Posted 3:58 AM by SAFER Choice |

Feds Won't Take Over Colorado -- They Even Said So

The Aspen Daily News recently ran an account of the Board of County Commissioners of Pitkin County's unanimous decision to endorse Amendment 44. We took issue with one thing, however, and that was the assertion that federal law supersedes state law and could be enforced if 44 is approved.

Fortunately, the following letter from SAFER Camapaign Director Mason Tvert appeared in today's Aspen Daily News and clarified the situation:

Thanks for marijuana article

Editor:

Thank you for covering the Pitkin Board of County Commissioners endorsement of Amendment 44, an initiative which would make the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana legal for adults in Colorado. It is great that your readers were informed about this important development.

Assuming this will not be the last time you cover this issue, I just wanted to clarify one point you made in the article. You said, "Even if Amendment 44 passes, however, adult possession of marijuana would be illegal under federal law."

While it is true that marijuana possession would technically remain illegal under federal law if Amendment 44 passes, the federal government does not arrest people for marijuana possession.

According to Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, who was formerly a U.S. Attorney, the federal government does not handle marijuana cases involving less than 100 plants. It is simply not worth investing federal resources in marijuana possession cases, which would have to be brought to federal court.

I hope you appreciate the importance of this distinction. When people in favor of changing marijuana laws see a statement like, "Marijuana possession will still be illegal under federal law," they may conclude voting for Amendment 44 is useless. In fact, passage of Amendment 44 would eliminate any chance of arrest on the state or federal level.

Mason Tvert
Denver

Posted 3:19 AM by SAFER Choice |

A Picture Is Worth 70+ Years of Words

This photo (generously contributed by Tim Tipton) shows New Yorker Steve Steiner of Dads and Mad Moms Against Drug Dealers (DAMMADD) going berserk on SAFER Campaign Director Mason Tvert. The photo magnificently captures the essence of the current debate on marijuana.

Steiner disacknowledges all the booze that is just sitting out for the world to see, and is focusing all his attention and fury on marijuana. The information in his hand is ludicrous and does not cite a single legitimate source, and the "No Smoking" sign in the background is almost like a quote bubble.

Steiner and DAMMADD generally focus their attention on keeping sick people from getting medical marijuana -- the DAMMADD site even has a narc hotline -- but for some reason he made the trip all the way out to Denver for what appears to be the sole purpose of giving us blog fodder.

Steiner's story is certainly a sad -- and bizarre -- one, and it really brings to light the irrationality of our pious opponents. After trying marijuana, Steiner's son died of an Oxycontin overdose. Steiner believes marijuana is responsible for his son's death because it was the "gateway" to the dangerous prescription drug. But wouldn't you know it, Steiner and DAMMADD are funded by Purdue Pharmaceuticals, which is the producer of -- you guessed it -- Oxycontin.

So this "Dad Against Drug Dealers" is actually taking money from the dealers of the drug that killed his son in order to make sure those who use marijuana -- a drug whose use has never killed a person -- are punished for it. Steiner -- like Attorney General John Suthers -- preaches sobriety and abstaining from using marijuana and alcohol.

Perhaps if he had spent as much time teaching his son the truth about the harms of drugs as he did the lies, his son might still be alive. This is exactly what SAFER and the Amendment 44 campaign are trying to stop. It's time parents get honest with their children about ALL drugs so that they are better prepared to make safe decisions when they inevitable face them down the road.

Posted 2:14 AM by SAFER Choice |

Hickenlooper and Coors: Yellow as the Beer They Sell

Supporters of Amendment 44 rallied in front of the Denver City-County Building on Thursday to challenge booze-selling Mayor John Hickenlooper and beer baron Pete Coors to a "Drug Duel."

SAFER Campaign Director Mason Tvert arrived prepared to go hit-of-a-joint for chug-of-a-beer to prove once and for all that marijuana is far safer than alcohol. After all, there is little doubt they would have vomited, passed out or died before Tvert finished dialing for pizza.

The set-up included boxes of Coors's beer and growlers of Wynkoop beer from the mayor's pub. Oh yeah, and that box of strawberry daquiri wine coolers was there in case Attorney General Suthers showed up.

The event coincided with the kick-off of the Great American Beer Festival -- the world's largest -- in Denver. Hickenlooper was the key note speaker and guest of honor at last year's festival, and Coors is once again sponsoring the event.

Yet somehow our opponents say allowing adults to use marijuana in Colorado would make it a "major drug tourist destination." Too late...

Tvert brought along a "graphic representation" of a marijuana cigarette to illustrate (get it...nyuk nyuk nyuk) the irrational nature of laws that make it illegal to publicly display one joint, but allow the public display of an infinite amount of alcohol.

Posted 2:22 AM by SAFER Choice |

Colorado Hemp Activist Tells It Like It Is

This incredibly informative letter from Laura Kriho of the Colorado Hemp Initiative Project (COHIP) appears in today's Boulder Daily Camera. Kudos to Laura for writing such a great letter that they couldn't help but publish it in its entirety. In fact, we liked it so much we're going to do the same thing.

Colorado should repeal prohibition

Colorado was the first state to vote to repeal alcohol Prohibition in 1932, and we have the chance to be the first state to vote to repeal cannabis (marihuana) prohibition with the passage of Amendment 44. In 1932, forward-thinking Colorado citizens put an initiative on the ballot to repeal alcohol Prohibition. It passed by 56 percent of the vote.

However, in 1937, Congress enacted cannabis prohibition via the Marijuana Tax Act. Cannabis prohibition created a new black market in cannabis, which has led to the same violence and corruption seen in the alcohol Prohibition era. It also gave rise to government agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration, which not only use your tax dollars to arrest and imprison non-violent cannabis users, but also to actively campaign for cannabis prohibition in our democratic elections.

In over 10,000 years of almost constant human use, cannabis has never caused a single overdose. It is safer than aspirin and has many more medicinal uses. In 1988, the DEA's chief administrative law judge called it the "safest therapeutically active substance known to man." Cannabis, like alcohol, should be legal for adults to use in the privacy of their own homes for recreation as well as medicine. It is prohibition that causes harm to society, not the substance.

Alcohol Prohibition lasted only from 1920 to 1933, a mere 13 years. Cannabis prohibition has lasted an amazing 69 years. Why has it taken so long to learn, again, that prohibition doesn't work?

In 2005, Denver voters ended cannabis prohibition for small amounts possessed by adults in the city. In 2006, Colorado voters have the chance to do the same thing. Let's uphold our proud tradition as a bellwether state and be the first state to vote to repeal cannabis prohibition and end this failed policy.

The last day to register to vote is Oct. 10. Bring your friends to the polls on Nov. 7 and vote yes on 44.

LAURA KRIHO
Nederland

Posted 1:33 AM by SAFER Choice |

When Will CSU Administrators Learn They Can't Mess With SAFER?

As you might know, SAFER got its start organizing students at CU and CSU.

