Colorado Thinks Twice on Pot?

[Valin]

The Feed:

October 25, 2014

 

Colorado residents are having second thoughts about the way their state legalized marijuana. In a recent interview with the FT, the state’s Governor, John Hickenlooper, advised other states considering legalization for tax revenue purposes to “go slow” and think carefully about their motivations. The state is now predicted to take in $20 million less than expected in tax revenue from marijuana sales. Hickenlooper opposed legalization from the start, but a poll last month also showed that 50 percent of respondents now believe that legalization was a bad idea. (The original amendment to legalize passed by 55-44 percent of the vote). 49 percent of respondents believe the state has implemented the law poorly. This week the Washington Post ran a column contextualizing this shift in public opinion:

 

(Snip)

 

Legalization continues to be a necessary end to a failed drug war, but that end will be extremely messy and introduce plenty of new problems. These early snags are only a small part of the challenges legalization will pose as more states follow Colorado’s lead.

[Draggingtree]

Two states sue to block Colorado marijuana markets

By Lyle Denniston on Dec 19, 2014 at 8:31 am

Two of Colorado’s neighboring states, arguing that the legalization of marijuana for Coloradans is causing crime problems across state borders, asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to allow them to file a lawsuit directly before the Justices. If the suit goes forward, Nebraska and Oklahoma’s filing said, the Court should rule that the commercial part of the Colorado scheme is unconstitutional and could no longer be enforced.

 

Under the Constitution, states with legal complaints against other states have a right to sue them in the Supreme Court without first going through a lower court, but they need the Justices’ permission to do so. Nebraska and Oklahoma chose that route, their filing said, because no other court can protect neighboring states from the impact of Colorado’s marijuana marketing law and rules.

http://www.scotusblog.com/2014/12/two-states-sue-to-block-colorado-marijuana-markets/