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Scott_Wedel (Scott Wedel) says…

Of special concern for state regulators is how to protect state employees who violate federal drug law by complying with state marijuana laws.

That is such a worthless threat. Nowhere in federal law is there any provision for treating mmj any different than mj. The theoretical threat would have also applied to those that wrote Colorado's mmj laws or monitor dispensaries and are otherwise involved with mmj.

Also, Colorado mmj laws are enough of a sincere attempt to conform to federal law (by being purely intrastate and thus removing federal jurisdiction) that not only have the feds not prosecuted any state employees for their involvement, but the feds have not even challenged in court the legality of Colorado's mmj laws.

The Holy Grail for advocates of legalizing mj would be a federal court decision agreeing that a state has found a way to remove federal jurisdiction by sufficiently prohibiting interstate commerce. That would create a blueprint for any other state to follow.

The feds have been unwilling to risk that outcome and so have not challenged the legality of Colorado's mmj laws. So now why is anyone supposed to believe the feds have unlimited powers to threaten states over legalizing mj? I predict Colorado's task force is going to write a mj retail law that dares the feds to challenge it in court. And the more likely federal response will be to talk tough while not legally challenging Colorado's mj law.