Given the issue at hand, it was hardly a surprise when CSU oficials tried to keep our student initiative off the ballot back then by changing the election rules mid-game. But we informed the ACLU of the scenario and they stepped in on our behalf to express their concern. Needless to say, the measure was put on the ballot and went on to win quite handily.

Once again, the ACLU was intrigued to contact CSU officials to ensure they were playing fair. But this time, it wasn't the rules the administration was changing. Rather, it was their story.

It all began when CSU students working on the Amendment 44 campaign -- primarily the Libertarian Party of CSU and the CSU chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy -- sought to follow University protocol by seeking permission to post a campaign flyer in the residence halls. They were informed they could not use a flyer with the YES on 44 logo because the mere presence of a marijuana leaf indicated it was "promoting drugs."

The students were vigilant, however, and contacted the campaign and the ACLU to take this head on. Lo and behold, once press calls and ACLU inquiries began to flood the University, they changed their tune and announced they'd approve the flyer. Unfortunately, they were too proud to admit they made a boo-boo and tried to lay blame on the students. The administrator said the flyer we wished to see posted was somehow different than the original one she rejected. Of course she could not tell just what was different about it, but only that it couldn't possibly be her or the school's fault.

Fortunately, however, the budding young journalists at the Rocky Mountain Collegian, CSU's campus newspaper, refused to accept this silly excuse (or lack thereof) and called it like they saw it in this case.

The shenanigans also garnered a story in the student-run paper, as well as as a story in the Fort Collins Coloradoan.

Hopefully the university's authorities will think twice before trying to stifle students' free speech rights -- or SAFER's efforts -- again.

Posted 1:10 AM by SAFER Choice |

Pitkin County Commission Takes a Stand For 44

According to a story in today's Aspen Daily News, the Pitkin County Commission has officially (and unanimously) endorsed Amendment 44.

The commissioners' resolution supporting Amendment 44 says "it strikes an appropriate balance between public safety and individual choice that persons 21 years of age or older who can legally possess and consume alcohol should be able to choose to legally possess and consume small quantities of marijuana in non-public places."

That's basically the argument of the group that successfully petitioned to put the initiative on the ballot. Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation, or SAFER, argues that marijuana should be treated the same as alcohol, and that booze is actually much more harmful than pot.

It is nice to see a group of elected officials that actually represent the people who elected them (unlike some others we know).*

* Note: We are neither Republicans nor Democrats, but we are NOT supportive of officials who think the majority of their constituents should be criminals for simply using a less harmful drug than they do.

Posted 12:49 AM by SAFER Choice |

Aurora Editor Gets It (Sort Of)

There is a pretty good editorial in today's Aurora Daily Sun-Sentinel by the managing editor. He agrees marijuana is safer than alcohol, that current marijuana laws are a waste of time, money and life, and that people need to hear the facts about marijuana. However, he goes schizo in the middle and manages to make the squarest-looking marijuana activist in history (as depicted in this editorial cartoon) sound like Tommy Chong.

He says we are attention freaks, and perhaps we are, but there is no doubt this is an issue that deserves attention. After all, if we hadn't made this "childish" challenge, would he have still given this issue his attention and written this editorial?

We look forward to the day when we no longer have to shock the press into covering and criticizing the lunacy of current marijuana laws.

Posted 1:35 AM by SAFER Choice |

Tvert Challenges Denver Mayor and/or Colorado Beer Baron to 'Drug Duel'

Running alongside the story on the DU debate was a little gem of a story detailing the "challenge" issued by SAFER Campaign Director Mason Tvert yesterday to booze-dealing Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and Coors Cartel leader Pete Coors. More or less, we requested they put their mouths where their money is. In other words, if they can profit from selling beer, but for some reason oppose allowing adults to make the safer choice to use marijuana, we feel they need to stand up for their products and do some explaining.

Rather than reinvent the wheel, we have provided the press release we sent out yesterday below. Note: We need volunteers and supporters of Amendment 44 to come out to this event Thursday!


For Immediate Release -- Sept. 26, 2006



DENVER -- In order to prove once and for all that marijuana is safer than alcohol, SAFER Campaign Director Mason Tvert is issuing a challenge to two of the leading alcohol dealers in the state. At high-noon on Thursday -- the day the Great American Beer Festival kicks off in Denver -- Tvert will be outside the Denver City-County Building prepared to take a hit of marijuana for every alcoholic drink downed by either Pete Coors, CEO of Coors Brewing Company, or Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, founder of the Wynkoop Brewing Company.

Alcohol is toxic and can produce an overdose death within hours. By contrast, marijuana has never caused an overdose death in over 5,000 years of use. Despite this fact, businessmen like Pete Coors and John Hickenlooper are allowed to sell tons of alcohol every year, while individuals who simply choose to use a less harmful substance are punished by the government. In fact, Mayor Hickenlooper has ordered Denver police to continue punishing adults for marijuana possession under state law, despite the fact that a majority of Denver residents voted last November to make marijuana possession legal in the city.

"Enough is enough," said Tvert. "We have done everything in our power to convince elected officials and university administrators that policies pushing people to drink are not only wrong, but also dangerous. Yet nothing has changed. Perhaps this dramatic demonstration of the relative harms of each substance will snap our state's leaders into action."

Following the high-noon showdown, supporters of Amendment 44 -- which would make the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana legal for adults under state law -- will proceed to the Colorado Convention Center to hold a demonstration to highlight the hypocrisy of Denver officials, like Hickenlooper, who oppose our initiative yet allow the Great American Beer Festival to be held in the city. Hickenlooper, who spoke to the "connoisseurs" as the guest of honor last year, is not scheduled to speak again at this year's event. He is, however, proclaiming the week of October 30 - November 5 Denver Wine Week to coincide with the Denver International Wine Festival at Mile High Station.

"We are not 'protesting' the Beer Festival," Tvert said. "If people want to drink, that is their business. We will merely be making the point that marijuana is safer than alcohol. This is a message the public needs to hear."

What: Drug duel to prove that marijuana is safer than alcohol

When: Thursday, September 28, 12 p.m. (high-noon)

Where: Duel in front of the Denver City-County Building (1437 Bannock), then the group will walk down 14th Street to the front of the Colorado Convention Center at 14th Street and California Street

Who: Mason Tvert, SAFER Campaign Director
John Hickenlooper, Democratic Denver mayor and alcohol vendo, invited
Pete Coors, Republican politician and Coors Brewing chairman, invited
Amendment 44 volunteers and supporters

Posted 1:35 AM by SAFER Choice |

DU Debate Makes Instant Headlines

It hasn't been more than a few hours, and word of the debate between SAFER Campaign Director Mason Tvert and Colorado Attorney General John Suthers has already made headlines.

At the time of this posting, the front page of the Rocky Mountain News site featured a story recapping the debate and a huge photo, and the Denver Post had just chimed in with a piece featuring a similar photo.

We will discuss the debate more in-depth tomorrow once the final stories have come out.

