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Oklahoma and Nebraska have asked the US Supreme Court to nullify a 2012 law that made marijuana legal in Colorado.
The two states allege that Colorado’s law is in violation of federal law.
They say that they are suing just Colorado, and not Washington state where marijuana is also legal, because they do not share a border with Washington.
Colorado’s attorney general said their suit was without merit.
“Federal law undisputedly prohibits the production and sale of marijuana,” said Nebraska attorney general Jon Bruning in a press release.
“Colorado has undermined the United States Constitution, and I hope the US Supreme Court will uphold our constitutional principles.”
Colorado’s attorney general John Suthers said in a statement that the state had been expecting legal action after Nebraska and Oklahoma complained about marijuana grown in Colorado coming into their states.
He said he would vigorously defend Colorado’s law as “it appears the plaintiffs’ primary grievance stems from non-enforcement of federal laws regarding marijuana, as opposed to choices made by the voters of Colorado”.
Colorado’s citizens voted to legalize marijuana in 2012, and earlier this year the state became the first in the US to offer marijuana for sale for recreational use.
Already, Colorado has collected $7 million in taxes from marijuana sales, adding a valuable revenue stream to the state’s coffers.
Washington state passed a similar measure in 2012, but marijuana only went on sale for recreational use there in 2014.
Alaska, Oregon, and the District of Columbia recently voted to legalize marijuana in November.
Industry trade groups criticized the legal action.
“Colorado has created a comprehensive and robust regulatory program for the sale of marijuana in Colorado,” said Mike Elliott, the director of the Marijuana Industry Group.
“If Nebraska and Oklahoma succeed, they will put the violent criminal organizations back in charge.”
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Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin has ordered a “full review” of the state’s procedures following Clayton Lockett’s botched execution.
Clayton Lockett’s execution was stopped after 20 minutes on Tuesday evening
Officials say one of his veins ruptured, preventing the drugs from taking full effect. He died of a heart attack less than an hour later.
The execution of a fellow inmate, scheduled to die hours after Clayton Lockett, has been postponed amid the review.
Clayton Lockett was sentenced to death for shooting 19-year-old Stephanie Neiman and watching as two accomplices buried her alive in 1999.
Stephanie Neiman and a friend had interrupted the men as they robbed a home.
Clayton Lockett’s lawyer, David Autry, said the failed execution was a “horrible thing to witness”.
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin has ordered a “full review” of the state’s procedures following Clayton Lockett’s botched execution
“Obviously the whole thing was gummed up and botched from beginning to end,” David Autry said.
“Halting the execution obviously did Lockett no good.”
The problems surrounding Clayton Lockett’s execution come amid a wider debate over the legality of the three-drug method and whether its use violates guarantees in the US constitution “against cruel and unusual punishment”.
Both men scheduled to die on Tuesday had unsuccessfully challenged a state law that shields the identities of companies supplying the drugs.
The execution began at 18:23 local time, when officials administered a sedative.
Clayton Lockett was declared unconscious 10 minutes later, allowing officials to begin injecting the two drugs that would kill him.
But three minutes later, he began breathing heavily and writhing.
Prison officials pulled a curtain across the view of witnesses when it became apparent that something had gone wrong.
Oklahoma’s top prison official ordered a halt to the execution shortly after.
“We believe that a vein was blown and the drugs weren’t working as they were designed to.” Oklahoma Department of Corrections spokesman Jerry Massie said.
But David Autry questioned the remarks, insisting his client “had large arms and very prominent veins,” according to the Associated Press.
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said in a statement that she had issued a 14-day stay of execution for fellow inmate Charles Warner, 46, while the state completed a review of its execution procedures.
Charles Warner had been scheduled to be put to death in the same room two hours later in a rare double execution.
He was convicted of the 1997 murder and rape of an 11-month-old girl.
Charles Warner’s lawyer, Madeline Cohen, who witnessed Clayton Lockett’s execution, said he had been “tortured to death” and called for an independent investigation, including an outside medical examination.
The US has encountered increasing problems in obtaining the drugs for lethal injections, amid an embargo by European pharmaceutical firms.
Some states have turned to untried combinations of drugs or have sought to obtain the drugs custom-made from compounding pharmacies. Several states that still have the death penalty have since switched to a single-drug method.
Charles Warner and Clayton Lockett had unsuccessfully challenged an Oklahoma state law that blocks officials from revealing – even in court – the identities of the companies supplying the drugs.
The state maintains the law is necessary to protect the suppliers from legal action and harassment.
Clayton Lockett and Charles Warner argued they needed to know the names of the suppliers in order to ensure the quality of the drugs that would be used to kill them and to be certain that they had been obtained legally.
