Denver to vote on Possesion Law

[EvilGenius]

Denver voters will decide Tuesday whether to make it legal for adults to possess up to an ounce of marijuana. Seattle, Oakland, Calif., and a few college towns already have laws making possession the lowest law enforcement priority. Supporters in Denver have launched a "Make Denver Safer" campaign that contends the change will help curb domestic violence.

"There's no doubt that if people choose to use marijuana instead of alcohol we would not have the same number of problems," said Mason Tvert, the 23-year-old campaign organizer. The argument has angered local officials.

"It's a deceptive and deceitful campaign," said Councilman Charlie Brown, who spent a recent Saturday night ripping the signs down from parks and medians – where they are banned – and throwing them in the garbage. "Domestic violence is not on the ballot. Alcohol is not on the ballot. Marijuana is on the ballot."

A "yes" vote probably won't make much difference. The city attorney's office said Denver police will simply file marijuana possession charges under state law, which carries up to a $100 fine and a mandatory $100 drug-offender surcharge.

"The initiative isn't going to change the way we do business," said Vince DeCroce, director of prosecution for the attorney's office.

From 2002 to August of this year, some 6,800 people in Denver were charged with possession of less than one ounce of marijuana, according to the city attorney's office. Of those, only 74 were charged under the city ordinance.

Critics of the ballot measure are wary of what a "yes" vote might do to Denver's reputation.

"People will flock to Denver to use marijuana," said Jeffrey Sweetin, head of the Rocky Mountain Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Even if possession of one ounce is legal, people would still have to illegally buy the drug, Sweetin said, and "people don't realize all that money goes to organized crime."

 

[aaius.nipson]

Denver

I agree with my people if you took a survey of people who were involved in domestic violence and D.U.I. YOU WOULD see THAT more thatn 75% is alcohol related. Studies show medical uses for marijuana now see how many medical uses are for alcohol. Well what are you still doing here go look its your job to ban marijuana the government banned alcohol 70 years ago and the people got it back don't worry my fellow smokers, if we know our government how they are we will have smoking sessions with our fellow police officers, like in the 70's... oh we will!

 

[Pinch]

Get 'er done!

By any means get it done. Denver advocates have simply evolved in the art of politics. Yep, git 'er done!

 

[Pinch]

"People will flock to Denver to use marijuana," said Jeffrey Sweetin, head of the Rocky Mountain Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration.


Right.. just like they flocked to California. Gimme a fucking break.. please! :jerkit:

 

[SkinnyMike]

Even if possession of one ounce is legal, people would still have to illegally buy the drug, Sweetin said, and "people don't realize all that money goes to organized crime."

All of it? Really? What about the money that goes to the college kid growing it to pay tuition... yeah... organized crime...

 

[C5446]

Even if possession of one ounce is legal, people would still have to illegally buy the drug, Sweetin said, and "people don't realize all that money goes to organized crime."

Yeah like our taxes don't...

 

[Boss]

In Denver, voters on Tuesday also approved:

-An annual $25 million property tax increase to fund a program that will link raises and incentives for Denver public school teachers to student achievement. Experts said no other large district in the nation has tried such
a dramatic overhaul.

-A measure to make it legal for adults to possess up to an ounce of marijuana, though the city attorney's office said police would simply file marijuana possession charges under state law.

It PASSED!

 

[DalMonk]

Denver residents Tuesday voted to legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, but the state attorney general said the vote was irrelevant because state law will still be enforced.

The measure passed 54 percent to 46 percent.

"It just goes to show the voters of Denver are fed up with a law that prohibits adults from making a rational, safer choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol," said Mason Tvert, executive director of Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation, or SAFER.

The measure will change the city's ordinance to make it legal for adults 21 and older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana in the city.

Denver follows the city of Oakland, which last year voted to make marijuana possession its lowest enforcement priority and required the city to develop a plan for licensing and taxing the sale, use and cultivation of marijuana for private use. Voters in Telluride Tuesday defeated a similar measure.

Denver is "the second major city in less than a year to pass a vote which says that marijuana should be treated essentially like alcohol, taxed and regulated," said Bruce Mirken, the director of communications for the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, one of the largest groups opposing jail time for the use of pot. "This has been characterized as a fringe issue, and clearly it's not."

Even though voters approved Initiative 100, Denver police still will bring charges under state law, which carries a fine of up to $100 and a mandatory $100 drug-offender surcharge for possession of small amounts of marijuana, said Attorney General John Suthers.

"I have found these efforts to be unconstructive," Suthers said.

"I understand the debate about legalization and whether our drug laws are constructive. But I wish we would have a full-out debate instead of these peripheral issues that accomplish just about nothing," he said.

Tvert said marijuana supporters will push for a statewide initiative that would allow for the licensing and regulation of the selling of marijuana.

"This is not just symbolic," he said. "This is a fact. This city voted to change a city ordinance. We expect the city officials to respect the will of the voters who elected them."

In Denver, backers of the initiative sparked controversy with their campaign.

Denver City Councilman Charlie Brown blasted as deceptive their campaign signs, which declared: "Make Denver SAFER, Vote Yes on I-100." Brown said he feared voters would believe the initiative would put more police on Denver streets.

Under fire from domestic-violence groups, SAFER also pulled a controversial billboard that showed a battered woman and her abuser with the slogan "Reduce family and community violence in Denver. Vote Yes on I-100."

Proponents of the initiative tried to draw Mayor John Hickenlooper into the fray by labeling him a hypocrite for selling alcohol in his brewpubs when he opposed their efforts to legalize marijuana.

During one rally, they unveiled a banner that read: "What is the difference between Mayor Hickenlooper and a marijuana dealer? The mayor has made his fortune selling a more harmful drug: alcohol."

Tuesday night, Hickenlooper said he was surprised by the vote.

"It doesn't supersede state law, so it's really symbolic of changing attitudes," the mayor said.

By Christopher N. Osher
Denver Post Staff Writer

Looks to me like some progress is being made.