Posted 2:39 AM by SAFER Choice |

SAFER Campaign Director on Tom Martino Show Today

SAFER Campaign Director Mason Tvert will be a guest on the Tom Martino Show today. The show airs on KHOW in Colorado and is syndicated across the nation. Mason is scheduled to be on around 10 a.m., and you can listen on-line.

Tom Martino is nationally reknowned as the "Troubleshooter."

Tom blasts liars and cheaters, exposes rip-offs and investigates consumer complaints...

Liars? Cheaters? Rip-offs? Let's hope Martino investigates the rip-off that is marijuana prohibition in this country. We think it's safe to say Mason will do plenty of "consumer complain[ing]"...

Posted 2:12 AM by SAFER Choice |

First GOCAM 'Marijuana Lecture' a Snoozer

Actually, nobody fell asleep. But that's only because nobody showed up, press or otherwise. Apparently there's far less of a market for imported marijuana propaganda in Colorado than was expected.

We sent an operative to check out the scene and distribute flyers to any attendees. Lo and behold, when he showed up it was just Dr. Andrea Barthwell and a couple other prohibitionist cronies picking their noses. In fact, they jumped at the opportunity to talk to somebody, anybody about marijuana. That is until they realized he was not quite in line with their beliefs, at which point they tossed him out of the (empty) room, then forced him to leave the lobby.

So this makes us wonder. Do you have to already agree with our opponents that marijuana is bad to get into these lectures about how bad marijuana is? This doesn't sound too educational to us.

If you would like to infiltrate a marijuana lecture, hand out flyers to anyone in attendance, or simply ask some hard questions of the speakers, please contact us. We cannot promise you will see any other people there, but you can certainly send the message that we are going to make it as miserable as possible for Dr. Barthwell to grace the State of Colorado and peddle her nonsense here.

Posted 2:31 AM by SAFER Choice |

Tvert vs. Suthers, Round II

This Tuesday, September 26, at 7 p.m., NBC 9 will be hosting a forum on selected ballot issues at the Gates Concert Hall in the Newman Center for Performing Arts at the University of Denver.

"Ballot Measures 101: Issues and Insights" will be free and open to the public, and it will include a very interesting debate on Amendment 44. SAFER Campaign Director Mason Tvert will be speaking in favor of Amendment 44 and Attorney General John Suthers will be present to speak in opposition.

As you might know, Mason and Suthers (along with Sensible Colorado's Brian Vicente and North Metro Drug Task Force Commander Lori Moriarty) debated the issue April on KBDI's "Colorado Inside-Out" back in April. Representatives and opponents of a few of the other initiatives will also be present, including Blue-Book-debacle shill House Speaker Andrew Romanoff.

Please come take part in this event and show your support for the Colorado marijuana initiative. Amendment 44 will likely be one of (if not the) last issues discussed, as it is the last issue on the ballot this year. Thus, you might wish to arrive a little late if you do not wish to see the other issues. Please also consider that seating might be limited and we do not know exactly when Amendment 44 will be up.

Posted 11:37 PM by SAFER Choice |

Replace Romanoff?

A couple interesting letters-to-the-editor appeared in the Rocky Mountain News last week.

Dishonest voter guide; dishonest Romanoff

My thanks to the News for highlighting the false information regarding Amendment 44 in this year's voter guide ("Ambushing the pot initiative/Blue book language will mislead voters," Sept. 15).

I was counting on the Blue Book to get the straight facts on this year's ballot issues before heading to the polls. But apparently facts are of little or no importance to the Legislative Council and House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, who oversaw the drafting of the booklet and apparently went out of their way to mislead voters on the initiative pertaining to marijuana.

I could not care less if voters approve Amendment 44. But I agree with the News that this manipulation of the Blue Book could have a lasting and detrimental effect on voter's trust in the system for years to come.

As a result, I must now seek an honest opinion about the initiatives somewhere other than the state's voter guide this year. But on the bright side, this was a wake-up call that my district is in need of an honest representative to replace Romanoff. Like the voter guide, I can no longer take him at his word.

Bridget Girard
Denver

Apparently this author does not use marijuana, but a whole lot of folks (and many voters) in Romanoff's district do. We hope he is prepared to explain to them why he thinks they should be branded as criminals.

It also appears he has some splainin' to do when it comes to upholding his duties as the Speaker of the House. He clearly chose to put politics in front of policy in this case and should be reminded by his constituents that they are watching. This is a pretty good idea:

Return Blue Books

I encourage all Colorado voters to return their voter guides - or Blue Books - as they receive them. The Legislative Council and House Speaker Andrew Romanoff are misleading voters - oops, I mean lying to the voters - about Amendment 44 ("Ambushing the pot initiative/Blue book language will mislead voters," Rocky Mountain News, Sept. 15).

When voters receive the guides, they should write on them or include a note about the intentionally misleading language in the arguments against Amendment 44 and send them back to The Legislative Council, Room 029, State Capitol Building, Denver, CO, 80203. Request that the council and Romanoff fix the language or call for a recall of the misleading voters guide.

Kenny Griffin
Leadville

Posted 6:25 PM by SAFER Choice |

DEA: Amendment 44 Doesn't Go Far Enough

The Montrose Daily Press published an article Friday, in which DEA Special Agent Jeffrey Sw-E.T.-in laments:

“Why the ounce? If it’s so safe, why isn’t SAFER trying to legalize it (pot) at any level?”... It’s a silly law. It’s not going to change anything."

"[N]ot going to change anything?" This is the same guy who had this to say in an interview on CBS 4 just a day earlier:

Your viewers should understand if this passes, we're really legitimately legalizing an ounce of marijuana.

Roger, Agent Sweetin; over and out...

Posted 11:40 AM by SAFER Choice |

Coincidence or Pure Evil?

Shortly after posting the photo below of Save Our Society From Drugs and Drug Free America Foundation Director Calvina Fay, our Web site hosting provider's servers all went down.

This could be a coincidence or it could be a conspiracy. But it's more likely the 21st century version of the camera breaking upon taking one's picture.

Posted 1:49 AM by SAFER Choice |

Amendment 44 Climbing In the Polls

According to a recently released Rocky Mountain News/CBS 4 poll, support for making marijuana legal for adults in Colorado is on the rise.

Whereas a Denver Post poll some months back found that 37 percent of Colorado voters would approve of the initiative, about 42 percent of likely voters now say they will vote YES on 44.

Reasons not to sweat these numbers:

1) This was a poll conducted via home telephone, and it did not take into account the fact that most younger people rely solely on cell-phones instead .

2) We were polling worse in Denver just prior to passage of Initiative 100 (I-100) last year ...

Posted 1:28 AM by SAFER Choice |

Does Calvina Fay Live in Colorado?

Fortunately for Coloradans, no. But for some reason the out-of-state marijuana prohibitionist has decided to talk like she does.

From the Colorado Springs Gazette:

"The change proposed in Amendment 44 has terrible consequences for our state, particularly for our children.”

Does she think Coloradans are stupid?

For some reason she thought she could pull that off, despite the fact the article is filled with descriptors of her and her cohorts like "based in Florida" and "Chicago-based."

