Colorado asks court to dismiss sheriffs’ pot lawsuit

Sheriffs in Colorado and two other states may not like legal marijuana – but they don’t have the ability to force Colorado not to allow it. That’s Colorado’s argument in a motion filed Friday asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit from 10 county sheriffs in Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska.

The lawsuit is one of several legal challenges Colorado faces after legalizing recreational pot in 2012. The sheriffs say that recreational pot burdens law enforcement and should be axed.

Colorado asked the U.S. District Court in Denver to dismiss the claims. Colorado points out that medical marijuana would still be legal even if recreational pot regulations are thrown out. And Colorado insists that it is within its rights to regulate pot even as it remains illegal under federal drug law.