Marijuana possession legal in Denver almostkinda
Norm_Hopper
61 Posts
Denver Voters OK Marijuana Possession
By JON SARCHE
Associated Press Writer
November 2, 2005, 7:40 AM EST
DENVER -- Residents of the Mile High City have voted to legalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana for adults. Authorities, though, said state possession laws will be applied instead.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting early Wednesday, 54 percent, or 56,001 voters, cast ballots for the ordinance, while 46 percent, or 48,632 voters, voted against it.
Under the measure, residents over 21 years old could possess up to an ounce of marijuana.
"We educated voters about the facts that marijuana is less harmful to the user and society than alcohol," said Mason Tvert, campaign organizer for SAFER, or Safer Alternatives For Enjoyable Recreation. "To prohibit adults from making the rational, safer choice to use marijuana is bad public policy."
Bruce Mirken of the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project said he hoped the approval will launch a national trend toward legalizing a drug whose enforcement he said causes more problems than it cures.
Seattle, Oakland, Calif., and a few college towns already have laws making possession the lowest law enforcement priority.
The Denver proposal seemed to draw at least as much attention for supporters' campaign tactics as it did for the question of legalizing the drug.
Tvert argued that legalizing marijuana would reduce consumption of alcohol, which he said leads to higher rates of car accidents, domestic and street violence and crime.
The group criticized Mayor John Hickenlooper for opposing the proposal, noting his ownership of a popular brewpub. It also said recent violent crimes -- including the shootings of four people last weekend -- as a reason to legalize marijuana to steer people away from alcohol use.
Those tactics angered local officials and some voters. Opponents also said it made no sense to prevent prosecution by Denver authorities while marijuana charges are most often filed under state and federal law.
The measure would not affect the medical marijuana law voters approved in 2000. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that medical marijuana laws in Colorado and nine other states would not protect licensed users from federal prosecution.
Also Tuesday, voters in the ski resort town of Telluride rejected a proposal to make possession of an ounce or less of marijuana by people 18 or older the town's lowest law enforcement priority. The measure was rejected on a vote of 308-332.
By JON SARCHE
Associated Press Writer
November 2, 2005, 7:40 AM EST
DENVER -- Residents of the Mile High City have voted to legalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana for adults. Authorities, though, said state possession laws will be applied instead.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting early Wednesday, 54 percent, or 56,001 voters, cast ballots for the ordinance, while 46 percent, or 48,632 voters, voted against it.
Under the measure, residents over 21 years old could possess up to an ounce of marijuana.
"We educated voters about the facts that marijuana is less harmful to the user and society than alcohol," said Mason Tvert, campaign organizer for SAFER, or Safer Alternatives For Enjoyable Recreation. "To prohibit adults from making the rational, safer choice to use marijuana is bad public policy."
Bruce Mirken of the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project said he hoped the approval will launch a national trend toward legalizing a drug whose enforcement he said causes more problems than it cures.
Seattle, Oakland, Calif., and a few college towns already have laws making possession the lowest law enforcement priority.
The Denver proposal seemed to draw at least as much attention for supporters' campaign tactics as it did for the question of legalizing the drug.
Tvert argued that legalizing marijuana would reduce consumption of alcohol, which he said leads to higher rates of car accidents, domestic and street violence and crime.
The group criticized Mayor John Hickenlooper for opposing the proposal, noting his ownership of a popular brewpub. It also said recent violent crimes -- including the shootings of four people last weekend -- as a reason to legalize marijuana to steer people away from alcohol use.
Those tactics angered local officials and some voters. Opponents also said it made no sense to prevent prosecution by Denver authorities while marijuana charges are most often filed under state and federal law.
The measure would not affect the medical marijuana law voters approved in 2000. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that medical marijuana laws in Colorado and nine other states would not protect licensed users from federal prosecution.
Also Tuesday, voters in the ski resort town of Telluride rejected a proposal to make possession of an ounce or less of marijuana by people 18 or older the town's lowest law enforcement priority. The measure was rejected on a vote of 308-332.
Comments
Silly me. votes dont change laws. Polititians do. I must have forgot what country i was in.
sure this aint a pound, but damn, up to an ounce?? how much smoke do you need to carry for you personally?
They're looking for bigger fish
K in Canada.
they tried to pass a law like this in nevada about 4 or 5 years ago and it didn't go through. something like 55% against.
its just got to be framed right...weed vs. alcohol, wasteful cost on criminaljustice system, personal liberty issue, etc.
good for denver.
i think the fight to legalize or decriminalize the herb is a significant battle...not just on the stoner front for partying rights. the country needs to come out the closet and come to terms with the fact that a large sector of the functional population smokes the ganj regularly/recreationally. still, its cracked down on and used to disproportionately hustle lowincome and minorities into the prison system. there are businesses that are profitting off all this bullshit at taxpayers expense.
be well everybody
K.
I think that this is exactly why we may never see it legalized in our time.
same thing happened in my home state, Rhode Island, they voted it to be legal - either for certain illnesses or for everyone in small amounts, i don't remember the details...however it doesn't matter what the people say since the politicians shot it down.
There would be a lot less assholes if it were made legal nationwide.