As SAFER Campaign Director Mason Tvert points out in the article:

“It appears our opponents were unable to find competent people in the state to debate the merits of our initiative...”

Apparently they couldn't find any out of the state either.

Posted 1:07 AM by SAFER Choice |

Take Me to Your Weeders

This Rocky Mountain News photo shows extraterrestrial-looking DEA agent Jeff Sweetin busting out a fat sack of dank. But judging by that scowl of Lt. Gov. Jane Norton, she ain't interested nor has she ever been.

The Rocky article quotes Sweetin:

"Right now, a smaller amount of focus is on pot, but if this passes, we will be able to focus less and less on other drugs, and pot will become a major focus."

So, according to Jeff "Our Favorite Martian" Sweetin's moon-talk, marijuana is not worth focusing on, but it is worth it if the people in Colorado agree it's not worth focusing on.

Posted 12:49 AM by SAFER Choice |

Amendment 44 Opponents Line Up to Tout Measure's Effectiveness

CBS 4 aired a story yesterday that focused on whether federal marijuana laws would be enforced in Colorado if voters approve Amendment 44 in November.

Surprisingly enough, our opponents TOLD THE TRUTH!

According to Attorney General John Suthers:

"They could write somebody up, but they would then have to go to the United States attorney and ask them to prosecute the case... And I'm telling you right now, the United States attorney has a threshold, I used to be the United States attorney, and I think their threshold used to be about 100 plants. They're not going to take possession of an ounce cases."

According to DEA spokesman Jeffrey Sweetin:

"There aren't enough federal resources on the entire planet to handle ounce size marijuana possession... Your viewers should understand if this passes, we're really legitimately legalizing an ounce of marijuana. They're not going to be prosecuted."

Not to worry Jeff, we understand. This shit's the real deal...

Posted 12:44 AM by SAFER Choice |

Out-of-State Anti-Marijuana Crusaders Try to Sell Propaganda Campaign, But Coloradans Won't Buy It

Yesterday our opponents held a press conference to launch the campaign opposed to Amendment 44. The event was hosted by Save Our Society From Drugs (SOS).

The leader of this Florida-based organization is none other than Calvina Fay, one of the leaders of the Drug Free America Foundation. Ironically enough, these extremist groups who claim to have children's best interests in mind got their start as a chain of child torture camps across the country.

Appearing with Calvina was former Deputy Drug Czar Andrea Barthwell, who is now peddling a liquid marijuana-based medication for GW Pharmaceuticals. She was also more-or-less fired from her job at the ONDCP for making public cracks about a gay employee. Classy, Andrea. Classy.

And then there is press conference organizer John Pastuovic, another individual with strong GW Pharmaceutical ties, who also ran the 2000 Bush-Cheney campaign in Illinois. Other Illinois campaigns coordinated by Pastuovic include defeating a medical marijuana initiative
by putting on "marijuana lectures" along with fellow Illinois resident Andrea Barthwell. Hmmm.... marijuana lectures. Sounds familiar.

Perhaps that's because we just read about plans to hold these "lectures" in Colorado these next few weeks in Pastuovic's press release for yesterday's event:

Dear Media Representative:

On Wednesday, September 20th, local physicians will be joined by Colorado Lieutenant Governor Jane E. Norton and national drug policy and prevention experts to conduct a news conference to announce a grassroots campaign urging voters to vote no on Amendment 44. If passed, Amendment 44 will make marijuana legal in Colorado.

At the news conference, opponents of Amendment 44 will discuss statistics that reveal today’s marijuana is much more powerful and much more addictive than it was a generation ago. They will also discuss the fact that, of all teenagers in drug treatment, about 62 percent have a primary marijuana diagnosis.

Plans will also be unveiled to conduct a series of educational presentations called
Colorado Marijuana Lectures designed to educate Colorado citizens on the dangers of Marijuana. Additionally, experts will say that legalizing marijuana will make Colorado the number one drug tourist destination in America. That distinction will come with significant costs to Colorado citizens.

For Immediate Release -- September 20, 2006



DENVER - According to sources in the media, today "local physicians [were to be] joined by Colorado Lieutenant Governor Jane E. Norton and national drug policy and prevention experts to conduct a news conference to announce a grassroots campaign urging voters to vote no on Amendment 44." Amendment 44 proponent Mason Tvert was present outside of the event to highlight the distortions put forward by the so-called experts.

The event was organized by John Pastuovic, a communications professional from Illinois who helped coordinate an anti-marijuana propaganda campaign to undermine a medical marijuana bill in that state. Interestingly, Mr. Pastuovic has done work for (and may still be a consultant paid by) GW Pharmaceuticals, a company in the UK that has developed a liquid cannabis spray for medical purposes. This means Mr. Pastuovic may have a financial interest in keeping marijuana illegal in the United States.

Two of the nation's leading anti-marijuana propagandists were flown into Colorado to be present at today's press conference. Leading the charge was Calvina Fay, executive director of the Florida-based "Save Our Society from Drugs." Also in attendance was Andrea Barthwell, a former Deputy Drug Czar in the White House and currently a consultant with GW Pharmaceuticals,. Ms. Barthwell, who lives in
Illinois, worked with Mr. Pastuovic on the anti-medical marijuana campaign.

"It is interesting to note that Ms. Barthwell is paid by GW Pharmaceuticals to make liquid marijuana legal in this country, while she travels around the country fighting to keep 'dangerous' marijuana illegal," said SAFER Campaign Director Mason Tvert. "Whereas she claims she is protecting children, she appears to be protecting her own financial interest."

"Nevertheless, it is clear our opponents were unable to find competent people in the state to debate the merits of our initiative," said SAFER Campaign Director Mason Tvert. "So they have brought in so-called 'experts' from Illinois and elsewhere to spread some professional propaganda. We hope the media will thoroughly examine the political and financial interests of those outsiders coming to Colorado to directly campaign against our initiative. We would also like to know who is providing the financial support for these activities. We look forward to seeing their campaign filings in the near future."

It appears that these "experts" will avoid the central argument in the Amendment 44 campaign by focusing only on marijuana. The campaign does not claim that marijuana is harmless; it merely puts forth the argument that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and, therefore, adults should not be punished for making the rational choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol. The "experts" should go beyond talking about the alleged harms of marijuana and should address the question of whether marijuana is, in fact, less harmful than alcohol. If they agree with all of the objective evidence, they will acknowledge that it is. They should then explain why they think adults should be prohibited from using marijuana and why they think it is beneficial to convince children that marijuana is more harmful than alcohol.

Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Jane Norton has taken the questionable step, as a state employee, of helping to coordinate a grassroots campaign against Amendment 44. The campaign will be interested to hear what her role in this campaign will be.

