DENVER — Residents of the Mile High City have voted to allow adults to possess up to an ounce of marijuana. 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 (search (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:siteSearch%28%27Safer%20Alternatives%20For%20 Enjoyable%20Recreation%27%29;)). "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 (search (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:siteSearch%28%27Marijuana%20Policy%20Project% 27%29;)) 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 (search (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:siteSearch%28%27Denver%27%29;)) 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 (search (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:siteSearch%28%27Mayor%20John%20Hickenlooper%2 7%29;)) 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 (search (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:siteSearch%28%27U.S.%20Supreme%20Court%27%29; )) 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.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,174256,00.html

ooooh boy, this is a supreme court hearing waiting to happen. 0-o

Oh indeedy o.o

Not a bad idea at all, although as you said DX, the feds won't take too kindly to it.

Hell yes.

Go Denver! X'D

hmmm now denver is gonna be a crime filed area. becuase u know alot of people are gonna kill each other for pot.

...I hope you're not serious.

We can only hope my friend... we can only hope :spit:

i told this to alot of my firends and they got all exicted. all my pothead friends.. lolRz

hmmm now denver is gonna be a crime filed area. becuase u know alot of people are gonna kill each other for pot.

If you'd ever smoked weed, you'd know that no one does much killing while under its influence. You're less likely to be killed by a group of potheads than anyone else on earth X'D

I know some people that would absolutely love this to come to spokane

Damn right. Go Denver!

I don't think it's really a matter of fearing potheads, as fearing potless-potheads

Marijuana isn't like cocaine or heroin, where you have junkies on the street spending their last dollar on the stuff. If a stoner is dry it's kind of a bummer, but they're not going to go kill someone so they can buy more.

I dont think its that big of a deal everybody is already doing it anyway they might as well make it legal

Yes, isn't that because pot isn't physically adicting? I read somewhere that it was psycologically addicting.

Yes, it's psychologically addictive. So are computer games and sex. :p

This is actually bad for the street pharmacy business X'D im sure marboro and winston will jump on it pretty fast if the trend went nation wide.

^_^;
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a41/minihacker316/MarlboroJoke.jpg

The worst thing most potheads will do is whine and be angsty. :rolleyes:

For years I have held the opnion that it should be legalized, taxed like ciggys, govt controlled like ciggys. The revenue generated on a pot tax would probably take care of the medicade bill.

i doubt itll go to the supreme court because, its legal to have it, but illegal to obtain it, you can smoke it but not buy it...so if it magically pops in your mouth, then smoke away, until then, your out of luck, all this does is, if your caught with it in possesion, then you cant be sent to jail.......

Well I know where one of my friends is moving when he turns 21...

But still I think is not smart for them to make that legal...

Why's that?

It's a less damaging drug than either alcohol or ciggies.

Indeed it is. I hate it when people who drink a lot say "I don't do drugs." Alcohol is most definetely a drug, and it can kill you NOW, not later. Drunk driving, anyone?

i doubt itll go to the supreme court because, its legal to have it, but illegal to obtain it, you can smoke it but not buy it...so if it magically pops in your mouth, then smoke away, until then, your out of luck, all this does is, if your caught with it in possesion, then you cant be sent to jail.......

I cant find that anywhere, where did you find this out? If you have it, then you obviously obtained it. Its illegal to grow it, sell it, and to my knowledge possess it. People that get pulled over and are found with Pot in this state are arrested.

The only law I know of that is similar to what you say is tobacco for minors. Minors cannot purchase tobacco products, but there is no age limit to smoke. Its legal for anyone to smoke tobacco.

i totally agree with akira the only people you ever see around here are drunks and they say because they dont do drugs there not that bad of people well alcohol is a drug it just depends on how much you drink so give them there marijuana i know a lot of people who will be moving there as soon as possible

laws vary from state to state.
cultivation starts as a misdemeanor and works its way up to felony status depending on the amount (weight) of the plants being grown.
posession (most arrests are Joe Shmo has less than an eighth of an oz on him and gets popped) starts at a violation and works it's way up. Large quantities; intent to sell is generally tacked on to that arrest.
In this state your parapheniala can also be confiscated and you can be charged w/ posession just for carrying around a resinated pipe.

Possession = suspended license and most likely jail time here. -_-; Not sure about paraphernalia.

Same here (or something like it anyway) for even a small amount.

Ya one of my friends in Maine got sent to jail for 1 month and had to pay $250 fine for possession of it.

Alaska tryed to pass a law saying it was ok to have MJ but it didnt pass and people where all in shock that a state would attempt to legalize it.

alcohol doesnt effect the happiness chemicals in your brain, whereas most other drugs do, even tobacco to a small extent, the main reason why people say alcohol is worse, is because you hear about it more because its legal, if marijuana were to be completely legalized to anyone over 21 like alcohol, then you would certainly hear about alot of automobile accidents due to being overly influenced by weed

i dont think cigerettes should be legal personaly, but thats just me

Alcohol is a depressent. It blocks the "happiness chemicals". The reason people hear about it so much is not because it's legal but because people die from it. People die from ciggies too, so we hear about that alot. People don't often die from weed, becuase you can't really overdose from it and it doesn't alter your perception to nearly the extent that alcohol does and because of the effects of the weed people have a tendency to drive more carefully. That's not to say that there would be no accedents and such, but there would be less compaired to those caused by alcohol.

you hear about people being kill over illegal drugs all the time, id like to see you walk into a downtown area police station and ask how many gang killings were done due to drugs

and the fact is, is that beer and ciggerettes are widely available and legal, and it sounds like youve never smoked anything if you claim to state it doesnt alter your perception

Right...people fight over the rights to distribute drugs because they're illegal. If marijuana were distributed by legitimate corporations, rather than gangs and underground cartels, do you think there would still be deaths over it?

