Gov. Hickenlooper (D-CO) on the Federal Fight Against Weed
Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper says the only way to stay on the federal government’s good side in the fight against cannabis is to “regulate the living daylights out of it.”
The democrat told Cheddar in an interview Wednesday that Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ negative stance towards marijuana creates friction between state and federal authorities.
“It’s very frustrating,” he said. “If states really are the laboratories of democracy, [legalization] is a huge social experiment going on all across the country.”
That friction only creates uncertainty in the cannabis industry, leaving business leaders in a lurch.
“[But Sessions] wants that uncertainty, he wants it to be bad for business,” said Hickenlooper.
In order to maintain a positive relationship with the federal government, states like Colorado have to make sure there’s no risk of funny business, so opponents won’t be able to make a case against them.
“We’re going to make sure that it is not corrupt, we don’t have gangs, we don’t have cartels, we are really going to work as hard as we can to make this…clean and above board,” Hickenlooper explained, pointing out that Colorado’s cannabis industry is currently worth $1.5 billion a year and “there’s taxes collected” on that.
In 2012, Colorado became one of the first states to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes.
“You can’t have laws that nobody obeys,” he said. “It’s just not good for society.”
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-one-thing-that-wakes-colorado-governor-john-hickenlooper-up-at-night).
Four women who attended the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, including a current cadet, are expected to testify at a Senate committee hearing about sexual assault and harassment.
The Air Force has taken disciplinary action against 15 personnel after classified documents were allegedly leaked by 21-year-old airman Jack Teixeira earlier this year.
Attorneys for Gov. Ron DeSantis are asking a federal judge on Tuesday to dismiss a free speech lawsuit filed by Disney after the Florida governor took over Walt Disney World's governing district in retaliation for the company opposing a state law that banned classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades.
Federal investigators have gained access to former president Donald Trump's phone records which could be used as evidence in his 2020 election interference trial.
The Texas Supreme Court has ruled against a woman seeking an abortion while in Arizona, the state Supreme Court will begin hearing oral arguments in an abortion rights case.
Attorneys for a pregnant Texas woman who sought court permission for an abortion in an unprecedented challenge to one of the most restrictive bans in the U.S. say she has left the state to obtain the procedure.
A New Hampshire man has been accused of sending text messages threatening to kill a presidential candidate ahead of a scheduled campaign event Monday, federal prosecutors said.
Special counsel Jack Smith on Monday asked the Supreme Court to take up and rule quickly on whether former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted on charges he plotted to overturn the 2020 election results.
Wildlife officials plan to release gray wolves in Colorado in coming weeks, at the behest of urban voters and to the dismay of rural residents who don't want the predators but have waning influence in the Democratic-led state.
