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 veggie
Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 5,779
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 Denver poised to make marijuana a low priority [CO]
#7604988 - 11/06/07 10:06 PM (9 months, 23 days ago) |
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Denver poised to make marijuana a low priority
November 6, 2007 - Denver Post
More than half of Denver voters appeared to favor an initiative making marijuana the city's lowest law enforcement priority, according to early ballot returns.
If the result holds, the mayor must now appoint a panel to monitor how marijuana cases are handled by the police and city prosecutors and issue a report.
With most of the ballots counted Tuesday evening, 55 percent of the mail-in ballots supported the initiative and 45 percent were opposed.
"It appears as if it is going to pass and it shows there is a wealth of support around the city," said Mason Tvert, campaign director of Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation, the group behind the initiative.
Tvert says the measure was motivated by what he says are overzealous police who continue to cite adults for possessing under an ounce of marijuana despite a law that allows simple pot possession in Denver.
Denver police and prosecutors say possessing marijuana still violates state and federal law.
A spokeswoman for Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper has said that enforcement of laws governing personal use amounts of marijuana is already a low law enforcement priority.
Similar initiatives passed Seattle in 2003 and in Missoula, Montana last year.
Seattle's marijuana panel reported that marijuana prosecutions and arrests are down, but Seattle's city attorney says the group cannot agree that the initiative caused the drop.
In Missoula, the city attorney has told prosecutors in his office not to pursue simple marijuana possession cases involving adults.
"These sorts of measures in cities and towns across the country have an unbroken winning streak and it's looking like that streak is continuing and that's a sign that voters around the country don't want police time and effort wasted on small-time marijuana enforcement," said Bruce Mirken, spokesman for the Washington D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, a group that contributed $30,000 to SAFER.
Last year, SAFER pushed for an initiative that would legalize possessing small amounts of pot statewide, but it did not pass.
Tvert says he doesn't know if SAFER will try passing a statewide law again.
"It's honestly up in the air," he said.
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FurrowedBrow
Free yourself from yourself
 
Registered: 10/26/06
Posts: 1,366
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Re: Denver poised to make marijuana a low priority [CO] [Re: veggie]
#7605024 - 11/06/07 10:14 PM (9 months, 23 days ago) |
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Good for you citizens of Denver!! I hope it passes. *Crosses fingers*
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Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.
We are one species. We are starstuff.
- Carl Sagan
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 Skeeblix
Dave Thomas
Registered: 01/28/07
Posts: 1,324
Loc: Wendy's
Last seen: 12 minutes, 29 seconds
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Re: Denver poised to make marijuana a low priority [CO] [Re: FurrowedBrow]
#7605186 - 11/06/07 10:53 PM (9 months, 23 days ago) |
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Now, if the federal government would just pull their heads out of their asses and fucking legalize already...
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This post approved by:
Premedman1 said:
 I just shat my pants.
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shroom_ninja
Registered: 11/03/07
Posts: 150
Loc: secret ninja lair
Last seen: 5 months, 10 days
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Re: Denver poised to make marijuana a low priority [CO] [Re: Skeeblix]
#7605256 - 11/06/07 11:21 PM (9 months, 23 days ago) |
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wow, that's pretty incredible news. i do my part every day by harassing my friends about their false "myths" concerning mushrooms and marijuana. do the same!
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"Our vibrations were getting nasty. But why? Was there no communication in this car? Had we deteriorated to the level of dumb beasts?"
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Ellezdey
Stranger
Registered: 02/08/07
Posts: 63
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Re: Denver poised to make marijuana a low priority [CO] [Re: shroom_ninja]
#7605374 - 11/07/07 12:10 AM (9 months, 23 days ago) |
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I live in the denver area and it almost doesnt even matter if this were passed or not. I smoke downtown after i get out of college at a park, by campus or drivin around and ive been spotted numerous times by cops. They just give us a glare and go about there business. The people around really dont care. Noone will ever call the police on u for smoking weed if youre minding your own business. If they ever do check us out, they would probably just give a warning or something.
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ApJunkie
part-time Ninja
Registered: 08/17/06
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Loc: Loc:Loc:Loc:Loc:Loc:
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Re: Denver poised to make marijuana a low priority [CO] [Re: Ellezdey]
#7605992 - 11/07/07 08:55 AM (9 months, 23 days ago) |
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last year on 420 my roommate was one of 6 people (out of over 7,000) to receive a possession ticket at CU Boulder's annual thingie.
it was hilarious.
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"No summit don't call me stupid when you don't know my back round."