The "experts" were apparently planning to say that legalizing marijuana will make Colorado the number one drug tourist destination in America. This statement, coincidentally, comes just eight days before the start of the Great American Beer Festival - the world's largest - and a month prior to Denver Wine Week, which will be formally proclaimed by the mayor. Colorado actually seems to use alcohol to attract tourists. As the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau notes in its advertising materials, "In Denver's mile high altitude, a golf ball goes 10 percent farther. So does a cocktail. Because your lungs have to work harder to get oxygen into the blood system, alcohol is absorbed into the blood faster, meaning drinks will hit you harder and quicker."

There were also rumors that our opponents were planning to demonstrate how many joints there are in an ounce by dumping out 60-100 joints. This is another example of our opponents exaggerating the truth. Perhaps the most objective measure of a standard joint is the weight of the joints distributed by the federal government to a handful of legal medical marijuana patients. Each of these joints weighs .849 grams. Since there are 28.5 grams in an ounce, this means there are approximately 33 standard joints in an ounce. Of course, the most important point is that no matter how many joints there are in an ounce, a person could smoke the entire ounce of marijuana without doing significant harm to himself. On the other hand, if the same person drank a bottle of vodka...

Among the distortions included in the release promoting this press conference --

Today's marijuana is "much more powerful" than it was a generation ago. Opponents tend to cite the higher average THC levels in today's marijuana as being especially dangerous. The truth, however, is that THC itself has not changed. Thus, individuals smoking marijuana with higher THC levels do not need to inhale as much smoke as previously, in a sense decreasing the harms associated with marijuana use. Most importantly, for comparison sake, there are varying levels of alcohol in beer, vodka, and other beverages. People understand this and adjust their consumption appropriately. Marijuana use is no different.

Today's marijuana is "more addictive than it was a generation ago." (We would have to ask them what this statement in the press release means. We are not aware of a study proving this exact hypothesis. They may be basing this on the misleading treatment figures, below.) According to the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine's 1999 report, Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base, "Millions of Americans have tried marijuana, but most are not regular users, ... [and] few marijuana users become dependent on it." Marijuana is generally considered about as addictive as caffeine and significantly less addictive than alcohol.

More teens are in treatment for marijuana than for all other drugs combined. This is one of the favorite distortions from anti-marijuana advocates. The clear implication is that marijuana must be a terribly dangerous and addictive drug if so many youths are in treatment. The truth, however, is that the large number of youth in treatment for marijuana is due to a dramatic rise in criminal justice referrals. These teens are not "addicts" but are individuals given the choice between enrolling in treatment and receiving a harsher sentence. According to government data (The DASIS Report: Treatment Referral Sources for Adolescent Marijuana Users, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, March 2002), in 1992, the number of youth (aged 12-17) sent to treatment by the criminal justice system was about 10,000. By 1999, that number had risen to about 40,000. While easily decipherable data is not available, it appears likely that in 2004 there were more than 50,000 criminal justice marijuana treatment referrals for youth.

Posted 2:13 AM by SAFER Choice |

Libertarian Gubernatorial Candidate Criticizes Speaker Romanoff for Choosing Politics Over Principle

In a statement released Monday, Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Dawn Winkler criticized House Speaker Andrew Romanoff for choosing to defend his political party instead of Colorado's children.

Because Ms. Winkler is a working mother in Gunnison, she was unable to stand with GOCAMP and Amendment 44 proponents at their Tuesday press conference. She did, however, provide the following

I would like to say I find it shocking that Speaker Romanoff would prohibit the Democratic caucus from supporting legislation that would increase penalties for distributing marijuana to a minor. Unfortunately, this is just another example of how elected officials from the two major parties value politics over principle. They are so afraid of doing something wrong, that they often find themselves unable to do what is right.

The whole story behind this situation with Sqeaker Romanoff is quite long and complicated, so here is a brief explanation from the campaign's press release for the Tuesday press conference:

The two groups [Amendment 44 proponents and GOCAMP] together will propose legislation that would erase any doubt about the impact of Amendment 44 on individuals under the age of 21 should it pass in November. This legislation would ensure that the current fine for transfers of small amounts of marijuana to individuals 18 to 20 years old is retained, and the statutory fine for transferring less than an ounce of marijuana to individuals 15 to 17 years old is doubled. (Note that the "contributing to the delinquency of a minor" statute will also be in effect, which would give prosecutors another tool in the event of such an occurrence.)

Given his prominent role in the controversy over the Blue Book language, the proponents of Amendment 44 have sought the assistance of Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff in this matter. He has, to this point, refused to do anything to clarify the intent or the eventual real world impact of Amendment 44. In fact, he has taken steps to prevent others from taking action to help rectify the situation.

"We hope the fact that we are proposing increases on specific penalties for transferring marijuana to minors will make our position clear," said SAFER Campaign Director Mason Tvert. "We do not support youth marijuana use and will encourage the legislature to adopt this legislation after passage of Amendment 44. Speaker Romanoff, with one brief statement, could have endorsed this legislation and given assurances that it would be enacted if and when Amendment 44 is approved. This would have taken the questionable language from the Blue Book off the table. He refused."

"There can be no easier position to take politically than opposing marijuana transfers to minors," continued Tvert. "Unfortunately, Speaker Romanoff, like many other elected officials in this state, wants the debate over Amendment 44 be about kids, not adults. The problem is, Speaker Romanoff did not just make this decision for himself, and, in order to keep this distortion alive, he actually prohibited members of his caucus from saying they would push through this kind of legislation if Amendment 44 passes. This occurred at the same time his committee was inserting into the Blue Book the false language about minors designed to deceive the voters of the state. It's time these elected men and women stop hiding behinding children when it comes to marijuana and start treating the people who elected them like adults."

Posted 2:06 AM by SAFER Choice |

Breaking News: Denver Drops All Charges Against Damien La Goy in I-100 Test Case

According to KCNC CBS 4, Denver city officials will be dropping all charges against David "Damien" La Goy, the Denver man who challenged a citation for private adult marijuana possession following the passage of Initiative 100 (I-100) in Denver. CBS 4 broke the news during an extensive story on the La Goy case that appeared at 10 p.m. Tuesday.

A CBS 4 reporter contacted Denver city attorneys after conducting extensive interviews with La Goy and his attorney for a story Tuesday afternoon. The City Attorney's Office informed her it was in the process of dismissing all the charges against La Goy.

The case will be formally dismissed Wednesday, and La Goy, his attorney and the lead proponent of I-100 will be holding a press conference today in front of the Denver City-County Building.

SAFER Campaign Director Mason Tvert made the following statement in a press release yesterday upon hearing the news:

Denver officials have all but conceded publicly that they have no legal basis for charging individuals with private adult marijuana possession under state law. This is their second opportunity to defend their position in a court of law, but each time they have backed away before having their actions judged.

Yet they continue to issue citation after citation to Denver residents, spending thousands of tax dollars and city resources to collect a $100 fine. It is time for the Denver law enforcement community and city leaders to respect the will of the people and stop harassing harmless adults like Damien who make the rational choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol.

Stay tuned for more details...

