cannabisnews.com: Denver Poised To Make Marijuana a Low Priority





Denver Poised To Make Marijuana a Low Priority
Posted by CN Staff on November 07, 2007 at 06:16:29 PT
By Felisa Cardona, The Denver Post 
Source: Denver Post
Denver, CO -- More than half of Denver voters appeared to favor an initiative making marijuana the city's lowest law enforcement priority, according to early ballot returns. If the result holds, the mayor must now appoint a panel to monitor how marijuana cases are handled by the police and city prosecutors and issue a report.
With most of the ballots counted Tuesday evening, 55 percent of the mail-in ballots supported the initiative and 45 percent were opposed. "It appears as if it is going to pass and it shows there is a wealth of support around the city," said Mason Tvert, campaign director of Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation, the group behind the initiative. Tvert says the measure was motivated by what he says are overzealous police who continue to cite adults for possessing under an ounce of marijuana despite a law that allows simple pot possession in Denver. Denver police and prosecutors say possessing marijuana still violates state and federal law. A spokeswoman for Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper has said that enforcement of laws governing personal use amounts of marijuana is already a low law enforcement priority. Similar initiatives passed Seattle in 2003 and in Missoula, Montana last year. Seattle's marijuana panel reported that marijuana prosecutions and arrests are down, but Seattle's city attorney says the group cannot agree that the initiative caused the drop.  Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_7388701Source: Denver Post (CO)Author:   Felisa Cardona, The Denver Post Published: November 6, 2007 Copyright: 2007 The Denver Post CorpWebsite: http://www.denverpost.com/Contact: openforum denverpost.com Related Articles & Web Site:Safer Denverhttp://www.saferdenver.com/ Denver Decides Second Pot Issuehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23454.shtmlVoters Could Shift Cops' Pot Priorityhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23421.shtml
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Comment #29 posted by whig on November 07, 2007 at 18:29:24 PT
Independence pass
Some pictures and musichttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zbdnFtz6ZE
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Comment #28 posted by FoM on November 07, 2007 at 16:08:56 PT
dongenero
I have a friend that lives in Phoenix, Arizona and she is a big Neil Young fan. She tries to see Neil as many times as she can during a tour. Last summer she had the first opportunity to see him at Red Rocks. She said the way the sound bounced off the rocks it seemed like the music was going right up to Heaven. She said I doubt I will ever experience anything like I did that day in Colorado. It was totally a spiritual experience for her she said.
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Comment #27 posted by dongenero on November 07, 2007 at 16:00:51 PT
Colorado rockies
I love the mountains of the west. I live in the flat land but my heart is in the mountains.To me it is a spiritual link. I can feel it in my soul when I am in that environment.  I wish I could transition into living somewhere like that. The winters are awfully long though.
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Comment #26 posted by FoM on November 07, 2007 at 13:25:40 PT
whig
I'm listening to Closing Time. Good pick. Leonard Cohen is one of the most intriguing musicians I have ever heard. Thanks.
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Comment #25 posted by whig on November 07, 2007 at 13:09:22 PT
Closing Time
Semisonichttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdmLmIArqWMLeonard Cohenhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrPEM2qc-j8
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Comment #24 posted by whig on November 07, 2007 at 12:57:55 PT
Independence pass
That was the one. Closes today, eh? Sounds like a good name for a song...Independence Pass Closes Today
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Comment #23 posted by The GCW on November 07, 2007 at 12:46:12 PT
whig,
I'm not sure if You are talking about Independence Pass out of Aspen and I'm not sure if it crosses the Continental Divide but it closes today for the winter.In fact it closes in aobut 15 minutes.http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20071106/NEWS/111060060Independence Pass closes today
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Comment #22 posted by Hope on November 07, 2007 at 12:31:46 PT
Mountains
I don't care for heavily forested mountains like the Ozarks, at all. They kind of give me the creeps for some reason. But the Rocky Mountains are glorious and majestic. They tend to evoke a sense of soaring freedom.
