Marijuana Legalization
By Selencia Word
Legalization and Lawsuits
With the passing off Amendment 64 in 2012, to Colorado's state constitution, recreational marijuana use became legal. Two years later, the first marijuana dispensaries were opened for business. By February of the following year, though no sign of negative impact, either morally or legally, had been reported, many entities found it their moral obligation to attack Colorado's decision to legalize the plant recreationally as Colorado's laws seem to attack the federal constitution's ruling.
Local reaction
The city of Frisco, Colorado, where the plaintiffs of one of the lawsuits reside, is home to four marijuana dispensaries, one of which is only 75 feet from the opening gates of a Holiday Inn. The local government finds the lawsuits wasteful and counteractive, believing the legalization of the substance will take regulation out of the drug dealer's hand and put it into the government's hands.
State Laws
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper is at the forefront of accusations against the Colorado legislature that the entity has overstepped its bounds by not following the federal government. However, the state legislature finds it better to have marijuana regulation in the government's hands, rather than the cartel's hands.
Federal Legislation
There has been much speculation in Congress about repealing the Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2013 which would reschedule marijuana and remove it from the list in the Controlled Substances Act.
Lawsuits In Action
The plaintiffs, who have filed two lawsuits, are members of the Washington D.C., based group Safe Streets, argue that Colorado's legislation violates the federal ruling that marijuana, as a controlled substance, is illegal, using the Supremacy clause as a major backing point.