Nebraska Counties Bordering Colorado Report Big Rise in Illegal Marijuana Trafficking

Police in rural Nebraska counties bordering Colorado report a large increase in illegal marijuana trafficking, according to NPR.

Nebraska and Oklahoma have filed a lawsuit against Colorado with the U.S. Supreme Court, saying the state’s law legalizing recreational marijuana is unconstitutional and places a burden on them.

B.J. Wilkinson, the Police Chief of Sidney, Nebraska, sees the impact of Colorado’s law on his town of 7,000. “I’m not disputing the fact that the people of Colorado voted to make this opportunity exist. I get all that,” he said. “My problem is, is that the fallout from it is impacting our way of life and our quality of life here.”

The nearest marijuana dispensary is a 45-minute drive to Sedgwick, Colorado. On a day a reporter from NPR visited, some of the cars parked in front of the dispensary had plates from Nebraska, Illinois and Kansas. One dispensary worker said the business serves many customers from Nebraska, most of them older people buying marijuana for personal use.

In Deuel County, Nebraska, which is connected to Sedgwick by Interstate 76, Sheriff Adam Hayward says he is overwhelmed by the amount of marijuana coming in from Colorado. “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.”