Colorado Plan For Pot Clubs Dies In Legislature

Just as Colorado was on the verge of becoming the first state nation to approve private marijuana clubs, the state House slammed the brakes on the effort in a vote Thursday afternoon.

The Republican-controlled state Senate had passed a measure last month that would have allowed local governments to set rules for the clubs which would have been able to allow indoor pot smoking.

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The clubs would be private establishments with no more than three employees and membership rolls where people would have been able to bring their own marijuana as along as no alcohol or food beyond snacks were served.

Governor Hickenlooper had threatened to veto the measure and warned that passing it could bring unwanted scrutiny from the Department of Justice to the state.

Members of the Colorado House heeded his words and removed all regulations, effectively ending the effort.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has spoken out against marijuana deregulation around the country, reminding states that federal law prohibits marijuana use.

"States, they can pass the laws they choose," he said in February. "I would just say it does remain a violation of federal law to distribute marijuana throughout any place in the United States, whether a state legalizes it or not."

Eight states- Colorado, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Massachusetts, and Maine - and the District of Columbia have approved recreational use of marijuana while 22 other others have legalized use under some circumstances.

Those states are: Hawaii, New Mexico, Arizona, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Louisiana, Arkansas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Delaware.

Watch the House Debate and Vote: