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by gcb0 4006 days ago
don't know why you're down voted, but your irony is correct.

pot is still very much illegal on the federal level... that's important because that's the level that handle your taxes.

2 comments

Your income taxes, yeah. Your sales tax, highway tolls, certifications (state car inspection, state certifications to operate certain businesses, etc) and additional resource taxes (gas tax, tobacco tax) are going to your state, and your property / zoning taxes are going to your principality.

The federal level matters because it supplants state law. The FBI and other federal agents can arrest anyone in any state where pot is legal statewide under federal law. You just get out of having local PD arresting you for it.

> The FBI and other federal agents can arrest anyone in any state where pot is legal statewide under federal law. You just get out of having local PD arresting you for it.

Not necessarily, as state (including) local agents can generally arrest you for violations of federal criminal law, too.

States, or local authorities within states, may deprioritize such arrests, or prohibit their officers from them entirely, for certain acts that are permitted by state but not federal law, but this is by no means guaranteed (and many local law enforcement agencies have continued to at least selectively make arrests under federal drug laws for marijuana even when the act involved was permitted under state law.)

that's what he said.
Eh, i guess we'll see how it all shakes out in the next 5-10 years. Based on prohibition, the feds are in a tough spot. No support from local and state police, because it's not a crime. That said the feds could bring a lot of resources to bare against individuals.

The targeted individuals would likely be screwed. Probably the biggest risk is Colorado fighting the USA directly. Perhaps it's not interstate trade so the US can't regulate, perhaps Colorado sues for lost tax revenue.