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Comment #21 posted by whig on November 07, 2007 at 11:19:50 PT
High mountains
It was summertime and the route we took over the continental divide was snow covered. It's a route that isn't open at all in the winter.
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Comment #20 posted by whig on November 07, 2007 at 11:18:18 PT
The GCW
I was in Colorado for a few days, a friend and I drove cross-country one summer and took the scenic detour south of I70 to Colorado Springs and over to Buena Vista, over the continental divide and down through Aspen. It's really beautiful.
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Comment #19 posted by FoM on November 07, 2007 at 10:56:16 PT
The GCW
Colorado was the only state that when I was young I wanted to live. It represents to me God's Majesty. I'm sure that makes sense to you.
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Comment #18 posted by The GCW on November 07, 2007 at 10:50:48 PT
FoM,
Thank You.I like Colorado.It is progressive in many ways.Granite high peaks are one of the highlights also.Not just mountains -HIGH mountains.I wonder if prohibitionists want to stop the mountains from being high too? Cut them down from 14,000' to under 11,000'Prohibit the Rocky Mountain High.-0-If I remember right, on the last election about this issue the Denver police bunch said the voters were deceived / they didn't know what they were voting for... The wording and all...This 2nd election on this issue should straghten them out.
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Comment #17 posted by whig on November 07, 2007 at 10:31:28 PT
Had Enough
That's ominous. Police should not count votes. 
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Comment #16 posted by Had Enough on November 07, 2007 at 10:24:36 PT
SWAT team helped tally votes
SWAT team helped tally votesBy Kieran Nicholson The Denver PostArticle Last Updated: 11/07/2007 10:49:14 AM MSTDenver city officials and volunteers are still working on tabulating results from yet another painfully slow election. "Our last tally was 79,567 votes," said Stephanie O'Malley, Denver's Clerk and Recorder, this morning. "That leaves us with approximately 8,000 to be counted." Late last night about 20 members of Denver' SWAT team were called in to relieve volunteers who were too tired to go on counting. The city uses police officers to fill in because they already have the necessary background clearance to step right in and start counting. O'Malley said there was no snafu in counting the votes, but there was a tech-services problem in posting the results to an election website. 90,000 votes cast were not turned in until Tuesday, which delayed the counting. She said it also takes longer to tally mail-in ballots than the traditional kind. Volunteers and city officials worked through the night to count results, O'Malley said. "We have been here in excess of 24 hours," O'Malley said. "That is just part of this business, it is the nature of the beast." more…http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_7394285
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on November 07, 2007 at 10:10:28 PT
The GCW
You're state has to be the most progressive in the Nation now and I am very happy for you.
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Comment #14 posted by The GCW on November 07, 2007 at 10:01:13 PT
US CO: Second Denver marijuana initiative leading 
US CO: Second Denver marijuana initiative leading in votes
 Webpage: http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20071107/NEWS/71107003Pubdate: 7 Nov. 2007 - 
Source: Summit Daily News (CO)...... “It’s not a matter of whether they can do this, but a matter of whether they will. If they do not, they are officially breaking more Denver laws than any adult marijuana user.”Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson said the department did not immediately have a comment.Cont...
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Comment #13 posted by whig on November 07, 2007 at 09:08:20 PT
dongenero
Those made-in-China patriotic flags and magnets, gotta love 'em.
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Comment #12 posted by dongenero on November 07, 2007 at 08:59:02 PT
Making support easy and painless - Patrick #10
It's kind of the same with magnetic ribbons you see on cars.By having a "support the troops" magnetic ribbon on a car....Poof! you're a patriot. A magnetic ribbon patriot that is.Now Mason's SAFER sticker, heh, Mason IS the real thing. His sticker reflects all of the hard work he has done, all of the flak he has taken and all of the good he has accomplished. 
