cannabisnews.com: A-44 Shot Down










  A-44 Shot Down

Posted by CN Staff on November 08, 2006 at 06:13:50 PT
By Caitlin Donnell, Colorado Daily Staff Writer 
Source: Colorado Daily 

Colorado -- Colorado State Amendment 44, which proposed to change the Colorado Statutes, not the Constitution, to legalize the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana for adults 21 years of age or older, was failing as of press time Tuesday night.According to the Rocky Mountain News Web site, 61.9 percent of Colorado voters shot down the amendment with 38.1 percent who voted for the amendment with 1,338 of 3,161 precincts reported.
While individuals who grow, transfer, possess, sell or consume marijuana violate federal, state and in some cases local laws, A-44 addressed state law for possession only.“I am very proud of the citizens of Colorado for taking a stand against the illegal drug movement. We as a community have taken a stance and I am just so very pleased that people put forth the effort to vote and show they really care,” said Beverly Kinard on Tuesday. She is the CEO and founder of Guarding Our Children Against Marijuana (GOCAM), the leading group of opponents of A-44..Kinard said by voting down A-44, the parents and citizens of Colorado were protecting children and not providing benefits for drug dealers, which Kinard said of the amendment. If the amendment had passed, Colorado would have “become a haven for drug users and that families would have turned their back on Colorado because they would not have wanted to bring their children here on vacation,” Kinard said.The proponents for A-44, Denver-based Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER), a non-profit organization led by Mason Tvert, supported Amendment 44 by saying that marijuana is a safer alternative to alcohol. SAFER's campaign says marijuana is far less addictive, less harmful than alcohol and other narcotics. SAFER also points to studies that have shown that while alcohol contributes to violence and aggressive behavior, they say marijuana does not.SAFER also attributes marijuana to be a safer alternative to alcohol as there are numerous overdose deaths each year while there has not been a marijuana overdose death in recorded history. This point, however, is not correct, according to GOCAM.Kinard has argued that there have been many incidents of drug overdose deaths in which marijuana was the only drug in the body. Kinard also said recent research that shown marijuana use is linked with cardiovascular strokes, bladder cancer and schizophrenia strengthens her argument that marijuana is in fact a dangerous drug.Tvert, however, said he was not disappointed by Tuesday nights' election results.“We said from the very beginning that we are not out to necessarily change the law but to change the people because we know that once people learn that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol, they will certainly come around and we will see a much greater number in the future,” Tvert said Tuesday night. “This is probably one of the first steps in a much greater movement in Colorado towards achieving some sanity in our marijuana laws.”Tvert said SAFER will continue to work to change marijuana laws nationwide and here in Colorado with the principle that “it's time that the government stops punishing adults who make the rational, safer choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol,” he said.Source: Colorado Daily (UC Edu, CO)Author: Caitlin Donnell, Colorado Daily Staff Writer Published: Wednesday, November 8, 2006 Copyright: 2006 Colorado DailyContact: letters coloradodaily.comWebsite: http://www.coloradodaily.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Safer Choicehttp://www.saferchoice.org/Safer Coloradohttp://www.safercolorado.org/ Pro-Pot Proposal Takes a Big Hithttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22363.shtmlMarijuana Amendment Going Up in Smoke http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22362.shtml

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Comment #21 posted by mayan on November 08, 2006 at 17:46:14 PT
Celaya
Politicians can be bought, but when the citizenry finally votes to eliminate the very foundation of the drug war (cannabis prohibition) there won't be much the politicans can do. I strongly recommend that everyone read Celaya's link in comment #1. Catherine Austin Fitts has extraordinary insight as to how the system works and how much the drug war is a vital means in protecting the status quo. Thanks for the link, Celaya!
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Comment #20 posted by mayan on November 08, 2006 at 17:37:39 PT
Re: Comment #1
Celaya, you mentioned a very real threat. We are not out of the woods by any means. I posted this in a previous thread...9/11 Truth will be the ultimate litmus test which will define the democrats as either part of the solution or part of the problem. Make no mistake about it, until there is a REAL independent investigation of the 9/11 inside job then our country will remain in serious peril. Either they will expose it or they are a part of it and will allow it to happen again.
