nugs

The year is 2005 and the debate on legalization/decriminalization of marijuana in Denver is reaching a high point.  With the Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization Initiative, passing with a vote of 53.49% to 46.51%, the initiative brought up the old question “Which is worse--alcohol or marijuana?”.  The voters agreed that alcohol is much worse! This was a major step in the decriminalization of both medical marijuana and non-medical marijuana as well.  The initiative I-100 brought forth by SAFER (Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation) argues that alcohol abuse has major health issues while marijuana does not.  Simply put, the two should be equal in the eyes of the law. Since then, Denver has seen a boom in dispensaries popping up all over the city. While the I-100 initiative made marijuana technically legal, the only people allowed to posses up to an ounce are those using it for medicinal purposes. If one is caught without a medical marijuana card, the fine is around $100. In 2006, SAFER proposed Amendment 44, which would allow any person 21 or over to possess up to an ounce of marijuana. Possession would include consumption or use, as long as it does not occur in public.  Unfortunately, strong opposition from groups like Guarding Our Children Against Marijuana and Students Against Marijuana brought the Amendment down with 59% against and only 41% for the amendment. 

Today, supporters of a campaign to legalize limited possession of marijuana for recreational use in Colorado are collecting signatures for a new amendment that would, if certified, legalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for any purpose by people 21 or older.  The “Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol” only needs 86,000 signatures to make the ballot, in which they currently have collected over 160,000 signatures.

Sources:
http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/
http://www.saferchoice.org/