorado!