Nebraska says it’s unable to stop Colorado marijuana from crossing the border.
Sidney, Neb., which is just north of the Colorado-Nebraska border, reports marijuana-related offenses have increased 50 percent since Colorado legalized recreational marijuana use.
Though border towns like Sidney did not legalize marijuana use, they still have to deal with the consequences of Colorado’s decision, officials say. Nebraska and Oklahoma are therefore suing Colorado in the Supreme Court over the drug law, which they say is unconstitutional and places a burden on them.
“I’m concerned what [Colorado’s legalization] will lead to in terms of a change in culture,” Sidney police chief B.J. Wilkinson told NPR. “… A change in the way that we enjoy a certain quality, a certain type of life, in small-town America.”
“I’m not disputing the fact that the people of Colorado voted to make this opportunity exist. I get all that,” he added. “My problem is, is that the fallout from it is impacting our way of life and our quality of life here.”
Deuel County, Neb., which is east of Sidney and connected to Sedgwick, Colo. — the closest dispensary to Nebraska —has also seen a rise in felony marijuana convictions. The county, with has a population of just 2,000, saw just four felony marijuana convictions in 2011. In 2014, there were 32, which cost the county $150,000 — money that couldn’t go toward fixing roads or schools, Sheriff Adam Hayward Said.
“Every bit of marijuana we have in here came from Colorado,” Hayward said. “We need to stand up and say, ‘No, we don’t want this stuff here.’ It’s dangerous. It’s bad for people’s health. You don’t want your kids getting involved in this.”
Colorado, which legalized recreational marijuana use for adults in November 2012, is still dealing with the repercussions. Gov. John Hickenlooper said in January that being the first state to legalize marijuana was “a bad idea.”
Oregon, Alaska and Washington have since legalized the drug.
