Federal authorities met with the Colorado Springs mayor and police chief over marijuana.
Representatives from the Department of Justice White House Office of National Drug Control Policy were in Colorado Springs this week. They met with Mayor John Suthers and others to discuss the marijuana black market.
“I think they’re in Colorado to find out what law enforcement and other regulatory agencies’ view is toward marijuana regulation in Colorado,” Suthers said according to KKTV. “They’re [local law enforcement] talking about what they’re finding in houses, what they’re finding and who is doing it, and where these people are coming from.”
The mayor refused to elaborate on the specifics of the meeting. “There’s nothing about this that would require it to be public. The folks that came out didn’t want it public; there’s no reason for it to be public,” Suthers said.
The secrecy did not sit well with everyone. Jason Warf, the executive director for the Southern Colorado Cannabis Council, issued a statement below regarding the meeting:
“It has come to our attention that the Mayor of Colorado Springs, John Suthers, met today with officials from several Federal agencies, in secret. This is extremely concerning for us as an organization, but more so for the cannabis businesses, as well as the patients and caregivers that we represent.
Since legalization in 2012, we have been a part of writing dozens of pieces of legislation. The design of most of these efforts was to regulate every aspect of the cannabis plant. If someone or a business is in conflict with current Colorado law, that is a matter that should be taken up in state court, not Federal court. Our state statutes are more than sufficient to prosecute individuals in conflict with the law, without Federal assistance. Until Federal law is updated to meet the standard of cannabis law in Colorado and the majority of the country, no Federal agent should be involved in enforcement action in these states.”
