Freaktan
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A billboard designed to drum up support for legalizing marijuana in Denver has caused controversy.
The billboard features a woman who has been a victim of domestic violence. The ad claims a vote in favor of Initiative 100 is a vote in favor of "reducing family and community violence".
Initiative 100 calls for the city to legalize marijuana.
"If this passes, it will make the city of Denver safer by allowing adults over 21 to use marijuana as an alternative to alcohol," said Mason Tvert, Initiative 100 director.
The director of Safehouse Denver disagreed and called the billboard outrageous.
"It really minimizes the brutality and lethality of the issue. And it's almost as if they're saying this would go away if people just smoked enough marijuana to chill out," said Ellen Stein Wallace.
She pointed out that Safehouse Denver has served plenty of women whose batterers smoked marijuana.
Tvert believes alcohol is what fuels crimes, such as, domestic violence and lifting the prohibition on marijuana will reduce incidents like these.
"We're clearly sending a message that the use of alcohol is acceptable and we're encouraging folks to use it when many of them would otherwise be willing to use a far less harmful substance," Tvert said.
In addition to the billboards, yard signs saying "Make Denver Safer" also came under fire for suggesting the measure is a response to rising crime in Denver.
"This initiative will not put more cops on the street, it will put more marijuana on the street and how you can relate that to making a city more safe?" said Charlie Brown, Denver city councilman. "It's just incomprehensible to me."
Newshawk: Freaktan - 420Times.com
Source: CBS4Denver.com
Copyright: 2005 CBS Broadcasting
Contact: CBS Colorado - Breaking News, Sports, First Alert Weather & Community Journalism
Website: CBS Colorado - Breaking News, Sports, First Alert Weather & Community Journalism
Author: Staff - CBS4Denver.com
The billboard features a woman who has been a victim of domestic violence. The ad claims a vote in favor of Initiative 100 is a vote in favor of "reducing family and community violence".
Initiative 100 calls for the city to legalize marijuana.
"If this passes, it will make the city of Denver safer by allowing adults over 21 to use marijuana as an alternative to alcohol," said Mason Tvert, Initiative 100 director.
The director of Safehouse Denver disagreed and called the billboard outrageous.
"It really minimizes the brutality and lethality of the issue. And it's almost as if they're saying this would go away if people just smoked enough marijuana to chill out," said Ellen Stein Wallace.
She pointed out that Safehouse Denver has served plenty of women whose batterers smoked marijuana.
Tvert believes alcohol is what fuels crimes, such as, domestic violence and lifting the prohibition on marijuana will reduce incidents like these.
"We're clearly sending a message that the use of alcohol is acceptable and we're encouraging folks to use it when many of them would otherwise be willing to use a far less harmful substance," Tvert said.
In addition to the billboards, yard signs saying "Make Denver Safer" also came under fire for suggesting the measure is a response to rising crime in Denver.
"This initiative will not put more cops on the street, it will put more marijuana on the street and how you can relate that to making a city more safe?" said Charlie Brown, Denver city councilman. "It's just incomprehensible to me."
Newshawk: Freaktan - 420Times.com
Source: CBS4Denver.com
Copyright: 2005 CBS Broadcasting
Contact: CBS Colorado - Breaking News, Sports, First Alert Weather & Community Journalism
Website: CBS Colorado - Breaking News, Sports, First Alert Weather & Community Journalism
Author: Staff - CBS4Denver.com
