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Colorado Sued By Neighboring States Over Legal Pot
SternisheFan notes that Nebraska and Oklahoma are suing Colorado over marijuana legalization. The attorneys general of Nebraska and Oklahoma sued Colorado in the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday, arguing state-legalized marijuana from Colorado is improperly spilling across state lines. The suit invokes the federal government's right to regulate both drugs and interstate commerce, and says Colorado's decision to legalize marijuana has been "particularly burdensome" to police agencies on the other side of the state line. In June, USA TODAY highlighted the flow of marijuana from Colorado into small towns across Nebraska: felony drug arrests in Chappell, Neb., just 7 miles north of the Colorado border have skyrocketed 400% in three years. "In passing and enforcing Amendment 64, the state of Colorado has created a dangerous gap in the federal drug control system enacted by the United States Congress. 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," says the lawsuit. "The Constitution and the federal anti-drug laws do not permit the development of a patchwork of state and local pro-drug policies and licensed distribution schemes throughout the country which conflict with federal laws."
I doubt that people already convicted had their sentences altered due to the legalization of pot in Colorado. And what means are used to detect drivers who are high on pot? From my point of view any compromise in the belief that it is morally wrong to get high on anything, including alcohol, is not acceptable. This is the stumbling point for youth when they see parents who get high on alcohol, prescription drugs or illegal drugs the kids get the message that getting high is acceptable. The simple truth is that if kids do not see their parents getting high or even taking the risk of using tobacco they are much more able to live a life free of dope, booze, etc.. By using substances we in fact are making a statement that causes many millions of people to live and die in poverty and misery.