Colorado’s neighbouring states Oklahoma and Nebraska have filed a lawsuit with the US Supreme Court to strike down Colorado’s decision to legalize recreational marijuana. Their complaint argues that Colorado does not have authority to pass laws that conflict with the federal prohibition on marijuana – its act violates the Supremacy Clause of the US Constitution.
“The State of Colorado has created a dangerous gap in the federal drug control system. Marijuana flows from this gap into neighboring states, undermining Plaintiff States’ own marijuana bans, draining their treasuries, and placing stress on their criminal justice systems,” the lawsuit alleges.
“Because neighboring states have expressed concern about Colorado-grown marijuana coming into their states, we are not entirely surprised by this action. However, it appears the plaintiffs’ primary grievance stems from non-enforcement of federal laws regarding marijuana, as opposed to choices made by the voters of Colorado,” commented Colorado Attorney General John Suthers.
Colorado on November 6, 2012 passed Amendment 64 allowing the personal use and cultivation of marijuana as well as its commercial farming, manufacture, and sale by anyone over 21. $236 million is estimated to be infused into the state treasury through a 36% tax rate on projected sales of $650 million. Oklahoma and Nebraska have huge budget deficits – $600 million in Oklahoma and $62.6 million in Nebraska. Is marijuana legalization in Colorado straining their budgets? We doubt.
States questioning the constitutional rights of their neighbours is a disturbing trend; Congress can’t force states to criminalize marijuana and other states can’t dictate laws in Colorado. This will set a very very dangerous precedent.
Several Oklahoma lawmakers argue that it’s a wrong way to deal with the issue and call for state Attorney General Scott Pruitt to drop the lawsuit. In a letter sent to Pruitt’s office, seven Republican state lawmakers expressed their concern that the case could significantly undermine states’ right to govern them and set their own policies.
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I would bet you an ounce of the good shit that the truth is Oklahoma and Nebraska are starting to lay off law enforcement, prison guards and all kinds of bureaucracy including court officials jobs are at stake here.
The system cannot continue to profit with people crossing state lines to relieve themselves of American societal oppression legally. Too bad either make it legal in your jurisdiction or get a real job like the rest of us. Oh sorry but youll have to get off your corrupt asses and work and give up those cushy retirement plans.
Amen brother!
That is how it’s done. #PROPS
Yes, those stoners put such a strain on the judicial system. Only because you demonize the kind bud.
Those stoner’s put such a strain on deep frier’s and Mcdonalds employee’s… lol
Truth ~Those two state’s are pissed that Colorado has more money.
the only true way to control the prison population is to not take jobs being prison guards. the less prison guards they have the less they are able to control the prisoners. but this wont happen because people are still brainwashed.
Actually private prisons tend to not have enough guards because the actual space limitations of the physical prisons is pushed to near breaking point.
They get away with it because there isn’t anyone making sure they aren’t pulling shit.
We need to follow the example of the NYC police and just stop arresting people for everything since they pretty much did and NYC hasn’t exactly fallen apart.
I am sorry for my State (Oklahoma) guys you do have to remember that it is in the Bible belt.
Put that Bible in your pipe and smoke it Bra !
Okie here also. Nothing will change on marijuana reform until these old, racists, and religious idiots die out. Mary Fallin will do literally everything in her power to prevent marijuana from increasing any traction in, and now apparently around, Oklahoma. I can’t stand that cunt but these idiots keep allowing this bitch to keep her office. The same congressmen, senators, and state level officials. They are all the same. Oklahoma refuses to change and using the “Bible Belt” as an excuse is whoreshit. I’m from Mobile Alabama, that place is a Bible Belt. Oklahoma is thousands of miles from the belt. This is bribery and an agenda.. And as an Okie, I’m fucking sick of it
every time I hear about this I get furious. They’re pissed off that their state has to spend all this money enforcing the federal governments ridiculous law on marijuana while the neighbor state they bitch about is making more money than ever before and may have to GIVE MONEY BACK! Why don’t they just say hey federal government we’d like to repeal the ban on marijuana as well..our state can’t keep writing all these tickets and our justice system just can’t handle it.
FFS get some brains.
Even if you don’t smoke the stuff, it’s a no brainer for raising money. The quicker every country in the world legalised drugs and governments used them, the better the world will be.
You guys are more brainwashed then anything you think it’s cool to smoke weed why don’t you guys get real jobs
Get off it brother, that arguement holds no water. If someone smokes weed they are automatically deadbeats? Get of this page and stop pushing your close-minded negative slander, why dont you pick up a book and educate yourself.
Spoken like a true troll! You obviously have no idea who partakes, do you? There are millions of people world wide that partake that you would never guess in a million years… think about that for a minute… millions, world wide!!
I would be willing to say that 85% or higher are long term employed professionals and hard working blue collar folks whom you deal with every day, yet you don’t realize it!
I bet you think you are just as cool drinking your alcohol, don’t ya?
Go back under your bridge. You are obviously in the minority on this subject!
