Mile "HIGH" City!

HurricaneBob · Post by **HurricaneBob** » Sunday Nov 13, 2005

http://cannabisculture.com/articles/4570.html

Quote:
Denver voters make adult possession of one ounce or less of marijuana legal.

Denver became the first city in the nation to make the private use of marijuana legal for adults 21 and older as an alternative to alcohol, a far more harmful drug. By 10.45 p.m. Tuesday night, with 100% of the votes tallied, the Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization Initiative had passed 53.49% YES to 46.51% NO.

The Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization Initiative is the first local measure in the nation to draw a comparison between the harms of alcohol and marijuana.

The successful I-100 campaign focused on the vast number of health, safety and social problems associated with alcohol use, promoting marijuana use to avoid the prevalence of such problems. The campaign pointed to government reports and scholarly studies that show alcohol is a contributing factor in domestic violence, sexual assaults, and other violent crimes, as well as overdose deaths, whereas the use of marijuana has never been linked to such violent behavior and there has never been a marijuana overdose death in history.

Colorado Medical Marijuana certificate
"It is time our laws reflect the facts, and it is an indisputable fact that marijuana is safer than alcohol, both to the user and to society," said Mason Tvert, executive director of SAFER and coordinator of the I-100 campaign. "Current laws accept and even encourage the use of alcohol over marijuana, thus pushing people toward using a more harmful substance. Why on earth would we prohibit an adult from making the rational, safer choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol in their own home?"

By approving the I-100, the use of marijuana in public, the use of marijuana by people under 21, driving under the influence of marijuana, and the cultivation and distribution of marijuana would all remain illegal, much like with alcohol.

Cannabis Culture will update this story as more details become available.

Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) is a Colorado-based non-profit organization whose mission is to educate the public about the harmful consequences associated with alcohol, as compared to the safer — yet illegal — substance: marijuana.

Here is the language of the Initiative-100

Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization Initiative

WHEREAS, according to the National Institutes of Health, an average of 317 Americans die annually as the result of alcohol overdoses; and

WHEREAS, there has never been even a single fatal marijuana overdose recorded in the medical literature, as noted by the British Medical Journal in September 2003; and

WHEREAS, according to U.S. Department of Justice, “About 3 million crimes occur each year in which victims perceive the offender to have been drinking at the time of the offense. Among those victims who provided information about the offender’s use of alcohol, about 35% of the victimizations involved an offender who had been drinking”; and

WHEREAS, extensive research, documented in official reports by the British government's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs and the Canadian Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs, among others, shows that -- unlike alcohol -- marijuana use is not generally a cause of violence or aggressive behavior and in fact tends to reduce violence and aggression;

WHEREAS, it is the intent of this ordinance to have the private adult use and possession of marijuana treated in the same manner as the private adult use and possession of alcohol;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER

__________________________________________________ ______________________

TEXT OF PROPOSED INITIATIVE
(proposed addition in all caps, underlined)

Amend Art. 5, Div. 3, Sec. 38-175 (Revised Municipal Code)

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person UNDER THE AGE OF TWENTY-ONE (21) to possess one (1) ounce or less of marihuana. If such person is under the age of eighteen (18) years of age at the time of the offense, no jail sentence shall be imposed and any fine imposed may be supplanted by treatment as required by the court.

bassist_25 · Post by **bassist_25** » Sunday Nov 13, 2005

I would like to see the research that proves that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol. It seems as though it focuses on the sociological impact of cannabis consumption. I would be interested to read the research concerning health factors, especially marijuana's effect on nuerological and cognitive functions of the brain.

But I am glad that people are finally pulling their heads from their asses and realizing that the government propaganda machine (perpetuated by the special interest dollars of course) is not always right. People need to be free to think for themselves, and it shouldn't be up to a government body to determine what one puts in his or her body. Furthermore, it's definatley not any of Walmart's business if someone is off the clock and decides to toke up a joint. So let's make it illegal for companies to drug test on potential and current employees, which as we all know of course, also shows current medications the applicant is on. Companies don't like employees with medical problems. If an accident occurs and drug use is suspect, it should be up to the judicial system to make that call, not Walmart.

Yeah, I'm a libertarian.

BDR · Post by **BDR** » Sunday Nov 13, 2005

This is groundbreaking legislation. I'm quite curious to see the back lasdh here; to see what impact a decision like this in a major U.S. city will have on the rest of the nation.

Clinton is probably packing his bags right now ... GO BRONCOS!!! LOL ...

bassist_25 wrote:I would like to see the research that proves that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol. It seems as though it focuses on the sociological impact of cannabis consumption. I would be interested to read the research concerning health factors, especially marijuana's effect on nuerological and cognitive functions of the brain.

But I am glad that people are finally pulling their heads from their asses and realizing that the government propaganda machine (perpetuated by the special interest dollars of course) is not always right. People need to be free to think for themselves, and it shouldn't be up to a government body to determine what one puts in his or her body. Furthermore, it's definatley not any of Walmart's business if someone is off the clock and decides to toke up a joint. So let's make it illegal for companies to drug test on potential and current employees, which as we all know of course, also shows current medications the applicant is on. Companies don't like employees with medical problems. If an accident occurs and drug use is suspect, it should be up to the judicial system to make that call, not Walmart.