-albino_shroom
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LoWgRoW
Strange
Registered: 09/22/07
Posts: 251
Loc: NYCHITY
Last seen: 5 days, 7 hours
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Re: Denver poised to make marijuana a low priority [CO] [Re: ApJunkie]
#7606650 - 11/07/07 11:58 AM (9 months, 23 days ago) |
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NYC use to be real cool about it. Now you are brought downtown(not a pleasant place)put in a cage with dozen of other types of criminals and if its a Friday, your there till Monday!! NYC has become such a crappy place.
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Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them.
Your fortune for today...
Avoid negative people.
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veggie
Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 5,779
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Re: Denver poised to make marijuana a low priority [CO] [Re: veggie]
#7608744 - 11/07/07 08:30 PM (9 months, 23 days ago) |
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update...
Denver voters again tell police, prosecutors to back off on pot
November 7, 2007 - Aspen Times
DENVER — Denver voters told authorities to back off from enforcing marijuana laws for the second time in as many years, passing an initiative to make the drug the "lowest law enforcement priority."
The initiative passed easily Tuesday despite protests from city officials who said it was meaningless. It likely sets up a likely court challenge over the whether a voter-passed initiative can govern the priorities of police and prosecutors.
The vote was the third marijuana initiative sponsored by Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation and its outspoken leader, Mason Tvert. He noted the initiative passed despite opposition from editorials in The Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News as well as from city officials.
"Everyone said vote 'no' and the people of this city still voted 'yes,'" Tvert said. "I think that sends a clear message that people want change."
Tvert and his group successfully pushed a 2005 initiative to legalize possession of less than an ounce of marijuana for adults over 21, but the move failed to blunt arrests because authorities continued to enforce state laws.
Tvert tried to pass an identical measure at the state level and 2006 but was rebuffed by statewide voters.
He said despite the lack of change after the 2005 vote, this vote will make a difference if city officials follow it.
"This should change things in Denver," Tvert said. "If the city carries on with marijuana arrests, they are going to be breaking the law."
City officials have already declared that his latest offering to make the drug the lowest priority is not enforceable.
City Council members were so convinced of the measure's irrelevance that when Tvert forced their hand with a petition getting it on the ballot, they considered passing it into law themselves to speed a court challenge.
They decided against that plan, however, because it would have put them on record as voting in favor of relaxing marijuana enforcement.
Denver election officials said about 8,000 ballots had not yet been counted Wednesday out of some 90,000 cast, but Tvert's initiative was leading by about 8,400 votes.
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Willsk8t4shrooms
Registered: 11/14/05
Posts: 513
Loc: Utrecht, Netherlands
Last seen: 12 days, 5 hours
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Re: Denver poised to make marijuana a low priority [CO] [Re: veggie]
#7612074 - 11/08/07 05:12 PM (9 months, 22 days ago) |
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...a government for the people by the people... Right??
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“we have some shroomers in aisle twelve, I repeat, shroomers on aisle twelve.”
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ApJunkie
part-time Ninja
Registered: 08/17/06
Posts: 1,908
Loc: Loc:Loc:Loc:Loc:Loc:
Last seen: 12 hours, 16 minutes
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Re: Denver poised to make marijuana a low priority [CO] [Re: Willsk8t4shrooms]
#7612580 - 11/08/07 07:54 PM (9 months, 22 days ago) |
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"It likely sets up a likely court challenge over the whether a voter-passed initiative can govern the priorities of police and prosecutors."
I read this article today in the Colorado Daily and was extremely upset by this phrase. What the FUCK are they going to challenge? whether or not we live in a democracy? Of-fucking-course voter initiatives can govern police priorities!
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"No summit don't call me stupid when you don't know my back round."
-albino_shroom
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Cannabischarlie
Yarry's Apprentice
Registered: 11/28/05
Posts: 7,155
Last seen: 1 hour, 47 minutes
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Re: Denver poised to make marijuana a low priority [CO] [Re: ApJunkie]
#7719048 - 12/05/07 10:24 AM (8 months, 26 days ago) |
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This is of course good news and I think it will pass. we are getting more and more decriminilation and that guy is right, down town the cops really dont care if you are puffing a joint etc. i know this is fact down there, I live near Denver and puff down there all the time. no one takes the time to report a pot smoker whos waking down 16th street mall especially, thats smoke zone.
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Cannabischarlie
Yarry's Apprentice
Registered: 11/28/05
Posts: 7,155
Last seen: 1 hour, 47 minutes
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Re: Denver poised to make marijuana a low priority [CO] [Re: Cannabischarlie]
#7719072 - 12/05/07 10:30 AM (8 months, 26 days ago) |
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i meant decriminization. I have often seen other people smoking up fairly openly in downtown, and have walked right past a cop car smoking a joint (and I was brownbagging it too!) and nothing happened.
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