Now that is real activism! putting real time, effort and resources where your sticker is!
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on November 07, 2007 at 08:58:28 PT
Patrick
It's nice to see you and that was good.
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Comment #10 posted by Patrick on November 07, 2007 at 08:47:49 PT
Speaking of stickers in comment #3
In California kids (or whomever) place stickers on signs at stoplights and I saw one that said “STOP Sticker Graffiti.” It made me laugh yesterday and it reminded me of all the marketing and politics of going “Green” that is everywhere today. The irony of it that is.
 
I am an old dog and this is really the first time Green is being shoved down my throat everywhere I look and yet the powers that are, VETO Hemp at every opportunity? Makes me want to go out and burn more fossil fuels just to make the black gold run out sooner and force the powers that be to either shut up or put up GREEN for real. Until hemp farming is re-legalized in this country I ain’t buying the mamby pamby green BS. Especially, when it’s preached by our goobermint.Sorry for going off and going off topic. But one other thing that eats at me. The fact that Monday Night Football dimmed their lights in the Studio and then went to Matt Lauer who “flew” his crew and gear to the Arctic Circle so they could light the ice up like a big friggin Christmas tree for the broadcast was just as ironic as the sticker. Big savings of energy there! Idiots.Maybe it’s just me but does anyone else get the sense we are being fed “go green” till we puke but when going green really matters, like having a domestic hemp crop for fiber, fuel, and food we are being denied? Oh and while you are at it we must put trash in the proper receptacle so we don’t pollute the planet either but then we are asked to please support nuclear power and the toxic waste it creates which must be buried in Nevada for the next 20,000 years just so it doesn’t kill life as we know it. Yeah right, sure go green as in glowing green maybe. Please.
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on November 07, 2007 at 08:39:08 PT
Whig
I agree and that sure should end the discussion. 
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Comment #8 posted by whig on November 07, 2007 at 08:34:06 PT
APA
That's great news, so much for those claiming that cannabis is dangerous to mental health, as long as recommended by a physician the American Psychiatric Association is in favor of patients' protections to use medical marijuana.
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on November 07, 2007 at 08:23:28 PT
Press Release from MPP
American Psychiatric Association Assembly Backs Medical Marijuana Patient ProtectionNovember 7, 2007Unanimous Vote Signals Growing Acceptance of Medical MarijuanaWASHINGTON, D.C. — In a unanimous vote, the Assembly of the American Psychiatric Association has approved a strongly worded statement supporting legal protection for patients using medical marijuana with their doctor's recommendation.URL: http://www.mpp.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=glKZLeMQIsG&b=1157875&ct=4620829
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Comment #6 posted by afterburner on November 07, 2007 at 08:09:49 PT
Fire the Mayor...
If he won't enforce city laws he is sworn to enforce.
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on November 07, 2007 at 08:09:36 PT
Slight Update on Above Article
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_7388564
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on November 07, 2007 at 07:58:56 PT
dongenero 
PC's with Booze. Oh my goodness I need to get a Mac. LOL!
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Comment #3 posted by dongenero on November 07, 2007 at 07:53:23 PT
follow the denver post link at the bottom
There is a great picture of Mason watching the election results. He looks very happy and rightfully so.Nice Macbook Pro with a SAFER sticker too :) It reminds me of the recent article that linked Macs with cannabis and PCs with booze.Congratulations Denver. Thanks for taking the lead. Now if we can all stay on that wheel.
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Comment #2 posted by ripit on November 07, 2007 at 07:03:53 PT:
denver pd needs
to be told they should let state police and feds handle state and fed laws. as far as i know are not the city police hired by and paid by the city and not the state?
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on November 07, 2007 at 06:32:21 PT
News From Amsterdam
Dutch Health Minister Extends Medical Marijuana Program for Five YearsNovember 7, 2007http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/07/europe/EU-GEN-Netherlands-Marijuana.php
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