{"id":7326,"date":"2017-04-03T20:49:32","date_gmt":"2017-04-03T20:49:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.denverpost.com?p=2602161&amp;preview_id=2602161"},"modified":"2017-04-03T20:49:32","modified_gmt":"2017-04-03T20:49:32","slug":"four-governors-team-up-urge-feds-to-keep-marijuana-enforcement-status-quo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/four-governors-team-up-urge-feds-to-keep-marijuana-enforcement-status-quo\/","title":{"rendered":"Four governors team up, urge feds to keep marijuana enforcement status quo"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/four-governors-team-up-urge-feds-to-keep-marijuana-enforcement-status-quo\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><div class=\"row\" id=\"sticky-outer\">\n<div class=\"large-11 small-12 columns\">\n<div class=\"entry-meta-date\">Published: Apr 3, 2017, 1:49 pm \u2022 Updated: Apr 4, 2017, 1:38 pm<span class=\"single-comments-link\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2017\/04\/03\/governors-marijuana-letter-federal-enforcement-ag-jeff-sessions-treasury-steve-mnuchin\/76551\/#disqus_thread\" class=\"commentsNameLink\" \/><\/span><\/div>\n<p class=\"byline\">By <span class=\"author\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/author\/alabak\/\" rel=\"author\">Aleta Labak<\/a><\/span><em>, The Cannabist Staff<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Governors in four states have joined forces with a marijuana message for two top officials in the Trump administration. <\/p>\n<p>In an open letter, the governors on Monday asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to \u201cengage with us before embarking on any changes to regulatory and enforcement systems.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The signatories of the letter are Gov. Bill Walker of Alaska; Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado; Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon; and Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington. They lead the first four states to implement laws allowing recreational marijuana sales.<\/p>\n<p>The letter dated April 3 urges Sessions and Mnuchin to maintain the current guidelines established under the Obama administration for law enforcement and financial oversight of states that have legalized marijuana for medical or adult use, and expresses concern about making major changes:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Overhauling the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2014\/02\/14\/cole-memo-federal-law-enforcement-guidelines-on-marijuana-enforcement\/4733\/\">Cole Memo<\/a> is sure to produce unintended and harmful consequences. Changes that hurt the regulated market would divert existing marijuana product into the black market and increase dangerous activity in both our states and our neighboring states. Likewise, without the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2014\/08\/12\/pot-banking-happening-fincen-says-yes-bankers-disagree\/18062\/\">(Financial Crimes Enforcement Network) guidance<\/a>, financial institutions will be less willing to provide services to marijuana-related businesses.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cAny forced change in federal enforcement policy will interrupt the collaborative approach we have taken with local law enforcement and the federal government,\u201d Mark Bolton, Hickenlooper\u2019s adviser on marijuana policy, said in a statement Monday. \u201cOur hope is that we can continue working with the administration to build on a regulatory system that prioritizes protecting public safety and public health.\u201d <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2017\/03\/31\/colorado-governor-john-hickenlooper-marijuana-2017\/76411\/\">In an interview last week with The Cannabist<\/a>, Hickenlooper discussed the potential for enforcement changes in Colorado, which is now in its fourth year of recreational marijuana sales:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would argue to the attorney general that the country has potential benefit to be able to see this experiment through to a natural conclusion. Let\u2019s go a couple more years and see and get more data and really see, \u201cAre we worse off or better off than we were before?&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>(Read the governors\u2019 letter below)<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>A cannabis industry advocacy group supported the letter. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s great to see governors of the four operational states work together and stand up for constituents,\u201d Aaron Smith, National Cannabis Industry Association executive director, told The Cannabist. <\/p>\n<p>The national organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana, which opposes the legalization and commercialization of marijuana, said in a statement: \u201cWhile we don\u2019t want to see state employees arrested for implementing state laws, or people locked up or given criminal records for smoking pot, we support federal laws against marijuana. \u2026 Common sense tells us that drug laws in one state affect people in a different state.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The governors\u2019 letter follows other recent action by politicians regarding federal policy. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2017\/03\/02\/marijuana-department-of-justice-senators-letter\/74797\/\">In early March, eleven U.S. senators from eight states<\/a> that have laws legalizing recreational or medical marijuana sent an open letter to Sessions asking for the Department of Justice to uphold the existing enforcement protocol.<\/p>\n<p><em>Cannabist staff reporter Alicia Wallace contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em><strong>Updated April 4 at 1:37 p.m.:<\/strong> This article has been updated with a statement from Smart Approaches to Marijuana. <\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/assets.documentcloud.org\/documents\/3534680\/AK-CO-OR-WA-Govs-Marijuana-Letter-4-3-17.pdf\">AK CO OR WA Govs Marijuana Letter 4 3 17 (PDF)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/assets.documentcloud.org\/documents\/3534680\/AK-CO-OR-WA-Govs-Marijuana-Letter-4-3-17.txt\">AK CO OR WA Govs Marijuana Letter 4 3 17 (Text)<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-meta-tags\">\n<div class=\"entry-tags\">Topics: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/tag\/alaska\/\" rel=\"tag\">Alaska<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/tag\/banking\/\" rel=\"tag\">banking<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/tag\/bill-walker\/\" rel=\"tag\">Bill Walker<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/tag\/colorado\/\" rel=\"tag\">Colorado<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\" rel=\"tag\">Department of Justice<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/tag\/federal-law\/\" rel=\"tag\">federal law<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/tag\/jay-inslee\/\" rel=\"tag\">jay inslee<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/tag\/jeff-sessions\/\" rel=\"tag\">Jeff Sessions<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/tag\/john-hickenlooper\/\" rel=\"tag\">John Hickenlooper<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/tag\/kate-brown\/\" rel=\"tag\">Kate Brown<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/tag\/oregon\/\" rel=\"tag\">Oregon<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/tag\/recreational-marijuana\/\" rel=\"tag\">recreational marijuana<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/tag\/recreational-marijuana-regulations\/\" rel=\"tag\">recreational marijuana regulations<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/tag\/recreational-marijuana-sales\/\" rel=\"tag\">recreational marijuana sales<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/tag\/regulations\/\" rel=\"tag\">regulations<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/tag\/state-laws\/\" rel=\"tag\">state laws<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/tag\/steve-mnuchin\/\" rel=\"tag\">Steve Mnuchin<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/tag\/washington-state\/\" rel=\"tag\">Washington state<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-meta-author\">\n<div class=\"authorimage\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/author\/alabak\/\" rel=\"author\"><img src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/four-governors-team-up-urge-feds-to-keep-marijuana-enforcement-status-quo.jpg\" class=\"authormug\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p class=\"author-desc\">This Colorado native joined The Cannabist in January 2014 as a digital producer, after working behind the scenes for The Denver Post since 1999 in News, Features and Sports as a copy editor and designer. These are fascinating times,&#8230;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- .row --> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In an open letter sent Monday, the governors ask Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to &#8220;engage with us before embarking on any changes to regulatory and enforcement systems.&#8221; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6811,2097,6813,77,5667,9,5019,1,3,6963,61,1736],"tags":[6816,4665,6818,2655,5673,5022,6966],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7326"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7326\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}