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Comment #19 posted by Had Enough on November 08, 2006 at 16:03:07 PT
Seeds were sown.
from Sukoi's linkWednesday, November 8, 2006Major marijuana initiativesOK, call me a glass half-full kind of guy. I know a lot of people are really disappointed by the loss of all three major initiatives (legalization in Nevada and Colorado; medical marijuana in South Dakota), and I am disappointed, too. But it's not the end of the world, and in fact, there's quite a lot to be pleased with in the results of those initiatives. Despite the full weight of the federal government using taxpayer money to oppose the initiatives; despite various local and state officials improperly (perhaps illegally) using their offices to campaign against and spread falsehoods; despite the fact that voters knew this would create a conflict with federal law; despite the decades of propaganda... Combined, close to one million people voted in favor of these initiatives (in a midterm election in not highly populated states).All three initiatives got respectable percentages in the 40's (unlike drug warrior Earnest Istook, who only got 34% in the Oklahoma governor race).The South Dakota medical marijuana initiative lost by only 16,000 votes.As daksya notes, the demographics look to be on our side long-term.Not bad. And in the process, there was even some national coverage and discussion of these issues. Seeds were sown. Kudos to those who worked so hard on those initiatives. It's got to be particularly hard for you right now, but be proud of what you did. And kudos also to those independent candidates around the country tilting at windmills and getting more people to talk about drug policy reform.Now we've got to do our job to continue to educate and motivate people, stripping away the layers and years of lies, softening up the masses for the next round. Update: See this chart for information on all the marijuana-related initiatives, including a number of smaller ones that we won in Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Santa Monica (California), Missoula County (Montana), and four districts in Massachusetts.
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Comment #18 posted by Sukoi on November 08, 2006 at 15:45:50 PT
You're Welcome and...
Take a look at what Pete Guither has to say as well:http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/2006/11/08.html#a1876
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on November 08, 2006 at 14:55:06 PT
Sukoi
Thank you for posting the message. I think they did a good job. I believe there were a few things I wouldn't have done but I am not from Colorado so I really don't know what age population they are trying to reach. It was a good effort and as they reflect they will see where they went wrong and will fix it and maybe because they have a new Democrat as Governor it might win in 07.
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Comment #16 posted by Had Enough on November 08, 2006 at 14:52:40 PT
Sukoi #15
I like that message.It tells it like many see it.Thanks
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Comment #15 posted by Sukoi on November 08, 2006 at 14:47:46 PT
A Message From SAFER
This was in my inbox today and I thought that I'd pass it along:Dear Friends -As strange as it may sound, we are pleased to report that Amendment 44 in Colorado garnered about 41 percent in the election last night (although less than 50 percent of the votes in Denver have been counted). We are pleased because two out of every five voters in Colorado agreed that it makes no sense to punish adults for using marijuana. We are pleased because this campaign gave us the opportunity to take our "marijuana is safer than alcohol" message to citizens across the state and across the country. And we are pleased because we took the often politically ignored issue of marijuana prohibition and made it a major topic of debate in the state.With very little money and only two paid campaign staffers -- the amazing (and now notorious) Mason Tvert and Evan Ackerfeld -- we stood our ground against the combined power of the White House, the governor, the attorney general, the state legislature, and anti-marijuana zealots from around the country. How often in history have two people drawn so much attention from the powers-that-be in the nation?When I say two people, I am in no way trying to slight all of the people in Colorado who have given blood and sweat for the cause over the past 10 months. Although we had a very limited budget, we had volunteers all over the state collecting signatures, distributing literature, and spreading the word about the need to reform marijuana laws in Colorado. We could not have accomplished all we did without their support. To all those who donated your time to the campaign, we extend our most heartfelt thanks.I also want to thank every person who has made a financial contribution to help support the campaign. Obviously, we could not have carried out any of our activities without those funds. If you were one of the people who gave $10, $50, $300, or just $4.20, please know that you helped make all of this possible. We are deeply grateful.I encourage anyone disappointed in the result of yesterday's vote to look at the bigger picture. This campaign, following on the heels of our successful legalization initiative in Denver last year, was just one step in a five- to ten-year battle to make marijuana legal in Colorado. One low-budget initiative campaign cannot overcome 70 years of government lies and propaganda. But the writing is on the wall and we will continue to educate the public while pressuring government officials and community leaders to explain why they think adults should be punished for using a substance less harmful than alcohol.We hope you will join us as we continue to fight for the rights of marijuana users in Colorado and around the nation. Eventually, logic and commonsense will prevail and we will win this battle.Sincerely,Steve Fox
Executive Director
Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER)
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Comment #14 posted by whig on November 08, 2006 at 10:44:37 PT
Hope #8
Punish your children if you must, to get your way. But leave other adults alone.Beat your children down. Lock them up. Make them wear handcuffs. Don't listen to them or care what they think. Beat them and cage them in your homes. Take all their money and possessions.
