Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska Sheriffs Sue to Stop Colorado’s Marijuana Law

by Rachel Alexander | March 8, 2015 2:11 pm

[1]Tired of having to choose between following Colorado law vs. federal law, several sheriffs in Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska sued the state of Colorado over Amendment 64. Federal law still prohibits the use of marijuana. [2]

The Conservative Tribune reports,

According to USA Today, Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith said that the law has created a “constitutional showdown,” as each day he must decide whether to violate the Colorado Constitution or the U.S. Constitution, at least with regard to marijuana.

Smith said that Colorado is “asking every peace officer to violate their oath,” adding, “What we’re being forced to do … makes me ineligible for office. Which Constitution are we supposed to uphold?”

The sheriffs from Kansas and Nebraska say that the legalization of marijuana in Colorado has led to drastic increase in the amount of drugs coming across their shared border, which has led to an increase in drug arrests, overburdening local jails and court systems.

Colorado has yet to respond to the lawsuit, and the federal government has essentially taken a “hands off” approach to the matter, so long as Colorado keeps in place regulations designed to keep the drugs out of the hands of children.

What are these sheriffs supposed to do, continue flaunting federal law – like they are told to do when it comes to illegal immigration? This kind of problem arises because the left cannot muster up the support to change the laws at the federal level, so it gets around them by ignoring them. That is dishonest and undermines our democratic system of government. If legalizing marijuana is really what the people want, then legalize it at the federal level, don’t put our law enforcement in the ironic position of breaking the law.