Marijuana posession legalized in Denver...

[6Metal6Head6]

#1 If you like to read.
DENVER — Voters here approved making Denver the first major city to legalize small amounts of marijuana, but the mayor warned that state law still makes possession of the drug illegal.
"OK of pot issue gives new meaning to Mile High City," said Wednesday's headline in the Rocky Mountain News. The measure, which passed Tuesday with 54% of the vote, says adults 21 and older may possess up to an ounce of marijuana without penalty in the city.

A few other cities, including Seattle and Oakland, have laws that make marijuana possession a low priority for police. A dozen states, including Colorado, have decriminalized possession of small amounts but still issue fines.

Unlike Denver, the Colorado ski town of Telluride, population 2,300, narrowly defeated a measure Tuesday that would have made possession of marijuana the lowest police priority. It might be already: Just 17 citations were issued there last year for pot possession.

Don't expect clouds of marijuana smoke to fill Denver's thin air. Mayor John Hickenlooper said police will continue to arrest and charge people for marijuana because state law still makes possession illegal.

Hickenlooper said the city can adopt an ordinance that is stricter than state law on marijuana but not one that is weaker.

Bruce Mirken, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C., said Denver's vote will spur initiatives in other cities to legalize and regulate marijuana like alcohol or tobacco.

"It's certainly likely to energize people. This is the wind in the sails of reform," Mirken said Wednesday. "Rethinking marijuana prohibition is mainstream. This is the heart of America saying, 'Hold on, maybe our current marijuana laws don't make a lot of sense.' And the fact is, they're right."

Mason Tvert, who led the Denver campaign for legalized pot, said he will encourage people who are charged under state law to fight their arrests in court.

In Colorado, having an ounce of marijuana or less is punishable by a $100 fine but no jail time. "It's like a speeding ticket, and only a fraction of people end up going to court over it," said Tvert, founder of SAFER, or Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation.

Tvert said his group also will seek a state initiative to license and regulate the sale of marijuana. His campaign argued that legalized pot is a safer alternative, considering the problems that arise from alcohol abuse such as violent crime and health risks.

The mayor said he opposed the measure because he considers marijuana a "gateway" drug that can lead to harder substances and "much more self-destructive behaviors." Hickenlooper acknowledged, however, that Denver's vote "does reflect a genuine shift in people's attitudes."

Although Denver's marijuana vote caught attention, the main issue Coloradans approved Tuesday will let the state government keep $3.7 billion in tax revenue over the next five years. The money otherwise would have been refunded to taxpayers under a 1992 constitutional amendment, the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, which has strict caps on state spending. The statewide referendum passed with 52% of the vote.


From the usatoday, november 3rd, 2005

#2 Sum up.
"In Colorado, having an ounce of marijuana or less is punishable by a $100 fine but no jail time. "



FINALLY SOME PROGRESS!!!!

Here's a newsreport video from cbs
http://cbs4denver.com/local/local_story_307081440.html

[Scienott]

That's cool! Nice find.

We can only hope that this catches on as a trend throughout the states, until it'll be absurd for the US to criticize Canada for nationally decriminalizing pot (as it is now).

[Rambo]

*Evil Cockroach* Good, good.

[XxooZero]

The only problem with this is the law doesnt do what it says it will. Our mayor has said that he will still prosecute under state laws.


its a step in the right direction, however, this country is so ****ed up that when we pass a law, it doesnt nesseccarily do what it says it will.

[Dockwats]

I would harp in but nah.

[Labtec600]

Too much government money/jobs wrapped up in Marijuana to legalize it.

[TheTamster]

I dont know if any you guy's seen the documentry called Grass, its unbeleiveble the lengths the american goverment went to ,to ban Marijuana that is the reason it is banned from most countries, because of america, they also passed a law that stated experiments on Marijuana could only be done using synthetic Marijuana which kinda make's it pointless! But the best bit about the documentry was the ads they used to put on american tv its just that much bullshit that its funny!!
The whole point of the documentry was to show that they done this merely to control the mexican population who introduced Marijuana on a stret level, should check it out if you get the chance, its even funnier if your stoned!! (although im an ex-stoner!)

Power to the people! This is a great achievement. Plus, its good for the hippies. Damn Hippies. Legalize it.

[zys]

Now please legalize marrying animals =(

***REALITY CHECK***

The DEA will never let this fly. Marc Emery(A Canadian in Vancouver) was arrested this summer, on request by the DEA. His trial for deportation is due soon. This is being done because he sold marijuana seeds over the internet (not a crime in Canada) to some American customers.
In Denver, you'll still be smoking and looking over your shoulder in paranoia.

Legalization is not the answer anyway, DECRIMINALIZATION is the answer. The less facking government, the better. Think about it.

[Dockwats]

Originally Posted by guaii

***REALITY CHECK***

The DEA will never let this fly. Marc Emery(A Canadian in Vancouver) was arrested this summer, on request by the DEA. His trial for deportation is due soon. This is being done because he sold marijuana seeds over the internet (not a crime in Canada) to some American customers.
In Denver, you'll still be smoking and looking over your shoulder in paranoia.

Legalization is not the key anyway, DECRIMINALIZATION is the answer. The less facking government, the better. Think about it.

