Pruitt: Marijuana Lawsuit Protects Policy Choice Made by Oklahomans
Scott Pruitt: Marijuana lawsuit protects policy choice made by Oklahomans
BY SCOTT PRUITT
Last week, Oklahoma and Nebraska sued Colorado over actions Colorado has taken that have resulted in the trafficking of illegal drugs into Oklahoma and Nebraska.
We didn’t take this action lightly. As you know, I have been an ardent defender of Oklahoma’s ability to determine its own policies and laws, free from undue federal intrusion. But that isn’t to say that there is no place for federal law. Of course there is — that is precisely why our Founders came together in 1789 to draft a constitution. My battles have been against federal actions that exceed the powers our Founders granted to the federal government in the constitution.
The federal Controlled Substances Act is not one of those federal actions. Most agree that the federal law, which creates a uniform, national system of narcotics regulation, is a valid exercise of federal power. The law makes marijuana illegal in all instances, in every state.
Colorado has nonetheless chosen to make the possession and use of marijuana legal for purposes of Colorado state law. More power to them. Even if I wholeheartedly disagree with that choice as a matter of policy, I agree that it’s Colorado’s prerogative to do so — even if the change in state law does nothing to change the fact that possession and use of marijuana remains a federal crime in Colorado.