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Oklahoma death row inmate Clayton Lockett died of a heart attack after his execution was halted because the lethal injection of three drugs failed to work properly.
Clayton Lockett, 38, experienced a vein failure which prevented the drug cocktail from being fully effective.
The execution was halted after 20 minutes, during which he writhed and shook uncontrollably, US media report.
The execution of fellow inmate Charles Warner, due to take place just two hours later, was postponed for 14 days.
A spokesman for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections told US media that Clayton Lockett had died of a heart attack following injection of three lethal drugs.
“We believe that a vein was blown and the drugs weren’t working as they were designed to. The director ordered a halt to the execution,” corrections department spokesman Jerry Massie said.
Prison officials pulled a curtain across the view of witnesses when it became apparent that something had gone wrong.
Clayton Lockett died of a heart attack after his execution was halted because the lethal injection of three drugs failed to work properly
“He was conscious and blinking, licking his lips even after the process began. He then began to seize,” Associated Press news agency reporter Bailey Elise McBride tweeted from the scene.
“This was botched, and it was difficult to watch,” said David Autry, one of Clayton Lockett’s lawyers.
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said in a statement that she had ordered a full review of the state’s execution procedures.
Charles Warner, 46, had been scheduled to be put to death in the same room two hours later in a rare double execution.
Clayton Lockett was sentenced to death for the 1999 shooting of a 19-year-old woman. Charles Warner was convicted for the 1997 murder and rape of an 11-month-old girl.
The two men had unsuccessfully challenged an Oklahoma state law that blocks officials from revealing – even in court – the identities of the companies supplying the drugs used to sedate inmates, paralyze their respiratory systems and stop their hearts.
The state maintains the law is necessary to protect the suppliers from legal action and harassment.
Clayton Lockett and Charles Warner argued it was necessary for the men to learn the name of the suppliers in order to ensure the quality of the drugs that would be used to kill them and to be certain that they had been obtained legally.
In March a trial court ruled in their favor, but the state’s highest court reversed that decision last week, ruling that “the plaintiffs have no more right to the information they requested than if they were being executed in the electric chair”.
In recent years US states have had increasing problems in trying to obtain drugs used in executions, amid an embargo by European pharmaceutical companies.
Some have turned to untried combinations of drugs or have sought to obtain the drugs custom-made from compounding pharmacies.
Clayton Lockett’s last moments:
- 18:23 – Sedative administered
- 18:33 – Doctor declares Clayton Lockett unconscious
- 18:36 – Clayton Lockett is restless and a doctor discovers a ruptured vein
- Curtain drawn
- Execution halted
- 19:06 – Clayton Lockett dies from a heart attack
All times local – Central Time
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At least 12 people have been killed by tornadoes in Arkansas and Oklahoma as a huge storm system swept across America’s midsection Sunday.
Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe confirmed on Twitter Sunday that there were 11 fatalities in his state.
“There are now 11 confirmed deaths from this storm. 5 in Faulkner County, 5 in Pulaski County, 1 in White County,” Mike Beebe tweeted.
One other person was killed in the town of Quapaw in the north-east of Oklahoma where officials said many buildings were badly damaged.
Tornadoes also struck in Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Missouri.
At least 12 people have been killed by tornadoes in Arkansas and Oklahoma as a huge storm system swept across America’s midsection
President Barack Obama, on a trip to the Philippines, offered his deepest condolences to those affected and said federal emergency officials would be on the ground to help: “Your country will be there to help you recover and rebuild, as long as it takes.”
Matt DeCample, a spokesman for Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe, said eleven people had been killed in several suburbs west and north of Little Rock – five in Faulkner County, five in Pulaski County and one in White County.
Congressman Tim Griffin told Reuters news agency an “entire neighborhood of 50 homes or so” in Faulkner County had been destroyed, with many “completely gone except the foundation”.
First reports from Oklahoma said two people had died in Quapaw but officials later revised the figure down to one. Another six people were injured.
Quapaw, which has a population of about 900, was badly hit by the tornado, Ottawa County Emergency Management director Joe Dan Morgan said.
“Looks like about half of town got extensive damage as well as the fire department,” he said.
The tornado then headed northwards into the state of Kansas where it struck Baxter Springs, injuring several people and causing further damage.
The Arkansas tornado touched down about 10 miles west of the city of Little Rock and left a 40 mile path of destruction.
It is said to have passed through several northern suburbs – including the town of Mayflower where it destroyed several buildings.
A witness in Mayflower reported a tornado half a mile wide crossing Interstate 40 on Sunday evening, the National Weather Service said.
Over the weekend, storms struck the eastern part of the US, killing a child in North Carolina.
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Central Oklahoma has been hit by a 4.5-magnitude earthquake on Saturday, just weeks after the two-year anniversary of the strongest earthquake ever recorded in the Sooner state.