Yeah, I'm a libertarian.

I saw FutureBobby (bassist_25) last night with a bag of mini-Snickers ... the munchies, perhaps?

r:>)

bassist_25 · Post by **bassist_25** » Sunday Nov 13, 2005

BadDazeRob wrote: I saw FutureBobby (bassist_25) last night with a bag of mini-Snickers ... the munchies, perhaps?

.....And Rich Klindworth was there!

(He didn't eat Snickers though, of course)

no surrender · Post by **no surrender** » Sunday Nov 13, 2005

while i applaud this it is still illegal to purchase maryjane in the state of Colorado. the city will not fine but state will. first ofense possesion of ounce or less is a "parking ticket" in Colorado>>>$100 dolla fine but no jail. still, GO DENVER!

YankeeRose · Post by **YankeeRose** » Sunday Nov 13, 2005

"Rocky Mountain High" by John Denver takes on a whole new meaning...although the last verse does end with something like, "friends around the campfire and everybody's high! Rocky Mountain High, in Colorado..."

f.sciarrillo · Post by **f.sciarrillo** » Sunday Nov 13, 2005

Looks like another let the people of the state decide .. I applaud Colorado for that, I wish more states were like that. I don't applaud that it was legalized. then I am not going to cry or shout about it either ..

no surrender · Post by **no surrender** » Sunday Nov 13, 2005

f.sciarrillo wrote:Looks like another let the people of the state decide .. I applaud Colorado for that, I wish more states were like that. I don't applaud that it was legalized. then I am not going to cry or shout about it either ..

after reading your post still not sure which side you come down on..

mothernature know's best

lonewolf · Post by **lonewolf** » Sunday Nov 13, 2005

tonefight · Post by **tonefight** » Sunday Nov 13, 2005

It's hard to believe that this got passed when they are trying to ban cigarettes in other areas. I agree that pot isn't quite the demon alcohol is, I think I would rather ride in a car with someone stoned driving rather than a drunk.

SpellboundByMetal · Post by **SpellboundByMetal** » Sunday Nov 13, 2005

im moving to denver

RAM Z · Post by **RAM Z** » Monday Nov 14, 2005

I think it's awsome, but it kinda doesn't work if the state can still bust ya for it though. I think there should be a permit to grow your own sorta like there is to sell booze, then there would be no need for the dealer,or the state could grow it and sell it in a "state store" like they do with any other booze other than beer. Hell they could put a reasonable tax on it and use that money for something usefull like help'n our senoir citizens with fuel in the winter, road repair,disaster related problems, help'n people with certain medical needs who don't have the insurance or finacial means to do so on their own ,such as wheelchairs or prostetic limbs and that's just to name somethings "IT COULD BENIFIT" other than our government. I've always been a huge supporter of legalization of pot and also for grow'n it.
I read in a "High Times" mag on time that you would have to smoke
15 Pounds within 15 minutes in order to die from it and in reallity you would die from smoke inhalation not the pot. The thing with pot is, it's hard to gauge the peak potency of it being that there is so many different types. I've always thought workplace testing was a stupid idea for the fact that how do they know when you smoked pot last ? If I smoked a doobie on sunday afternoon I sure the hell ain't stoned on monday, if I was that's some pretty damn good stuff but, if I drink a bottle of whiskey I could very well feel the effects the next day which could hinder my work and endanger those around me. It's a very difficult task try'n to figure out the what if factors in make'n pot legal for personal use and also the long term effects on the brain but, when you look at some of these ads on t.v. for other drugs that say real quick at the end that they could cause liver ,heart,stomach, and other heath problems but, oh well it'll fix your asthma though, that just doesn't seem right to me. The medical facts are there for pot it's just a matter of how the state or government can get paid by make'n pot legal and that's the only real reason it isn't legal right now IMO. I could go on forever on this matter.

I say screw em' fire it up anyways just don't get caught!
JAIL ,MARIJUANA'S ONLY BAD SIDE EFFECT !

They can't put us all in jail can they? Sure they could, then they could let out some more violent offenders into our communities to make room for all the stoners!

ZappasXWife · Post by **ZappasXWife** » Monday Nov 14, 2005

While I am definitely for legalization, against drug testing, and applaud Denver for a step in the right direction, I find it odd that they have made it legal to have weed in your possession but it is still illegal to purchase. Seems backward or something.

AtoMikEnRtiA · Post by **AtoMikEnRtiA** » Monday Nov 14, 2005

ZappasXWife wrote:While I am definitely for legalization, against drug testing, and applaud Denver for a step in the right direction, I find it odd that they have made it legal to have weed in your possession but it is still illegal to purchase. Seems backward or something.

Well it's clear what Denver is doing. They're giving D.C. the big "fuck you" and taking sides with Columbia, and Venezuela on drug issues haha. You watch citizens of Denver make trips to Bogota now to get all kinds of drugs, coke, weed, you name it - and they'll start smuggling and smoking haha.. not really but it's a fun thought..

I say Rockpagers should like vacation in Denver soon - we'll take in a Broncos game, a good show, and all the pot we can smoke haha