“You think it’s cool to smoke weed why don’t you guys get real jobs”. Lets start with common grammar. You got all of your apostrophes but where is the comma to separate you guys, and get real jobs? This makes me realize that you are the academically challenged one. I am a pot head. I am proud to be one. I also am in charge of 80 people at my office and make close to $100k a year. Just because you smoke pot, does not mean you flip burgers or are destined to never get a “real job”. So please, go back to school, so you can learn where punctuation goes in a sentence, and stop your mindless propaganda thinking. Ask yourself this, why was growing marijuana turned into a crime? If you think it is because of the side effects or it’s level of danger, then you are worse off then I originally thought. It was made illegal due to the fact that long, long ago, it placed a huge scare on the lumber industry. So big that the only way for politicians to not lose all the money they invested in the lumber industry, they decided “No hemp if it is against the law to grow marijuana.” Get over yourself you self righteous prick.
Er, there shouldn’t be a comma between “you guys” and “get real jobs,” but there should be one between “weed” and “why.”
Actually, the post is three sentences. There should be a period after “anything” and a period after “weed”. There should also be a question mark after “jobs”. Finally, the word before “anything” should be “than” rather than “then”.
I smoke pot every night to help get to sleep. I am the IT manager at a successful corporate business. I live how I want to and don’t have to worry about bills because i busted my ass to get to where I am. I also use pot to help open my mind. I have planned several large upgrades and deployments at my work thanks to my smoking pot. I am willing to say without pot I wouldn’t be who and what I am today. I have a job. I support legalization for recreational use of pot. If anyone is being brainwashed it’s people like you that are making it harder for people like me to take advantage of the numerous benefits of pot. I don’t give a crap if you think it’s cool or not to smoke pot. It helps me and leads to ZERO negative repercussions. My employer knows I smoke and accepts that this is my own life. He know’s I’m not going to spark up a bowl in my server room. In fact he has called me his right hand man whenever a tour of the facility is being given. Bottom line- I am successful, happy and living a life I control.
My point- Rethink who you are calling a deadbeat.
What part of the Constitution gives Congress the authority to make any drug illegal? I hear Senators try to tout the commerce clause, but that would only give them power to tax or restrict sales.
Honestly its time for nationwide legalization. One by one the states will accept legalization we need to elect leaders who will push that to help the economy!
People looking at this issue need to take a lesson from well established historical precedent to determine WHO is precisely behind this “Lawsuit”. The “states” claiming to be “plaintiffs” are merely the fauxface & hands of the Federal-Jezebel. This “lawsuit” is merely a power-play by the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT via their easily-bribed/coerced puppet-states – to get the courts to pervert the “supremacy clause” in the same manner they did with the “commerce clause”.
Well… Laying off Police and Prison guards are ya? Maybe its because less people are getting arrested and imprisoned because a archaic law making a plant that grows like “weeds” in the wild or cultivated illegal.
The simplest thing for Oklahoma and Nebraska is to legalize the devil’s lettuce, and their problems of drugs crossing their borders will go away and their tax revenues will climb
Exactly
What needs to happen is the realisation that this is down to choice, the people of Colorado have chosen to legalise it, Oklahoma and Nebraska simply have to except. We the world need to realise that the old ways are no more, religion and blind faith can no longer control the masses. We have knowledge, it’s how we use this knowledge that matters. Learn from experience, help your fellow man and make a moral choice.
>except
>accept
Do you even grammer?
Once again the battle to oppress the green substance is going to cost more money than necessary. The war on drugs is a proven failure and the same mistakes are being made over and over again at great costs. With the amount of reefer revenue in Colorado, this is money Oklahoma and Nebraska cannot afford to burn.
If Oklahoma and Nebraska were smart (clearly they’re not) instead of fighting Colorado why not do what they do? Colorado has improved dramatically and is proving to the rest of America what direction it should be heading. The bottom line is Oklahoma and Nebraska are jealous, plain and simple. However, instead of working with Colorado to do the same as them they want to stick to what is already a failing policy to improve the conditions of their own states. If the US Supreme Court (who is just another Monsanto outfit) sides with Oklahoma and Nebraska then this only confirms that America is indeed a dying nation. I hope Colorado kicks everyone’s asses and other states jump in on the fight too. America is supposed to be united, not divided.
Brilliant comment. Well said indeed.
Probably cause everyone is moving to colorado so they’re envious XD
Keep it legal, government may as well profit from it rather than street dealers. More places need legal weed, not less.
I compare the need to legalize Marijuana with how bad recycling actually is for the environment. The process of recycling actually cause more pollutants to be released from the burning and melting down of plastics/styrofoam etc etc. Marijuana is only harmful if you count the cancer causing carcinogens that come from the act of BURNING… pretty much anything. And since Marijuana is now proven to be the only sure fire cure for cancer, then what exactly are you all so worried about?
Yea, Other states that legalised bud (UK term for pot) report that crime is down 10%, and you wanna know why? BECAUSE THAT 10% WAS GETTING ARRESTED FOR BUYING BUD, and had no other way to carm down, when you smoke bud, it keeps you carm, and makes you lazy, so you wouldnt be able to do any crime, but the other states like Oklahoma and Nebraska are are the type of places that dont want to legalize it because it would stop the lumber industry, because you can turn bud into paper, and i think its a good idea, when you get a good grade on your homework, you can smoke it 🙂 so then you de-stress after it, they should legalize it everywhere around the world 🙂 i live in the UK, and its nice seeing other places in the world, finally come to realoze that its a harmless herb, i doubt it will ever be legalized in the UK, but hey, crime will keep rising if they dont, because we will keep getting busted for buying
its all about the money, they know it is, they will continue to use cover ups to keep the sheeple brain washed