Legal pot, murky jobs: Marijuana laws put workers in tough spot

Trevor Hughes, USATODAY

Federal law still considers marijuana as a dangerous drug, so prosecutors could easily bring drug-trafficking charges against anyone whose salary is paid by taxes collected on legal marijuana sales.

DENVER– Every time he goes to work, Harvard-trained lawyer Andrew Freedman faces federal prosecution thanks to the source of his paycheck: Colorado’s burgeoning marijuana industry.

Freedman, the governor’s chief marijuana adviser, faces prison time if federal prosecutors decide to step in. That’s because federal law still considers marijuana as dangerous as heroin or cocaine, and prosecutors could easily bring drug-trafficking charges if they choose. Freedman’s salary is paid by the taxes collected on legal marijuana sales.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/04/legal-marijuana-workers/15000903/