I won't allow this to continue either. Children are not property.
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Comment #13 posted by whig on November 08, 2006 at 10:42:32 PT
jasgrave333
All the pictures you link from here to photos1.blogger.com seem to give a 403 Forbidden.
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Comment #12 posted by lombar on November 08, 2006 at 09:59:07 PT
We are fighting...
.. ghosts, phantoms, and delusions like this:"Kinard has argued that there have been many incidents of drug overdose deaths in which marijuana was the only drug in the body."So where is the bodies? What are their names? Where did they come from? This is outright BS. 
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on November 08, 2006 at 09:17:24 PT
Maybe The Democrats Will Win The Senate Too!
Dems Edge Toward Erasing Republican Majority in Senate***By Tom Raum, 
Associated Press WriterNovember 8, 2006WASHINGTON — Democrats captured four of the six Republican-held seats they needed to take control of the Senate, winning critical contests in Ohio, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Missouri, and inched closer today to erasing the GOP's majority. Complete Article: http://www.grandhaventribune.com/paid/293162780350759.bsp
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Comment #10 posted by druid on November 08, 2006 at 09:07:39 PT
Is this true?
It began this morning. Computer glitches in the city of Denver started to slow down the voting process. There were reports of folks waiting over two hours in line to cast a vote. Democratic Party officials immediately asked a judge to extend the polls. “We need two more hours!” they said, and rightly so. Voting should not be a chore. Officials should indeed go out of their way to make sure that every vote is counted. Sadly, it is the only way for people to be heard.The republicans do not see it that way -- especially in the liberal city of Denver. Just as quickly as the Democrats asked for an extra two hours, the Republicans opposed it. The judge agreed that she did not have the authority to extend polling hours.This especially effects amendment 44, the initiative to legalize possession of under an ounce of marijuana. The vote count in the city of Denver, the largest city in Colorado, is integral to getting the percentage of votes needed to get this passed into law. Without a proper vote count in Denver, the chances of this law being put into effect are severely lowered.The voice of the people is not going to be heard in this election. The Republicans do not want it to be heard simply because it is not in their best interests. They do not want every vote to be counted because they know they will lose on several key points. They are the enemies of the democratic system that we have in place. How else could one explain the fact that they do not want to see the polls remain open so that every voter has a chance to cast their ballot?This has gone too far. When a political party opposes counting each and every vote in an election, especially the party that is in control of the current administration, the offense could be seen as nothing short of treason. These people should be tarred, feathered, and ran out of town.Voting no longer works in this country. It hasn’t for years now, but today is the final straw. We can now be totally sure that we live in a dictatorship and not a democracy. America is now dead and it has been killed by the Republicans.Today, we have another reason to be ashamed of our once great nation. The only way out, it seems, is all out revolution. Nothing else is working.
http://www.shoutwire.com/comments/37744/Republicans_in_Colorado_Oppose_Counting_
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on November 08, 2006 at 08:59:00 PT
My Husband Wanted A Victory Song
Here's a video that is making us smile today. http://www.neilyoung.com/lwwtoday/lwwvideos/letsimpeach_wm.html
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Comment #8 posted by Hope on November 08, 2006 at 08:46:54 PT
To the prohibitionist that might be reading.
