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The group that successfully passed an initiative that legalized small amounts of marijuana in Denver is trying to do the same statewide.
Safer Alternatives for Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER), has already gathered the required 68,000 signatures of registered voters to put the bill on the November ballot.
"The people in Denver made it very loud and very clear that they do not want adults punished simply for making the rational, safer choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol in this city," said Mason Tvert, SAFER's campaign director.
Their plan would make it legal to use or possess marijuana in quantities of 1 ounce or less. The pot could only be used in private, and it would still be illegal if the person was under 21.
"It's certainly going to cause more problems," said Mitch Morrisey, Denver's district attorney. "The kinds of crimes that go along with it, not just the use, the sale of it and those types of things."
Morrisey doesn't believe the bill will be passed and said today's marijuana is anything but harmless after talking to many drug addicts at treatment centers.
"Every single one of them told us that they started by using marijuana," Morrisey said. "So anybody that tries to tell anybody that this is not a gateway drug that leads to other drugs, that we have huge problems within our society, they're kidding you."
SAFER is using the same strategy that won in Denver which is the idea that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and people are going to use both.
"This is really about educating the public about the fact that marijuana is a less harmful drug than alcohol, and that it makes no sense to have laws that push people towards using the more harmful of the two," Tvert said.
"The marijuana today is much more potent," Morrisey said. "It has a big impact on the individuals who smoke it, and anybody who believes that we'll have a safer state because you can possess marijuana and smoke it, I think is smoking a bit too much of their own product."
If SAFER gets the bill passed statewide, Colorado would be the first in the country to legalize marijuana
"This is really about educating the public about the fact that marijuana is a less harmful drug than alcohol, and that it makes no sense to have laws that push people towards using the more harmful of the two."
cbs4denver.com - Terry Jessup
cbs4denver.com - SAFER Pushing To Legalize Marijuana Statewide
Reporter Terry Jessup
Safer Alternatives for Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER), has already gathered the required 68,000 signatures of registered voters to put the bill on the November ballot.
"The people in Denver made it very loud and very clear that they do not want adults punished simply for making the rational, safer choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol in this city," said Mason Tvert, SAFER's campaign director.
Their plan would make it legal to use or possess marijuana in quantities of 1 ounce or less. The pot could only be used in private, and it would still be illegal if the person was under 21.
"It's certainly going to cause more problems," said Mitch Morrisey, Denver's district attorney. "The kinds of crimes that go along with it, not just the use, the sale of it and those types of things."
Morrisey doesn't believe the bill will be passed and said today's marijuana is anything but harmless after talking to many drug addicts at treatment centers.
"Every single one of them told us that they started by using marijuana," Morrisey said. "So anybody that tries to tell anybody that this is not a gateway drug that leads to other drugs, that we have huge problems within our society, they're kidding you."
SAFER is using the same strategy that won in Denver which is the idea that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and people are going to use both.
"This is really about educating the public about the fact that marijuana is a less harmful drug than alcohol, and that it makes no sense to have laws that push people towards using the more harmful of the two," Tvert said.
"The marijuana today is much more potent," Morrisey said. "It has a big impact on the individuals who smoke it, and anybody who believes that we'll have a safer state because you can possess marijuana and smoke it, I think is smoking a bit too much of their own product."
If SAFER gets the bill passed statewide, Colorado would be the first in the country to legalize marijuana
"This is really about educating the public about the fact that marijuana is a less harmful drug than alcohol, and that it makes no sense to have laws that push people towards using the more harmful of the two."
cbs4denver.com - Terry Jessup
cbs4denver.com - SAFER Pushing To Legalize Marijuana Statewide
Reporter Terry Jessup