The earthquake was centered near Arcadia, about 14 miles northeast of Oklahoma City, and was about 5 miles deep, the US Geological Survey reported.
Central Oklahoma has been hit by a 4.5-magnitude earthquake on Saturday
Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman Keli Cain said no injuries or damage were reported. The state is crisscrossed with fault lines that generate frequent small earthquakes, most too weak to be felt. But after decades of limited seismic activity in this region, earthquakes have become more common in the last several years.
The strongest earthquake on record in Oklahoma was a magnitude-5.6 earthquake on November 5, 2011. That time, the football stadium in Stillwater, about 70 miles north of Oklahoma City, started shaking just after OSU defeated No. 17 Kansas State and left ESPN anchor Kirk Herbstreit wide-eyed during a postgame telecast.
President Barack Obama has visited the tornado-ravaged town of Moore in Oklahoma to comfort its victims saying that they “are not alone”.
Surveying the devastation, Barack Obama said it was “hard to comprehend”, adding: “Everywhere, fellow Americans are praying with you.”
The president visited the site of the school where seven children died.
The tornado ravaged the Oklahoma City suburb last Monday, killing 24 people and destroying some 1,200 homes.
About 33,000 people were affected and the damage has been estimated at $2 billion.
Some 377 people were also injured in the tornado, which was ranked an EF5 – at the top of the enhanced Fujita scale.
Barack Obama, alongside Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, said: “This is a strong community with strong character. There’s no doubt they will bounce back. But they need help.”
Standing on a block surrounded by debris, Barack Obama said: “Obviously the damage here is pretty hard to comprehend.”
Barack Obama has visited the tornado-ravaged town of Moore in Oklahoma to comfort its victims
“Whenever I come to an area that has been devastated by some natural disaster like this, I want to make sure that everyone understands that I am speaking on behalf of the entire country,” the president said.
In the past year Barack Obama has consoled the families of victims of Superstorm Sandy, the Newtown, Connecticut school shooting and the Boston Marathon bombings.
He said: “Everywhere, fellow Americans are praying with you, they’re thinking about you and they want to help. And I’m just a messenger here letting you know that you are not alone.”
Barack Obama’s first stop was the Plaza Towers Elementary School, where seven of the 10 children who died lost their lives.
In front of the wreckage and surveying piles of rubble and upturned cars, he told one school official: “I know this is tough.”
Three makeshift American flags flew in the wind, attached to parts of the debris.
Caleb Sloan, 24, who lost his home, told Reuters: “[The president] has no choice but to live by his word. I hope and pray and think he will keep his promises.”
Barack Obama has signed a disaster declaration that quickens federal aid.
Some 450 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel are in Moore, with some $3.4 million in payments so far approved for 4,200 applicants for disaster assistance.
Governor Mary Fallin said: “We’re resilient. There’s already a big path of debris that’s been moved around. People are gathering their stuff.
“It’s been truly remarkable to see how our people have responded and how strong they are.”
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At least 51 people have been killed after a huge tornado tore through Oklahoma City suburbs, with the death toll likely to rise.
Worst hit was Moore, south of Oklahoma City, where neighborhoods were flattened and schools were destroyed by winds of up to 200mph.
About 120 people, including 70 children, are being treated in hospitals for their injuries.
Search and rescue efforts are continuing throughout the night.
Monday’s twister hit Moore, a suburb of about 55,000 people, and remained on the ground for about 45 minutes.
The Oklahoma chief medical examiner’s office said children were among the 51 dead.
At least two schools were devastated by the high winds, and there are reports that children are still unaccounted for.
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said it was a “tragic” day, and that President Barack Obama had called her to offer assistance.
At least 51 people have been killed after a huge tornado tore through Oklahoma City suburbs
More than 200 Oklahoma National Guardsmen as well as out-of-state personnel have been called in to assist the search-and-rescue effort.
Shocked survivors spoke of the tornado’s power.
“We locked the cellar door once we saw it coming, it got louder and next thing you know is you see the latch coming undone,” survivor Ricky Stover said.
“We couldn’t reach for it and it ripped open the door and just glass and debris started slamming on us and we thought we were dead, to be honest.”
Melissa Newton said: “There’s shingles and pieces of sheet rock and wood in our yard and all across our neighborhood. Some homes are completely gone. It’s devastating.”
James Rushing said he had rushed to the Plaza Towers Elementary School, where his foster son Aiden was a pupil, to see it destroyed by the storm.
“About two minutes after I got there, the school started coming apart,” he told the Associated Press news agency.
The National Weather Service (NWS) said Monday’s tornado had generated winds of up to 200 mph.
“It’s certainly the most powerful tornado that I’ve ever dealt with in my 20 years with the weather service,” said NWS meteorologist Rick Smith in Norman, Oklahoma.
