Denver Marijuana Initiative Winning Again

[tridim]

Question 100 Makes Pot Enforcement Low Priority

DENVER -- A second initiative in as many years seeking to decriminalize the use and possession of marijuana was leading Wednesday.

Preliminary results of Question 100 directing law enforcement to make marijuana the lowest law enforcement priority was leading by a margin of 56 percent to 44 percent Wednesday afternoon.

Molly Rauzi, a city spokeswoman, said the results of the mail-in vote were not final and ballots were still being counted Wednesday because of the larger-than-expected turnout.

"The people of Denver have made it unmistakably clear they they do not want their city wasting its limited law enforcement resources arresting and prosecuting adults for possessing a drug less harmful than alcohol," said Mason Tvert, executive director of Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) and the director of the YES on 100 campaign. "Whereas marijuana users were once the law-breakers in the Mile High City, city officials will now be the ones violating the law if they do not respect the will of the voters."

Elected officials and police said the initiative would have little effect since state and federal law supersede local law decriminalizing the drug.

More - http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/14528725/detail.html

Please leave us alone feds, this country is supposed to be a democracy and it's supposed to be free.

[daninthemoon]

1. Gotta start somewhere. Good for you, mile high city.

[IronLionZion]

8. hehe, "mile high city"

it gives new meaning to the nickname doesn't it? :smoke: :hippie:

[MrModerate]

2. And those elected officials and police are blowing smoke . . .

Out of their asses if they think they'll be able to mount aggressive antipot campaigns after this second validation of the people's will. They'll end up doing what other cities have done after such votes -- tell their cops to lay off the potheads and if the Federal attack dogs insist on making busts, let 'em (but not lift a finger to help).

Cops, as a rule, aren't stupid. They can assign priorities to crime better than most people can. They're on the front lines of cleaning up the mess, after all.

[Trillo]

3. Let us know the final results. nt

[yella_dawg]

4. One estimate makes the ellicit drug trade as $67 billion a year business.

That's world-wide. Gonna take a lot of work to break that kind of economic momentum. I believe that this kind of drip-drip-drip is the only thing that will work.


That estimate didn't include the highly profitable for-profit prison industry if I understood correctly.

[tridim]

6. How about shifting that $67 billion to tax revenue?

Especially considering Cannabis is America's #1 cash crop, even though it's illegal. People want to buy it, and given the choice I'm sure the most people would rather avoid buying it on the black market.

It's ironic that these progressive initiatives are shunned primarily by two groups, drug dealers (both legal and illegal) and those who profit from drug arrests.

[angstlessk]

5. when all 50 states pass some sort of resolution regarding pot

maybe the federal government will realize they do not have a fucking mandate to arreste all pot users?? ya think? :shrug:

[Warren DeMontague]

7. We spend $40 Billion a year- not incl. incarceration costs- on a "drug war" aimed PRIMARILY at pot.

It's fucking ludicrous. Legalize, Regulate and tax it already. For my state and many others, it would be a revenue bonanza. In addition to the fact that locking up non-violent people for smoking a relatively harmless plant is a travesty.

[asdjrocky]

9. When put to a vote.... Pot always wins.

[tridim]

10. And I would guess at least half of the "no" votes come from people who still believe..

Reefer Madness was accurate. The rest are from fundies who don't believe anyone but them should be free.

So not only does pot always win, it also beats the point spread. Yet, it still remains illegal and is still equated with methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin by the federal government.

[WindRavenX]

11. any update on results?

NT

[tridim]

12. It passed easily.

Every big city should put this on their next ballot. Baby steps are only effective if everyone steps at the same time.

[marmar]

13. Cool....Good for Denver.

Smoke 'em if ya got 'em. :smoke: