Colorado continues to be a pioneer in cannabis freedom, with lawmakers now making a bold statement to the feds – Colorado cops won’t participate in your war against people and the cannabis plant.
“The state House voted 56-7 Wednesday to bar public employees from assisting federal agents in “arresting a Colorado citizen for committing an act that is a Colorado constitutional right.”
The Colorado bill doesn’t specifically mention marijuana. But sponsors say it is inspired by threats that federal authorities may try cracking down on the marijuana industry. Federal authorities generally rely on local law enforcement to enforce federal drug law.”
If the bill becomes law, Colorado cops would be barred from enforcing federal prohibition. It’s a safe assumption that many, if not most, Colorado cops wouldn’t be harassing people over pot anyway, but a few might leap at the chance to lock up potheads on behalf of the feds.
Asserting constitutional freedom is enough reason to flex 10th Amendment rights, but legislators are also aware of the enormous economic boost cannabis legalization has brought to Colorado. In fact, the cannabis industry is contributing more to the state’s economy than all other industries.
The threat of a federal crackdown has already had negative effects, though, as Colorado lawmakers decided to back off plans to allow pot clubs where users could ‘bring their own.’
But the current bill essentially draws a line in the sand – to protect freedom and economy – and it’s not the only way the Rocky Mountain state intends to protect itself from Big Brother.
“Colorado is also considering a measure to allow marijuana growers to reclassify recreational pot as medical pot, a gambit to avoid federal seizure of recreational pot plants.”
If the feds decide they want to bust down doors to stop people from toking up, this measure will allow growers, including cannabis business owners, to protect themselves under medicinal use. Both bills are expected to be on the governor’s desk for signature before the May 10 adjournment.
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Gov. John Hickenlooper recently met with U.S. Attorney General Sessions, and, according to an interview on MSNBC, Hickenlooper doesn’t think a federal crackdown is coming. Apparently, Sessions said he had bigger priorities than pot prohibition, although he remains a firm believer in the immoral war on drugs.
Sessions has notoriously repeated propaganda about cannabis, often relying on falsehoods perpetrated by the DEA that have since been removed from their website. He represents a dying breed of prohibitionists fueled by deliberate ignorance and a ‘law and order’ mentality.
Gov. Hickenlooper, who penned a letter with three other governors urging engagement with states before any action is taken, attempted to give the facts to Sessions during their meeting. Hickenlooper pointed out that in Colorado, we “haven’t seen a big spike in consumption” and “haven’t seen a significant increase in teenage consumption or any of these things.”
Even if the feds don’t begin a crackdown on legal weed states, the governor would do well to sign the bills coming to his desk. All help is welcome in the struggle for freedom and prosperity.
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