Posted 1:41 AM by SAFER Choice |

GOCAMP Encourages Honest Debate on Amendment 44

Posted 1:14 AM by SAFER Choice |

Parents PO'd With Marijuana Prohibition Launch GOCAMP

Parents, professionals and even some of their children gathered in front of the Colorado State Capitol Building yesterday to announce the launch of Guarding Our Children Against Marijuana Prohibition (GOCAMP).

This new organization -- not to be confused with our opponents over at Guading Our Children Against Marijuana (GOCAM) -- will support Amendment 44 by educating the public about the harm marijuana prohibition and anti-marijuana propoganda have on our children and communities.

This event garnered a swarm of media attention, and the press conference was attended by the WB, CBS, NBC and FOX affiliates; Univision and Telmundo; the Rocky Mountain News, the Durango Herald, and the Pueblo Chieftain; KOA 850 AM; and Colorado Confidential; among others.

The segment from CBS 4 was viewable on-line at the time of this posting. Go to this site if you don't see a man holding a bag of joints in the video box on the right, go to "See All" and you should be able to find our clip. This played at the top of the 6 p.m. news.

Posted 12:18 AM by SAFER Choice |

Amendment 44 Has Big News Day at CSU

The second we saw this eery caricature of SAFER Campaign Director Mason Tvert we knew we were in for a treat...

Yesterday, the campaign to make marijuana legal for adults in Colorado was all over the Rocky Mountain Collegian, CSU's student-run daily newspaper.

The featured story was about Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, who was in town touting his energy-saving accomplishments, and hizzoner's position on Amendment 44.

Hickenlooper stunned Collegian editors when he discussed how marijuana prohibition appears to be on schedule to end up like alcohol prohibition.

[I]t took legislators 100 years to realize they made a "terrible mistake."

"I think this process is going on again with marijuana," he said.

Hick loses a few points for continuing to adhere to the "Gateway Theory," although he's taken the step of distancing himself from the flawed logic and now attributes this stance to what he's heard from law enforcement officials. Not very groovy, Hick.

But otherwise, it appears he's straightened up his act a little when it comes to taking a position on the issuue of marijuana legalization. Rather than flat-out opposing Amendment 44 and throwing out the "Gateway Theory" as his reasoning, Hickenlooper thought his answers through and made sure he didn't draw the wrath of SAFER.

When asked about his position on Amendment 44 by Collegian reporters:

"I'll stay out of it," he said after his speech. "It's like the war in Iraq. You don't need some mayor talking about it."

And, as the editors reported:

Collegian reporters pretty much ambushed him after the interview with a rough question for any politician: "How would you vote on Amendment 44 (the statewide marijuana legalization measure)?"

His answer - an honest, thoughtful and candid opinion on the subject at large - was classy, thought-provoking and appropriate. He even apologized to reporters for sidestepping the question about how he would vote on the issue, and gave an understandable reason for doing so.

It wasn't the stuff of pre-packaged, partisan politics. Hickenlooper is a thinker, and by most accounts, good for Denver.

Whatever his stance on pot legalization, Hickenlooper's good by us.

SAFER Campaign Director Mason Tvert expressed his respect for Hick despite their differences on marijuana policy:

"On a personal level, I think he's a great guy," he said. "I agree with him on a majority, if not a supermajority, of his priorities when it comes to city government."

Tvert said that he has faith in Mayor Hickenlooper.

"He's a cool guy," Tvert added. "If he wasn't currently the mayor, he'd probably be standing here with us."

This is not to say he let Hick off the hook entirely:

Tvert criticized the philosophy that many politicians have adopted: that law enforcement policy should be left to law enforcement agencies. He said city officials should wield that power.

He also lamented that opponents of his campaign have "been lied to, to believe marijuana will lead to harder drugs when there's no data to support it."

The Collegian then launches into a barrage of evidence that concluded marijuana is not a "gateway drug" based on its particular physical effect, but it is a "gateway drug" in terms of its illegality -- it is a gateway into a black market in which other illegal products are sold.

Here's to Hick hopefully coming around even more and representing his city on this issue sometime soon!

In fact, there is a new bad-guy in town when it comes to elected officials screwing around with marijuana initiatives. That would be House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, who got torn a new you-know-what in this Collegian column for his active opposition to Amendment 44.

Seeing as this piece was very similar to the last bunch that criticized the Speaker and Legislative Council for the whole Blue Book fiasco, I will just skip to the highlights.

A good point:

Somehow, the Legislative Council, a body made up of people who should be experts in state law, managed to miss this fact.

And this rant is classic:

Nevermind the fact that over 130,000 people signed the petition to get the initiative on the ballot (almost twice the needed amount). Nevermind the fact that last year the city of Denver decided to legalize marijuana. Screw them!

Their opinions don't matter! Let's stack the odds so unfairly against them in whatever way we can, even if it means telling a bold-faced lie!

It almost appears as if the Speaker is trying to give progressives a reason to vote against him should he seek higher office:

Now my pot-smoking friends and I aren't the only ones who think the Legislative Council and Andrew Romanoff are full of it (again, I'm restrained in my language). An editorial in Friday's Rocky Mountain News takes the same stance. It calls the Blue Book decision "misleading" and "false" and stated, "that's simply not right, whatever your opinion of the merits of Amendment 44.

And in conclusion...

Democracy has been subverted in Colorado.

Posted 11:47 PM by SAFER Choice |

Gazette Shines Spotlight on Colorado's Relationship With Alcohol

The Colorado Springs Gazette has been running a multi-part feature on the costs of alcohol use, abuse and misuse in Colorado.

The first part discusses the costs associated with booze and the problems typically associated with it. It begins with some pretty familiar rhetoric:

You and every other American will pay about $620 this year for the consequences of alcohol abuse, whether you take a drink or not.

You pay for police officers, firefighters and ambulance drivers. For emergency room nurses and doctors. For detox. For lost work days and family violence and fetal alcohol syndrome.

You pay for the DUIs after office parties and the fights outside bars. With chronic alcoholics, you pay these costs again and again...

Drugs like meth and crack seem so much scarier. Alcohol is so mundane, so mainstream, so legal. And that's why it's the drug that costs us the most.

The second part discusses how alcohol -- despite the serious healh and social problems to which it contributes -- benefits society in many ways, particularly as a source of tax revenue.

Tax an intoxicating product that millions of people want to use and are going to find whether it's legal or not? What a NOVEL idea!

The third and final piece in the Gazette's series on alcohol use in Colorado should be appear ing today.

Posted 1:28 AM by SAFER Choice |

Letters-to-the-Editor Regarding Amendment 44

This weekend, letters-to-the-editor regarding Amendment 44 appeared in both the Denver Post and the Daily Camera.

The Camera letters included one from Colorado Freedom Report editor Ari Armstrong in response to the Camera's editorial containing false information about the Blue Book containing...well... false information.

The other letter points out how poorly the DEA handles everything, whether it's eradicating opium in Afghanistan or campaigning against a citizen-initiated ballot measure in Colorado.

