Lets go Colorado

[papaduckie]

Residents of Colorado will have the opportunity to vote in favor of ending marijuana prohibition this November. Today, the "Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act" was approved for the ballot by Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler. With this confirmation, Colorado now joins Washington as one of two states where measures specific to legalizing cannabis will appear on the electoral ballot.

Backers of the initiative had previously turned in over 160,000 signatures. However, the Secretary of State's office on February 3 responded that petitioners still needed an additional 2,500 valid signatures from registered voters to place the initiative on the ballot. On February 17th, the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol submitted an additional 14,000 signatures, well in excess of what was required to meet that threshold. Today's approval from the state cements their placement on this fall's ballot.

The Colorado initiative seeks to allow for the limited possession and cultivation of cannabis by adults age 21 and over. The measure would further amend state law to establish regulations governing the commercial production and distribution of marijuana by licensed retailers.

The measure is supported by a broad coalition of reform organizations, including NORML, the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, SAFER, Sensible Colorado, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), the Drug Policy Alliance, and the Marijuana Policy Project.

"This is a very exciting prospect for marijuana law reform advocates," states Erik Altieri, NORML's Communications Coordinator, "Coloradans have already set the example for how to properly implement a state medical marijuana program and now they have the opportunity to lead the country yet again by being the first to end cannabis prohibition in their state. With their state pride and frontier mentality, the Centennial State stands a great chance of being the first state to declare an end to the war on cannabis consumers."

Since its inception, the 2012 Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol has been comprised of a broad-based coalition of state and national organizations that includes NORML. The NORML Board of Directors is expected to publicly endorse the initiative shortly.

More information on the initiative can be found at the campaign's webpage

 

[guero3169]

I know i'm voting for sure

 

[SkinnyChef]

Not only am I going to vote... but I am making sure everyone I know that smokes, gets registered to vote this year! I even took a buddy to city hall to get the paper work done for it.

If you know people have them do the same!

 

[Ipackdatgreen]

Loving how this is on Net Geo to.
But good to see its on here to good luck guys!

 

[SkinnyChef]

Two more marijuana initiatives filed
POSTED: 03/13/2012 0900 PM MDT
UPDATED: 03/13/2012 0901 PM MDT By John Ingold
The Denver Post
Supporters of looser marijuana laws in Colorado have filed two more proposed initiatives aiming for the November ballot.

The two new initiatives – one that would legalize marijuana possession for any purpose and one that would expand the types of conditions for which a person can receive medical marijuana – add to a list of three initiatives already filed. One of those previously filed initiatives would legalize limited marijuana possession and has already qualified for the ballot. The other two are still seeking the needed language-approvals or signatures.

Of the newly filed initiatives, one – now known as Proposed Initiative No. 70 – would make it a constitutional right to possess up to four ounces of marijuana for people 21 and older. The initiative would also allow for marijuana to be sold in stores that are regulated like tobacco businesses.

The other new initiative, Proposed Initiative No. 65, would give doctors discretion to recommend marijuana for any medical condition. Currently, a doctor must diagnose a patient with one of eight medical conditions in order for the patient to qualify for medical marijuana. A valid doctor's recommendation is all that is needed under state law to be able to use medical marijuana legally.

Those new initiatives join an already crowded field of marijuana measures vying for attention.

One initiative – which supporters call the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act of 2012 – would legalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for people 21 and older and allow adults to grow up to six marijuana plants in their homes. The measure also allows for pot shops but allows communities to ban the businesses. The measure last month qualified for the ballot, after a costly signature-gathering effort.

The two remaining proposed initiatives would legalize possession of any amount of marijuana.

One of those initiatives, dubbed by supporters the Relief for the Possession of Cannabis Act, would prohibit judges from imposing penalties on anyone for marijuana possession. Its backers are currently collecting signatures and have until July 18 to turn them in.

The last initiative, known as Legalize 2012, would create in Colorado's Constitution a fundamental right to marijuana for people 18 and older and would also allow for retail marijuana sales. That initiative is still working through the state's language-approval process.

It is uncertain how many of the initiatives will make the ballot. Campaigns must collect more than 86,000 signatures from valid Colorado voters to make the ballot, and efforts that do typically have significant financial backing. Supporters of the Regulate Marijuana initiative, for instance, have received at least $190,000 from national marijuana-reform groups, according to their most recent finance reports.

Campaigns backing the other four initiatives do not appear to have filed finance reports, making it difficult to gauge their support.

Presidential election years, when a broader cross-section of the population turns out to vote, are typically seen as the most fertile ground for pro-marijuana politics, and supporters of relaxed marijuana laws have this year approached the election with particular gusto. With five separate, proposed marijuana initiatives, Colorado now matches California in proposed-initiative quantity. However, as in Colorado, it is uncertain how many of the marijuana initiatives in California will make the ballot.

Meanwhile, a marijuana-legalization measure in Washington state has also qualified for the ballot.

None of these initiatives will do anything to change federal law, which makes all marijuana possession a crime.