Dropping the City ordinance against possesion of marijuana will have little effect on enforcement according to the Rocky Mountain News [August 4, 2005, "Denver pot vote mostly symbolic"]. From the article, "Members of Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation, which gathered signatures to put the issue on the ballot, maintained at a news conference Thursday that marijuana is much less of a societal problem than alcohol. 'We are not encouraging the use of marijuana,' said Mason Tvert, the group's executive director. 'We are defending the right of every adult in this city to make a rational choice about how they choose to relax and recreate.' It still would be illegal to grow or distribute marijuana, or drive under its influence, Tvert added. Denver police denounced the measure, which comes on the heels of two controversial citizen-initiated Denver ballot issues, one that would have banned circuses featuring exotic animals and another that would have required the city to promote peace and tranquility. Both attracted international attention and failed."
Here's the coverage from the Denver Post [August 4, 2005, "Measure on pot may not matter"]. From the article, "SAFER says people would choose marijuana over alcohol if it were legal for private use and that crimes related to alcohol abuse - such as domestic abuse, sexual assault and driving under the influence - would decrease. Bruce Mirken, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, said no city the size of Denver has voted to decriminalize marijuana, although a handful of smaller college towns such as Ann Arbor, Mich.; Berkeley, Calif.; and Amherst, Mass., have. On Tuesday, Telluride's town council voted to make prosecuting adults for small amounts of marijuana the town's 'lowest enforcement priority.' Similar measures have passed in Seattle and Oakland, Calif."
From the Denver Post, "The City Council held a public hearing Wednesday on a proposed charter amendment to eliminate the three-member Election Commission and replace it with an elected clerk and recorder. Only a handful of people turned out, some of whom opposed the proposal on the grounds that there was no oversight board to watch over an elected clerk. Those same people said they feared that having one person rather than three in charge might make the position ripe for political influence. The council is continuing to make changes to the charter amendment and is expected to initially vote on it in two weeks. If approved, the issue will go to voters in November."
Category: Denver November 2005 Election
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