Nebraska and Oklahoma Are Suing Colorado Over Pot Legalization
Nebraska and Oklahoma—Colorado's neighbors to the northeast and southeast, respectively—are not happy about the pot-smoking going on in the Centennial State. They're such buzzkills, in fact, that they're suing Colorado in the U.S. Supreme Court in an attempt to reverse legalization entirely.
According to the office of Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, the two states filed their suit directly to the Supreme Court, alleging that the law legalizing the adult recreational use of cannabis violates the Constitution's Supremacy Clause. According to Harvest Public Media reporter Luke Runyon, Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning cited increased costs of law enforcement at the Colorado border as a reason for the suit at a press conference today. (That's Bruning speaking at the presser above.)
Happening now: Nebraska and Oklahoma Attnys General suing Colo. over marijuana laws, citing costs of increased law enforcement at the border
— Luke Runyon (@LukeRunyon) December 18, 2014
Neb. Attny Gen: This comes down to a supremacy clause issue. This is whether Colorado law conflicts with the Controlled Substances Act.
— Luke Runyon (@LukeRunyon) December 18, 2014
Nebraska not seeking damages for increased law enforcement costs, Neb. AG says this is purely a constitutional question.
— Luke Runyon (@LukeRunyon) December 18, 2014
Suthers, the Colorado AG, vowed to fight the lawsuit. From the Denver Post:
"Because neighboring states have expressed concern about Colorado-grown marijuana coming into their states, we are not entirely surprised by this action," Suthers said. "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. We believe this suit is without merit and we will vigorously defend against it in the U.S. Supreme Court."