[B] Denver Voters OK Marijuana Possession[/B]

[kaorialfred]

Denver Voters OK Marijuana Possession
By JON SARCHE, Associated Press WriterWed Nov 2, 7:40 AM ET

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.

[kaorialfred]

freakin pot heads, next thing you know it will be safer than cigarette smoking. Again, I hate when something is wrong has been wrong and all of a sudden its right. Being black, I think of the way this country was before civil rights. Yet I we changed because the behavior was evel towards our fellow man. You think that this winter there will be a lot of adults hitting snowbanks or falling off moutains or just plain sitting on the side the road baked? " Dad why are we pulling over, well I am going to smoke my legal hemp, and then daddy will be okay to get on the interstate and not have road rage".

Now if they legalized coke or meth. Imagine how productive we would be as workers, instead they give you another depressant to keep your ass dumb, and very easliy controlled for the future. What the hell do I know? I never met a pot head that was ambitous, well maybe one but he smoked ounces by the hour. So he sold in order to smoke so well.

[Kärnfysikern]

thats a good move by denver!

[Hackamaniac]

I have friends who smoke that are physical therapist to succesfull business owners so I think it's all about the person ambitious or not.

[KrooC]

*packs bags*

[TR'05]

smoking weed has not always been considered bad. In fact, it was only the past 75, or so, years that people decided that it should be considered bad. And also, I do not think that any doctor ever has ever declared a cause of death to be from smoking weed. Cigarretes, on the other hand, kill millions of people every year. That is not to say smoking weed is healthy, as it surely not; but, rather, why should weed be illegal in the first place? There are far more dangerous things out there that are readily available. And this is from someone who doesnt get high....

[shortie]

Smoking weed is just as hard on your lungs as cigs, it is just a hell of a lot harder to smoke 3 packs a day.lol

[305GUY]

Thats it i'm moving to Denver if Florida doesnt follow suit. Besides i wouldnt mind actually having a real winter. lol

[IronFreakX]

Smoking weed is just as hard on your lungs as cigs, it is just a hell of a lot harder to smoke 3 packs a day.lol

u can always eat em

[Hackamaniac]

u can always eat em

true dat