Anarchy?

[Labtec600]

Legalize marijuana? Fine.

Legalize all drugs? Hell no. That would be adding fuel (all the drugs) to a fire (the problems with alcohol and tobacco).

I can guarentee once the college aged kids get into power Marijuana will be legalized.

[6Metal6Head6]

A year.
Death by consumption(Absorbed into the body and after effects):
Alcohol-85,000
Pot-0
Cigarettes-440,000

Domestic violence involving:
Alcohol-2/3
Pot-0/3
Cigarettes-0/3(duh lol)

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

Originally Posted by guaii

***REALITY CHECK***

The DEA will never let this fly. Marc Emery(A Canadian in Vancouver) was arrested this summer, on request by the DEA. His trial for deportation is due soon. This is being done because he sold marijuana seeds over the internet (not a crime in Canada) to some American customers.
In Denver, you'll still be smoking and looking over your shoulder in paranoia.

Legalization is not the key anyway, DECRIMINALIZATION is the answer. The less facking government, the better. Think about it.

If the colorado state law get's passed about posession, then other states people will take it into their hands to try and get it legalized in them as well, then you have all these states who pass it vs the others, and the states who pass to try and get FEDERAL law changed.

[Dockwats]

Originally Posted by Labtec600

Legalize marijuana? Fine.

Legalize all drugs? Hell no. That would be adding fuel (all the drugs) to a fire (the problems with alcohol and tobacco).

I can guarentee once the college aged kids get into power Marijuana will be legalized.

I think the hippies who said that 30 years ago are the very ones blocking the issue now. Oh the cycle of life.

[Labtec600]

Originally Posted by dockwats

I think the hippies who said that 30 years ago are the very ones blocking the issue now. Oh the cycle of life.

Yes, but I still think todays attitudes are very much different.

I also want to add that I believe this vote was "skewed".\

There are something like 3 or 4 college campuses in Denver. Grantd, they would have to change their perminate address, but thats still very plausible.

I really would like to see the voting breakdown of who voted for and who voted against.

[Cactus]

Originally Posted by dockwats

Anarchy?

Perhaps he means the goverment should have less control.. That would probably be better than total Anarchy..

[Mickro71]

Probably public record. Doubtful a vote of this magnitude could be kept secret, and I say magnitude because of the obvious attention it has garnered. Regardless of whether or not it gets legalized/decriminalized, it will be awhile. No president will back away from what they and the religious right consider the good fight and most likely if it ever happens the states will be inundated with dirty drugs from the cartels as one last **** you later.

[zys]

My friend's stepdad's friend's son went psycho from pot and suicided.

Plus my other friend's friend is in an institute because of it.

[Mickro71]

Sorry to hear that, but from pot?, doubtful. Maybe the shit sticking to the bud.

[Dockwats]

Originally Posted by Cactus

Perhaps he means the goverment should have less control.. That would probably be better than total Anarchy..

Probably but "The less government the better" implies that the minimal amount of government, next to none, is the answer. Or guaii could just be a Republican like his hero Bush and not realize it.

[Cactus]

Originally Posted by zys

My friend's stepdad's friend's son went psycho from pot and suicided.

Plus my other friend's friend is in an institute because of it.

I'm pretty sure you have to smoke a boatload of pot before it makes you crazy, either that or you were a little crazy before and pot was just the catalyst.. People have even killed themselves because they had Tinnitus..

[badsenseofhumour]

Originally Posted by zys

My friend's stepdad's friend's son went psycho from pot and suicided.

Plus my other friend's friend is in an institute because of it.

Your friends step-dad's friends son and your friends friend probably had depression to start off with. I smoked 24hrs a day for 2 years and got depressed, but never got that bad. But then, they may have had something in them that made the pot affect them badly.

[Scienott]

Originally Posted by zys

My friend's stepdad's friend's son went psycho from pot and suicided.

He already had mental health issues, before he was involved with pot - therefore, he shouldn't have used pot ... given that he had problems to begin with. Or, the shit he was using was laced ... or, he has psychosis in his genes ... or, his body reacts 'subjectively negative' to pot ... or, all of the above.

Originally Posted by zys

Plus my other friend's friend is in an institute because of it.

Bullshit. Don't blame it on the pot. Pot's just something to pin it on. That's like saying someone's arteries clogged from eating McDonalds and McDonalds only - it's not like that ... there are many things that could have clogged the arteries - very few things are black and white - in other words, there isn't one cause for something like that.

Pot affects each person differently. In fact, for some, pot TREATS psychosis (scientifically proven). For those that have negative mental reactions to it though: it's thought to be because of genes which more easily inhibit psychosis if pot is used. So, it can go both ways.

Do you realize how many people use pot? About half the world, or maybe more. If you use it responsibly (i.e. obtain a clean, pure product), it has very mild and pleasant effects for most people.

[Cactus]

Originally Posted by Scienott

Do you realize how many people use pot? About half the world, or maybe more. If you use it responsibly (i.e. obtain a clean, pure product), it has very mild and pleasant effects for most people.

Half the world? Are you sure? Seems like a rather large amount..

[Scienott]

It'd be damn near half. I know that about half the UK teen population smokes.