Denver, CO: United States Justice Department officials are planning to target the operators of several of the state’s licensed cannabis facilities, according to a CBS Denver News report broadcast last week.
According to the report, Justice Department officials will be targeting facilities alleged to be located within 1,000 feet of schools, regardless of whether the operations are properly licensed by the state, which does not mandate such zoning restrictions.
“Dispensaries that receive the letters will be given 45 days to shut down or move operations. If they don’t comply, they will be shut down by the US attorney in Colorado.”
Since 2010, state officials have explicitly licensed cultivators and dispensers of cannabis for therapeutic purposes. At least 700 state-licensed cannabis dispensaries are presently operating in the state.
The federal threat appears to be inconsistent with statements made by US Attorney General Eric Holder before Congress just one week earlier when he told House Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) that it “would not be a priority” for federal officials to take actions against “people (who) are acting in conformity with the (state’s) law.”
In October, United States Deputy Attorney General James Cole, along with the four US Attorneys from California, announced their intentions to escalate federal efforts targeting the state’s medical cannabis dispensaries and providers. Since that time, Justice Department officials have also spearheaded separate actions targeting medical cannabis operations in Montana and Washington.
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, or Keith Stroup, NORML Legal Counsel, at (202) 483-5500.