Oklahoma Bureau Of Narcotics Says Colorado Pot Is A Big Problem

Colorado marijuana is flooding into Oklahoma. That's according the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, and it stands behind the attorney general's decision to sue that state.

Friday, December 19th 2014, 10:07 pm

By: News 9


Colorado marijuana is flooding into Oklahoma. That's according the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, and it stands behind the attorney general's decision to sue that state.

Scott Pruitt says this isn't about legalized pot, it's about drug trafficking.

Pruitt says Colorado has created a "dangerous gap" in the federal drug-control system. It's turning into a problem, the likes of which, OBN agents have never seen.

“We're not talking about people with a small amount in their pocket, we're talking about people with 200 to 500 pounds, in some cases, of Colorado grown marijuana,” said OBN spokesperson, Mark Woodward.

Colorado's growing number of marijuana shops is piping the drug into the state illegally.

“Since the passage of the law, we have seen an increase in our resources and the problems associated with marijuana coming out of Colorado that we are now having to deal with,” said Woodward.

In an 83 page federal lawsuit, Pruitt as well as Nebraska's attorney general argue Colorado's commercialized marijuana system "violates the constitution."

“If Colorado simply had legalized marijuana for use and possession, we would not have challenged what they did. They went beyond that,” said Woodward.

The lawsuit asks the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down critical parts of the 2012 voter approved measure. The law legalized the use of the drug for adults and created a new system of stores, taxes, and regulations.

“When a state adopts a commercial trafficking scheme, a licensing scheme that exports marijuana into other states, border-states, that is problematic,” said Pruitt.

And Pruitt says it's straining the states resources with more arrests and higher jail and court costs.

“They've legalized a commercial enterprise,” said Pruitt.

“There is a lot of collateral damage and it's only going to continue to get worse,” said Woodward.

On the other side, Colorado's Attorney General says the federal lawsuit is without merit and he plans to fight it. Pruitt says it's possible more states will jump on board.

12/18/14 Related Story: Oklahoma, Nebraska Challenge Colorado Marijuana Legalization

logo

Get The Daily Update!

Be among the first to get breaking news, weather, and general news updates from News 9 delivered right to your inbox!

More Like This

December 19th, 2014

March 22nd, 2024

March 14th, 2024

February 9th, 2024

Top Headlines

March 28th, 2024

March 28th, 2024

March 28th, 2024

March 28th, 2024