The Washington, D.C. based group, Safe Streets Alliance, has announced it will file a federal lawsuit against Colorado at the state Capitol on Thursday.
"Safe Streets is asking the federal courts to order Colorado officials to comply with federal law and stop issuing state licenses to deal illegal drugs," it said in an online statement.
— Sam Kamin (@ProfSamKamin) February 19, 2015
The group has called on residents who feel that they, their relatives, properties or businesses have been hurt by the marijuana industry to testify at the gathering, confirming that “federal racketeering laws give plaintiffs injured by a commercial drug conspiracy the right to an injunction, treble damages and attorney’s fees," according to Reuters.
Neighboring Nebraska and Oklahoma have also asked the US Supreme Court to declare Colorado’s legalization of marijuana unconstitutional.
"Federal law undisputedly prohibits the production and sale of marijuana," said Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning. "Colorado has undermined the United States Constitution, and I hope the U.S. Supreme Court will uphold our constitutional principles."
Advocates for legalizing weed in Colorado have warned that the new lawsuit would drive the trade back into the hands of gangs.
"Hundreds of millions of dollars in marijuana sales that were previously taking place in a dangerous underground market are now being conducted safely," Mason Tvert, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, the largest US pro-pot policy organization, said in a statement.
"It's hard to imagine why anyone would prefer marijuana be controlled by criminals instead of by tightly regulated businesses. If drug cartels relied on litigation instead of violence, this is the lawsuit they would file."
Colorado residents voted to legalize the use of recreational marijuana by adults in 2012.
Although pot remains federally illegal, President Barack Obama’s administration has given states leeway on framing their own rules about the possession and sale of cannabis.
Four states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for recreational use, while 23 states have legalized its medical use.
