If Colorado voters decide to pass Amendment 44, adults age 21 and older will be allowed to possess up to an ounce of marijuana without trouble from the law.
Currently throughout the state, people caught with an ounce of marijuana could be cited by law enforcement and fined $100.
The only exception is in Denver, where backers of Amendment 44 – SAFER or Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation – pushed for an initiative that passed in November 2005 allowing adults to have a small amount of marijuana.
SAFER campaign director Mason Tvert wants to expand the law statewide. He says marijuana is less harmful than alcohol, which is legally used by adults.
“Every objective study on marijuana has found it to be undoubtedly less harmful than alcohol, both to the user and to society,” Tvert said. “Yet current laws drive adults toward alcohol use, even when these adults would prefer to use marijuana. It is illogical to punish adults for making the rational, safer choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol.”
Opponents of the amendment say the drug is harmful to the body, both psychologically and physiologically. They are concerned that if Amendment 44 passed, marijuana use would increase among teens even though the initiative is designed to legalize personal use for adults.
“Other consequences include, but (are) not limited to, establishment of private marijuana clubs in various communities, potential legal use by police, firefighters, teachers, school bus drivers, doctors, pilots…,” said Tom Gorman, director of the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program and former Deputy Chief of the California Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement. “This is bad law with devastating ramifications.”
Tvert said Amendment 44 has nothing to do with children having access to marijuana. He also says it would not alter any existing zoning laws for the development of marijuana clubs nor does it repeal rules that prohibit employee use of marijuana.
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-954-1219 or at fcardona@denverpost.com.
