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Coffman, DeGette Push To Protect Legal Marijuana In Colorado

WASHINGTON (CBS4) - Two members of Colorado's Congressional delegation are leading an renewed effort to protect legalized marijuana in Colorado.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has already signaled his intentions to challenge state marijuana laws.

On Thursday, Rep. Diana DeGette, a Democrat who represents the 1st Congressional District and Mike Coffman, a Republican who represents the 6th, introduced a bill in Congress that would ensure the federal government does not overrule state laws on marijuana.

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DeGette and Coffman provided the following prepared statements about the legislation:

DeGette:
"Passing this bill is now more important than ever before. My colleagues and I -- along with our constituents -- spoke out frequently during the Obama administration to make clear we didn't want the federal government denying money to our states or taking other punitive steps that would undermine the will of our citizens. Lately, we've had even more reason for these concerns, given Trump administration statements. This bill makes clear that we're not going back to the days of raids on legal dispensaries, of folks living in fear that they're not going to get the medical marijuana they need, or that they might get jailed for using it."

Coffman:
"While I have opposed the legalization of marijuana, the people of Colorado voted for an initiative in 2012 that legalized marijuana and placed it in our state's constitution. Since it this is clearly not a matter of interstate commerce, I believe that the people of Colorado had every right, under the U.S. Constitution, to decide this issue for themselves and as their representative in Congress, I have an obligation to respect the will of the people of Colorado and that's why I'm reintroducing this bill with Congresswoman DeGette."

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