The letters in the Denver Post include one from SAFER Campaign Director Mason Tvert, who chides Post columnist Cindy Rodriguez for embodying the intellectual dishonesty of our nation's marijuana laws. He points out that her message -- that children must think marijuana is more dangerous than it really is -- is actually responsible for young people distrusting the information they hear about alcohol and other harder drugs. He fortifies the argument with recent national survey data that shows young people consider using marijuana once or twice per week to be more risky than binge drinking once or twice per week. This is despite the fact that binge drinking can kill you and there has never been a single marijuana overdose death in history.

A second letter from a concerned citizen calls out Rodriguez for redirecting a debate about adult marijuana use on adolescents and marijuana. The author points out how the current prohibition on marijuana actually causes more harm to young people than it does good.

Finally, there is a classic letter from Julie Kazimer of Westminster that accuses SAFER of being misleading in its argument that marijuana is safer than alcohol.

SAFER knows firsthand about misleading the public. How exactly does the decriminalization of marijuana protect Coloradans? The name SAFER is itself misleading, as are the political campaign signs asking people to vote "yes" on Amendment 44 to "Make Colorado Safer."

How does the decriminalization of marijuana protect Coloradans? Well, not acquiring a criminal record for using a drug less harmful than alcohol in the privacy of your own home is a start. Then there is the whole not-losing-your-job thing. And not losing federal tuition assistance. And not losing custody of your children. And, perhaps most importantly, not resorting to the use of alcohol -- a more harmful drug to both the user and to society -- simply because it is legal and marijuana is not.

After all, if we know alcohol leads to countless acts of violence in Colorado (50 percent of domestic violence cases in Denver, for example), would it not be fair to say that many of these incidents might be averted if the perpetrator had been allowed to use marijuana instead of alcohol? Call it a stretch -- although we might disagree -- but don't call it misleading.

Misleading would be asserting that SAFER has political campaign signs that say vote "yes" on Amendment 44 to "Make Colorado Safer" when in fact no such signs exist...yet. Although she has no evidence that such signs were even being produced, Ms. Kazimer feels it is perfectly honest to discuss them as if there is already one in the yard of her next-door neighbor.

While we unfortunately cannot ensure Ms. Kazimer's neighbors get those "YES on 44" signs, we certainly can do whatever we can to make sure folks know how to get in touch with her if they have questions.

Julie Kazimer
Administrative Assistant, Regis University
jkazimer@regis.edu
303-458-4044

We're tired of seeing nonsense in print as if it were fact, and we are not going to take it lying down. So let this serve as a warning to any would-be-letter-writers who think they can just spew gibberish about Amendment 44 on the pages of our newspapers. If you wish to go out of your way to make us read your letters, we have no problem going out of our way to make you read ours.

Posted 1:06 AM by SAFER Choice |

Denver Post Columnist Disputes Amendment 44 Opponents' Claims That Laws Should Be Public Service Announcements

Denver Post columnist Ed Quillen had a great column in Friday's paper criticizing opponents of reforming marijuana laws for continuing to cite "the message being sent to children" as their reasoning for wanting to keep marijuana illegal for adults.

Mr. Quillen begins with a pretty accurate summary of the effect Amendment 44 would have if passed:

Nor does it affect any of the federal government's stupid marijuana laws. Nor does it affect marijuana laws passed by Colorado home-rule cities, which would still be free to waste police time and public money.

He also gives a pretty accurate description of the DEA:

The DEA is a federal bureaucracy which likes to protect its turf and make work for itself. Realize that we live in a "free country" where the oxygen in the air that we breathe is a controlled substance, and you can better understand the DEA.

Mr. Quillen goes on to discuss how our laws are not supposed to be used to send messages to children, but rather govern the people and the activities in which they participate.

He discusses his reasoning, including the fact that most of drug laws disproportionately affect minorities and generally do not represent the beliefs of the people. But this is by far our favorite:

Our drug laws have no discernible connection with the risk of the drug. Thousands of people die every year from tobacco-related diseases, and an alcohol overdose can kill. Yet those drugs are legal.

In all of history, there is not one recorded death from a marijuana overdose. That drug is illegal.

So the main thing kids learn from our drug laws is that our country is run by morons.

We encourage folks to take a quick second and thank Mr. Quillen for injecting some good old-fashioned common sense into the debate about our nation's marijuana laws.

Posted 12:25 AM by SAFER Choice |

Colorado Freedom Report Editor Criticizes Camera's Freewheeling Editorial

The Daily Camera ran a great letter this weekend from Colorado Freedom Report founder and editor Ari Armstrong in response to the Camera's misleading and inaccurate editorial about SAFER's challenge to the Blue Book language last week.

We also found this great analysis of the Blue Book fiasco posted in the "Elevated Voices" section of Denver magazine 5280's blog by Colorado attorney and legal analyst Jeralyn Merritt.

But back to the Camera. We thought it was rather odd that it ran an editorial with the subheadline, "Blue book doesn't 'lie' about pot measure," when that very same day the Rocky Mountain News ran an editorial with the subheadline, "Blue book language will mislead voters."

As Mr. Armstrong points out in his letter, the Camera selectively uses quotes and fails to provide the very differenct contexts in which they were made, thus leading readers to believe our campaign is the one acting irresponsible. Oddly -- or not so oddly -- enough, this argument made by the Camera mirrors that of Legislative Council attorney Richard Kaufman on the Caplis & Silverman Show following the hearing -- or should I say lack of a hearing -- on Wednesday.

Apparently the Camera didn't look any further into the story than what they heard reported on the radio, and they failed to even contact the campaign to allow it a chance to explain the other side of the story. In our opinion, this is irresponsible journalism at the very least, as well as a disservice to the Camera's readers and the voters. Thus, we encourage you to follow Mr. Armstrong's lead and contact them and let them know you don't appreciate it.

Posted 12:54 AM by SAFER Choice |

Rocky Editorial Calls Out Legislative Council and Speaker Romanoff for Intentionally False Blue Book Language

The Rocky Mountain News editors call 'em like they see 'em, and this pretty much sums it all up:

The Legislative Council and its staff have made a serious mistake that will cloud the reputation of the Blue Book for years to come, not to mention tilt the playing field so far against Amendment 44 that the angle resembles a cliff.

Another pertinent point:

But thanks to this Blue Book blunder...Did we say blunder? Strike that: The line was deliberately placed in the Blue Book and is defended to this day by the Legislative Council as a legitimate interpretation.

It is also great to see a major newspaper shine a spotlight on such clearly deceptive language from Speaker Romanoff, who is obviously going out of his way to try to hurt Amendment 44 while not appearing like too much of a dick to the people in his district. House District 6 includes Capitol Hill and downtown Denver, and there is little doubt a clear majority of voters there support Amendment 44, as they did Initiative 100 (I-100) in Denver last year.

House Speaker Andrew Romanoff told us "every single word" of the controversial line "is true" because "it is accurate in terms of the laws on possession of marijuana."

