420
Founder
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. "Domestic violence 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.
From 2002 to August of this year, about 6,800 people in Denver were charged with possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana, reports the city attorney's office.
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.
Source: Detroit Free Press (MI)
Copyright: 2005 Detroit Free Press
Contact: letters@freepress.com
Website: Detroit Free Press - Breaking news, sports, business, entertainment
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. "Domestic violence 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.
From 2002 to August of this year, about 6,800 people in Denver were charged with possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana, reports the city attorney's office.
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.
Source: Detroit Free Press (MI)
Copyright: 2005 Detroit Free Press
Contact: letters@freepress.com
Website: Detroit Free Press - Breaking news, sports, business, entertainment
