High Up Volume One

High Up V1Q1 www.HighUpColorado.com Page 7
by Pat Tillman
It has been roughly six months since the
Trump administration issued warnings in regard
to legal cannabis and, very early on, U.S. Attorney
General Jeff Sessions declared that local authorities
in states that allow any access to
marijuana can follow federal statues when it
comes to dealing with marijuana enforcement.
This statement poses problems for state and
local law enforcement as to how to proceed. If
local district attorneys were to follow that advice,
they could close local recreational marijuana
shops and seize assets, effectively shutting down
the industry. Although highly unlikely, that is a
possibility, now that recreational and even medical
marijuana are in the crosshairs of the Trump
administration.
The future of marijuana is, right now, all just
speculation. Marijuana across the country, and
especially in Colorado, is under the microscope,
and state and local authorities are trying to deal
with the matter delicately. Federal pressure is
clearly affecting recreational marijuana. John
Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary said, in an interview
recently, his agency, along with ICE and
the TSA will "take action" against marijuana. In
response, H.R. 975, referred to as the Respect
State Marijuana Laws Act was introduced by
Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif. Its purpose is to protect
people from being prosecuted under the controlled
substance act as long as they are following
their state’s laws regarding marijuana. It has
been co-sponsored by 14 members of the House,
including two Colorado congressmen, Republican
Mike Coffman and Democrat Jared Polis.
Gov. Hickenlooper has assured Coloradans that
if the federal administration targets recreational
marijuana, he will convert every recreational
business permit to medical.
On March 31, the Colorado House passed
HB 17-1220, a bill to re-illegalize co-op growing,
which had been legal since Colorado medical