And please, read more carefully. She said that it doesn't alter your perception to the extent that alcohol does, which I would agree with.

Yes people kill over drugs, over hard core drugs that fuck you up for life and get you addicted with one sniff, lick, hit, shot, or whatever. Marijuana isn't addicting like that, I have personally never heard of a person killing for pot and I seriously doubt if there is a mere fraction compaired to those caused by killings for things like crack or heroin.

Aside from that gang wars and killing over drugs is in the news all the time. But not marijuana, becuase it's not hard to get and its not a hard drug.

And exactly like Azzy said. I never said it didn't alter one's perception. I am well aware that is does.

YOU LOSE! Game OVA!!! CONTINUE?! X'D

you just have to be stupid to think marijuana is less potentialy lethal than alcohol, i cant even figure an arguement to convince an obviously low thought process over something like this

they're both very bad, and both are leathal in large doses. In other words they both can kill you.. the arguement as a whole is futile.

Look, I've been drunk and I've been high. I'm less volatile, less prone to random stupidity, and a much better driver high. Both from statistics and from personal experience, I can say with a fair amount of conviction that marijuana is a safer drug. Baseless insults may soothe your ego, but they will get you nowhere in this discussion.

You lose. Good day sir. :rolleyes:

EDIT: @DX: It's true that you can theoretically overdose on both, however it would be difficult (bordering on impossible) to smoke enough marijuana in a short enough period to do so. :P

Sad... sad indeed

ULTRA... ULTRA... ULTRA!!!!

Az: X'D if you sad in a 5x5 room with everyone smoking pot non stop, youd evenutally suffocate from the fumes! X'D they are also both bad in the long term when it comes to continous usage... I mean Alcohol may not give you cancer.. but you sure as hell cant live without your liver.

DX: http://www.springerlink.com/(edogte55ljcb11555c0bxs55)/app/home/contribution.asp?referrer=parent&backto=issue,7,18;journal,75,79;linkingpublication results,1:100150,1 :p

you just have to be stupid to think marijuana is less potentialy lethal than alcohol, i cant even figure an arguement to convince an obviously low thought process over something like this

Facts help.

the ppl I know who puff all turn into grandmapa when they get behind the wheel. 30mph = going like a bat outta hell X'D

Alcohol is a depressent. It blocks the "happiness chemicals". The reason people hear about it so much is not because it's legal but because people die from it. People die from ciggies too, so we hear about that alot. People don't often die from weed, becuase you can't really overdose from it and it doesn't alter your perception to nearly the extent that alcohol does and because of the effects of the weed people have a tendency to drive more carefully. That's not to say that there would be no accedents and such, but there would be less compaired to those caused by alcohol.


I aggree, I've read that it is imposible to die from a pot overdose, (except suffucating X'D), but it can give you cancer, since it does contain carcynogens.

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later...stupid pot heads...they're the reason I have to work the graveyard shift at Taco Bell. -_-;

That is to say, they're providing you with a job. :p

*drives thru* I said crunchy Tacos damn it!
See, it's already creating jobs :p Legalization for the good of the economy :p

heres a good read about marijuana regulation:

http://www.mpp.org/IL/news_8274.html

Seriously tho, if marijuana was regulated, it could be sold like beer and just as widely available as alcohol. How many people do you know that illegally sell beer? I don't know any, in fact its kinda pointless to buy beer from some shady guy on the street when I could just buy it from the grocery store. It'd be safer too. So why not the same with marijuana? They could age restrict it, tax it and enforce quality guidlines. marijuana isn't addictive like cigarettes or crack either. And if an employer can't tell if their employee is "impared" then they are an idiot. People associate "being high" with "impared" and thats not always the case. Its like assuming if someone drinks 2 beers, then they're obviously drunk and can't drive home from the bar.

I no such thing as illegal beer in the US. You can legally make it in your own home. Infact there is some website that will send you hops or malts to test out and instructions on how to make the beer. 0-o I have to ask my friend on the URL. Im not sure on the legality of selling it tho. hmmm maybe you should look into that sledge... AC Beer X'D

I think its only hard liquor that is illegal to make.

X'D I honestly don't have the slightest idea of what legality issues are involved with the selling of home brewed goods or resold beer, i just thought the image was funny. Some guy in the shadows on the street.. "Psst! Yeah, you! I have labatts.. thats right.. 6 pack for $6." :lol:

hmmm... AC beer.. I think Drew Carey did something like that once. X'D

I no such thing as illegal beer in the US. Unless your selling it to a minor in the parking lot :meh:

This guy is a lil opnionated but he lists his sorces :p
http://www.drugtext.org/sub/marmyt1.html

There is quite a bit of home brewing done in Michigan, my dad was part of a club or something for a long time when I was a kid. We even have a large section of our fence covered with hops plants.

I wonder what would happen if I whipped out the the myths page in front of the anti-drug teacher? Those myths are all they show! X'D

dont you need an alcohol licence to sell? or is that just with bars, or even just in missouri?

yes, you need a license to sell booze