Pubdate: Tue, 17 Feb 2015
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2015 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122
Author: John Ingold

HIGH COURT GRANTS EXTENSION

State Wants More Time to Respond to Pot Challenge

The U. S. Supreme Court has given Colorado an extra month to respond 
to a lawsuit that claims the state is polluting its neighbors with marijuana.

Colorado had been due to file its response by Monday. The state now 
has until March 27 to file its response, according to a one-sentence 
order posted last Tuesday. No other details about the extension were available.

In what could be a history-making case, Nebraska and Oklahoma have 
sued Colorado over marijuana legalization. The suit seeks to overturn 
Colorado's first-in-the-country regulations for recreational 
marijuana stores, arguing that the stores both violate federal law 
and have caused a flood of Colorado grown marijuana into neighboring 
states. Nebraska and Oklahoma said their law enforcement budgets have 
been stretched thin trying to police the influx.

Because the lawsuit involves a dispute between states, it was filed 
directly to the Supreme Court, under what is known as the high 
court's "original jurisdiction."

When the lawsuit was filed late last year, Colorado Attorney General 
John Suthers vowed to defend Colorado's law vigorously, arguing that 
Nebraska and Oklahoma's complaint "stems from non-enforcement of 
federal laws regarding marijuana, as opposed to choices made by the 
voters of Colorado." Suthers has since left office due to term 
limits. Newly elected Attorney General Cynthia Coffman has said she 
also will fight the lawsuit.

On Monday, a spokeswoman for Coffman said the attorney general's 
office requested the extension because it needs more time to study 
the complex legal issues involved.

"This is a routine practice when there are novel issues that require 
additional research," spokeswoman Carolyn Tyler said.

If the Supreme Court does agree to hear the case, it could take years 
to resolve.
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