The town of Moore was hit by a severe tornado in May 1999, which had the highest winds ever recorded on Earth.
But Betsy Randolph of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol told local news station Skynews 9 that the damage on Monday appeared to exceed that of the last devastating tornado.
Tornadoes, hail and high winds also hit Iowa and Kansas, part of a storm system stretching from Texas to Minnesota.
On Sunday, a tornado smashed a trailer park on Highway 102 near Shawnee, Oklahoma. Oklahoma’s state medical examiner confirmed on Monday that two people had been killed in the area.
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At least one person is reported dead and at least 21 others injured in a series of tornadoes that have torn through Oklahoma and Kansas.
The worst damage was caused by a tornado near the town of Shawnee, 35 miles from Oklahoma City, local media report.
A mobile home park near Shawnee is said to have been leveled to the ground.
Twisters have been reported in other states, including Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas and Illinois.
The National Weather Service (NWS) warned of a dangerous tornado approaching the city of Wichita, Kansas. It had earlier issued urgent appeals for people in parts of Oklahoma to take cover.
In Oklahoma, local TV stations said at least one person was killed and several others hurt when a trailer park on Highway 102 near Shawnee was hit.
A Fox25 reporter in Shawnee said trees had been shredded and homes destroyed. Downed power lines were lying on roads, she said.
One resident, Amber Ash, said her home was hit by a tornado as she waited in a storm shelter.
At least one person is reported dead and at least 21 others injured in a series of tornadoes that have torn through Oklahoma and Kansas.
“Once it passed, we got out and saw the devastation. Everything I had was destroyed.”
There was also serious damage in the town of Edmond but no injuries were reported.
Thousands of residents in the affected areas have been left without power.
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said a state of emergency had been declared in 16 counties to enable help to get to the worst-hit parts of Oklahoma.
At least four tornadoes ravaged the state on Sunday, part of a storm system that was moving north-east across the Midwestern states and Texas.
“Right now we’re in a rescue and recovery stage,” Mary Fallin said.
“We’re still not in the clear yet.”
The massive storm system prompted the NWS to issue a blunt warning to residents in the affected states.
The agency said: “You could be killed if not underground or in a tornado shelter. Complete destruction of neighborhoods, businesses and vehicles will occur. Flying debris will be deadly to people and animals.”
Meteorologists warn that the extreme weather is expected to continue on Monday.
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A 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck Oklahoma at 10:53 p.m. local time Saturday (03:53 GMT), according to U.S. Geological Survey.
The seismic monitoring agency said the quake was centered about 44 mile east-northeast of Oklahoma City.
It had initially reported the temblor as a 5.2 magnitude quake.
The tremor was one of the biggest earthquake in Oklahoma history and caused significant damage.
Chimneys collapsed through roofs of homes in Lincoln County – 50 miles from Oklahoma City.
Damage to the Prague library included collapsed air conditioning ducts and a collapsed wall.
Several roadways have buckled, including Highway 62 and other county roads, according to KJRH radio.
A 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck Oklahoma at 10.53 pm local time Saturday, according to U.S. Geological Survey
The quake – the biggest of four that shook the centre of the state – rattled a college football stadium 50 miles away and sent shudders through buildings and homes in distant communities and cities.
Emergency authorities had no immediate reports of injuries but one county’s sheriff’s office said it was responding to numerous calls and checking for any damages.
It said the quake struck near the community of Sparks — in eastern Oklahoma between Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
The temblor shook the stadium at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater near the end of the school’s football game with Kansas State.
The quake was one of several to rattle the state Saturday, including a magnitude 4.7 earthquake that shook the same area early Saturday.
Michelann Ooten, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management, said no injuries were reported to emergency management officials and that there had been no reports of injuries.
If the intensity of the Saturday night quake is confirmed, it would be the state’s strongest on record. USGS records show that a 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck El Reno, just west of Oklahoma City, in 1952 and, before Oklahoma became a state in 1907, a quake of similar magnitude 5.5 struck in northeastern Indian Territory in 1882.
The quake was felt as far away as Tennessee and Wisconsin, according to reports received by the USGS.
Saturday’s earlier temblor, which hit at 2:12 a.m., woke people and pets as it shook an area that stretched from Texas to Missouri. Its epicenter was 6 miles north of Prague in Lincoln County, in the rolling hills about 50 miles east of Oklahoma City.
A 3.4 magnitude aftershock was reported at 2:27 a.m. from the same location, as well as a 2.7 magnitude aftershock at 2:44 a.m.
Oklahoma Geological Survey researcher Austin Holland told Oklahoma City television station KOTV that the earthquake and aftershocks occurred on a known fault line.
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