Perhaps, you think, our battle is to have marijuana more freely available and legal. You THINK that's what it's about.NO!There is mariuana all over the place, everywhere, ready for purchase. You don't know it....but anyone who cares to find out, knows it. People, any age, anywhere can purchase marijuana with little trouble, any time.It's what prohibition minded people want to do to other people who don't share their prohibitionist ways that's the monster I'm up against. Prohibitionists would kill, terrorize, and persecute people to keep them from using marijuana. That's what has to be stopped. It has to be stopped.Why do you want people to not use cannabis so badly, that you would hurt or kill them to prevent them from using the nonlethal herb?Anyway, Prohibitionist, that's what it's about. It's about making you, the Prohibitionists, stop hurting people who disagree with you about the value and benefits of consuming the plant, cannabis.Someday we will stop you. The only fruit that has grown from your "way", prohibition, is death and destruction. We have, Thank You, God, cut the trunk of your vicious, bilious fruited tree almost halfway through the trunk.You could join us for doing what's right...but you likely won't. Patch up and fertilize your nasty death and cage tree. It will take time...but we will get rid of the vile thing.Punish your children if you must, to get your way. But leave other adults alone. Beat your children down. Lock them up. Make them wear handcuffs. Don't listen to them or care what they think. Beat them and cage them in your homes. Take all their money and possessions.But, for heaven's sake, quit caging and persecuting people outside your family for using a plant.People have a natural right to be free and they have a natural right to the cannabis plant.Stop your wickedness, Prohibitionists! For your own good, your family's, and everyone else's.You would have your neighbor jailed over a plant. Shame, Shame, Shame on you.
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Comment #7 posted by Wayne on November 08, 2006 at 08:15:36 PT
OverwhelmSam
You're probably right. But in those cities that did pass positive marijuana initiatives yesterday -- places like Missoula and Santa Cruz -- people need to be made aware of what will happen to the crime rates in those cities as the months and years progress. People need to see for themselves that the decriminalization of cannabis will have positive results. We will need to hold it to people's faces, as most of them will refuse to acknowledge it. We can't just say "we won" and walk away, or else the prohibs will just come right back and take it away again. We cannot be complacent. A few things went wrong for us yesterday, but we also made some significant gains. We need to run with them, and not just treat them as final victories and go back home. We need to keep track of what happens in these areas, and make people aware of the positive social trends that are to come.Personally, I think citizens of those cities will see a savings in tax dollars and money spent on law enforcement. That is ultimately what people care most about -- money. If people see that there is money to be made in decriminalizing cannabis, they will eventually see the light.
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Comment #6 posted by OverwhelmSam on November 08, 2006 at 08:06:18 PT
It May Be Necessary
To change the cannabis laws in every major city in the state before the state changes it's laws against cannabis. At some point as states change their laws, the federal government will no longer be able to fight marijuana legalization. 
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on November 08, 2006 at 07:42:03 PT
Afterburner
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Dog_Democrats
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Comment #4 posted by afterburner on November 08, 2006 at 07:37:26 PT
RE #1 & 2
CNN talks of "blue-dog" Democrats being elected. What the heck is a "blue-dog"?
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Comment #3 posted by jasgrave333 on November 08, 2006 at 07:22:42 PT:
...can hear a 1000 toilets flushing on Capitol now
"
“it's time that the government stops punishing adults who make the rational, safer choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol,” he said.
"That's a truth!Before finding Cannabis (again), I was drinking 5 liters of 'legal' rum a week as a misled Watctower member. That 5 liters of rum, is not including the amount that I used to buy at the cheap bars here.Now Cannabis here isn't cheap; bout $4 US a spliff, it's been better for me, in more ways than I can think; even than waking up with a banger of a hangover.Alchohol is a poison, and has deaths directly attributable to it; Cannabis has Zer0 deaths directly atributable to it... ...the math should be simple; even for current "law" officials!
My right to self-medicate; who's life is this anyway?
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on November 08, 2006 at 07:15:39 PT

Celaya
Now that we are slowly becoming a blue country again I have hope. Until the right is out of power the fight would have gone on and on. I am so happy my state now has a Democrat as Governor and a pro-pot Senator ( the brownie incident ). It was in the mid 80s since Ohio had a Democrat as Governor and the years we had a Democrat as Governor were the most prosperous for me and my husband ever.
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Comment #1 posted by Celaya on November 08, 2006 at 06:41:54 PT

Aftermath
Now that the Dems have at least the congress, we'll see if there really remains any difference. The Repubs broke into the Tyranny candy shop. Now, will the Dems leave and board it back up? Also, we have two months of a "lame duck" congress. Plenty of time to have another 911 and preempt any Democratic reform, if any is really forthcoming. Finally, if Catherine Fitts is right ( http://www.narconews.com/narcodollars1.html ), the corrupt government would be even more determined to prevent the end of prohibition than they would to let the Dems get a majority. All the dirty tricks could have been reserved to use against the marijuana initiatives. - Hopefully, there will be much investigation. At least the "marijuana as lowest law enforcement priority" initiatives won in California (Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, Santa Cruz). - Saints preserve us! California, here I come.....
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