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A marijuana law reform group is advising partiers to smoke pot rather than drink this St. Patrick's Day.
Safer Alternatives For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) - based in Boulder - says even though drinking alcohol is legal, it is still more dangerous than smoking marijuana. “Obviously, St. Patrick's Day is a day when a number of people are encouraged to go out drinking,” said Mason Tvert, executive director for SAFER.

“If they're going to party, it may not be a bad decision to consider marijuana rather than alcohol.”

Tvert has planned a demonstration in Denver on St. Patrick's Day, but on Tuesday he wouldn't provide details about the precise nature of the demonstration.

After St. Paddy's Day, Tvert will be collecting signatures to pressure other universities to reduce their penalties for marijuana use, and working on passing easier marijuana laws around the country.

CU students passed a referendum providing for precisely that last year. CU officials aren't enforcing it.

But SAFER isn't just trying to change the laws or make marijuana legal, it is trying to inform people that alcohol causes more social and health problems, said Tvert.

“We encourage adults to consider the facts when they go out to party,” said Tvert. “You are far more likely to be hurt drinking than when using marijuana.”

Even though he has a strong stance against booze, Tvert said he isn't trying to attack alcohol users or companies.

“We're really just trying to get it out there as a public service announcement,” said Tvert.

Coloradans are more aware of the differences between marijuana and alcohol because of recent highly publicized SAFER ballot initiatives at CU, Colorado State University in Fort Collins and in the City of Denver.

“We started SAFER as a response to alcohol overdosing in Colorado,” said Tvert.

In 2004, a string of student deaths from alcohol poisoning hit Colorado and the nation. A pledge, Gordie Bailey, died during an initiation rite at a CU fraternity in fall 2004. At CSU, Samantha Spady died in a fraternity house after drinking dozens of shots and beer.

“Kids were drinking themselves to death, but marijuana rules were harsher than (those for) alcohol,” Tvert said.

Following successful referenda at CU and CSU last year, in November, SAFER helped pass a law in Denver that would allow people over 21 years old to possess an ounce of marijuana.

“We're obviously very pleased, but our work is clearly not done,” said Tvert, who mentioned that police are still arresting people that smoke marijuana in Denver. “We don't want people to break the law, but we want people to consider the options.”

Source: Colorado Daily (CO)
Author: Casey Freeman, Colorado Daily Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Copyright: 2006 Colorado Daily
Contact: editor@coloradodaily.com
Website: Colorado Daily News