Romanoff says this because state law makes it a felony to give anyone under 15 marijuana, and that law would remain in place if Amendment 44 passes. And since there is no explicit prohibition against transferring pot to anyone older, the council felt justified in maintaining that an adult could give "up to one ounce of marijuana to another individual 15 years of age or older" under the amendment.

Unfortunately, the clear implication of that statement - that the amendment decriminalizes such transfers, at least insofar as the state is concerned - is simply false. It is a crime in Colorado to help any juvenile break any federal or state law, and under both federal and state law it will continue to be illegal for minors to possess marijuana even if Amendment 44 is approved. So someone giving a minor marijuana would be breaking the law as well.

The Blue Book does acknowledge that 44 "addresses state law for possession only; enforcement of other marijuana laws would not change." But contributing to the delinquency of a minor is not a marijuana law, meaning the Blue Book fails to remind voters that such a law exists

When it comes down to it, this is what it's all about:

Sponsors of Amendment 44 tried to have the offending language struck this week in court, but a Denver judge said he had no authority to do so. We understand the judge's reluctance to meddle in a legislative prerogative, but the result is that voters will be misled. And that's simply not right, whatever your opinion of the merits of Amendment 44.

We couldn't have said it better ourselves...

Posted 12:44 AM by SAFER Choice |

Legislative Council Does Everything Possible to Ensure Voters Receive False Information On Amendment 44

It's been a long day, so we are just going to go ahead and provide links to the few news stories that have come out thus far, as well as the press release we sent out following our hearing (or lack thereof).

Rocky Mountain News
Colorado Springs Gazette
Colorado Confidential
ABC 7


For immediate release - September 13, 2006



DENVER - Today, a district court judge - before hearing the merits of the case - dismissed a complaint from proponents of Amendment 44, which alleged the Legislative Council included a false and misleading statement in its analysis of the initiative for the state-sanctioned voter guide. Judge John McMullen, sitting in Colorado's Second Judicial District, granted a motion from the Legislative Council's attorneys to dismiss the case based on a lack of jurisdiction. Thus, the erroneous language will now be included in the Blue Book, which will be sent to approximately two million households in the state.

The Legislative Council's analysis indicates that Amendment 44 would make it legal for adults to give small amounts of marijuana to minors. This ignores the fact that an existing state law banning contributing to the delinquency of a minor - which would in no way be affected by the Amendment - would keep such an act illegal.

Statement from SAFER Campaign Director Mason Tvert:

For the past five days, the Legislative Council has done everything in its power to avoid having any substantive review of its false and misleading language. Legislative Council Director Kirk Mlinek deferred to his own staff instead of examining the issue on his own, Speaker Romanoff refused to reconvene the Legislative Council to consider the matter, and now attorneys for the Council have succeeded in having the court dismiss the complaint before a decision on the merits. They must be very proud of themselves for successfully completing their plan to deceive the voters.

The judge in this case clearly was not thinking the court lacked jurisdiction when he called for a hearing today. Perhaps it does, perhaps it doesn't. The main point is that the judge was prepared to hear the issue on the merits. The Legislative Council clearly was not interested in this. This was an opportunity to have a neutral third party decide which side is right in this extremely important matter. The Legislative Council was afraid to have its language examined in that manner. If it was so confident its language was correct, why run and hide?

We now know that this was not an impartial analysis. The Legislative Council has been working hand-in-hand with our opponents for weeks. The language which will now officially be a part of the Blue Book was not in the initial draft and was only inserted and retained after multiple requests from initiative opponents. It is illegal now and will be illegal after passage of our initiative for an adult to transfer any amount of marijuana to a minor. Despite this, Legislative Counsel decided it was necessary to tell the voters that our initiative, if passed, would allow adults to transfer small amounts of marijuana to minor. It is a sad day when our elected officials neglect their duty to act in an impartial manner and intentionally mislead and deceive the people they are elected to serve.

We now expect that our opponents will repeat the Legislative Council's false statement throughout the campaign. We can only hope that the media will be more responsible than the Legislative Council and will not repeat this lie as if it were fact.

Posted 11:04 PM by SAFER Choice |

Vail Voters Join Aspen Voters in Supporting Amendment 44

Should marijuana use be legal?

Yes	81.13% (86)
No	18.87% (20)

Total Votes: 106

Last week we reported on an on-line Aspen Daily News poll that showed Aspen-area voters overwhelmingly support Amendment 44. A similar on-line poll conducted by the Vail Trail this week shows that support for the marijuana initiative is even stronger in the Vail area.

More than 80 percent of the votes were in support of Amendment 44 (versus 71 percent in Aspen), and they even topped it off with a cover story all about the initiative, to boot.

The piece is fantastic and for the most part it is entirely positive. The only criticism of all the people interviewed was Eagle County Sheriff Joe Hoy:

"I think it’s bogus," he said. "I think it’s just a small group of individuals who think it’s their right to enjoy marijuana …"

Just a small group of individuals, eh? Perhaps Sheriff Hoy should consider the fact that 130,815 people in Colorado signed the petition to put Amendment 44 on the ballot. Yet only 6,027 total people voted for him in the 2002 election (not to mention 5,041 people cast ballots against him). In other words, more than 20 times as many people in Colorado think it's their right to enjoy marijuana...

And when it comes to the "Gateway Theory," Sheriff Hoy's quote demonstrates his inexpertise on marijuana and drug policy:

"We know through studies that marijuana is one of the gateway drugs that can lead to the stronger drugs and we still know there is a huge market, and trafficking, for marijuana."

Sheriff Hoy's quote clearly demonstrates his inexpertise on marijuana and marijuana policy. After all, the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine reported in 1999 that...

"There is no conclusive evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are causally linked to the subsequent abuse of other illicit drugs … There is no evidence that marijuana serves as a stepping stone on the basis of its particular physiological effect … Instead, the legal status of marijuana makes it a gateway drug."

Clearly Sheriff Hoy has not done his homework, so perhaps he should begin worrying more about enforcing marijuana laws and less about developing marijuana policy.

Posted 1:21 AM by SAFER Choice |

BS of the Day

The press from yesterday contained some pretty absurd comments from our opponents and those folks on the other end of this lawsuit. Without further ado, we present to you our first installment of the BS of Day:

1. GOCAM Campaign Manager and Bev Kinard lackey Robert McGuire in the Longmont Daily Times-Call:

But Robert McGuire, an attorney for Guarding Our Children Against Marijuana, said adoption of Amendment 44 would amount to “legalizing a favorite marketing tactic” of drug dealers, “giving away free samples.”

Earth to Robert McGuire: This is the real world, not a D.A.R.E. video. There are no dark sand shady creeping into the playground and giving away free samples of marijuana. And if they did, they would be cited for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a felony in Colorado. It will also remain illegal for ANYONE under 21 to possess ANY amount of marijuana. Good try, Rob, but this old-school scare tactic is....BS.

2. Legislative Council Director of Research Kirk Mlinek in the Rocky Mountain News:

"If I knew it was wrong, then the first person you'd find outside the House speaker's door with a proposed change is