Denver Votes yes for Marijuana

DENVER -- Mile High City residents on Tuesday voted to legalize the possession of a small amount of marijuana, capping a surprisingly nasty campaign that included allegations of misleading voters and exploiting their fears of violent crime.
The change will not affect prosecutions, according to Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrisey.
"The change in Denver’s city ordinance does not change Colorado state law," said Morrissey. "It is still illegal to possess less than an ounce of marijuana anywhere in the state, and that includes Denver."

With 100 percent of the precincts reporting, 54 percent, or 56,001 voters, had cast ballots for Measure I-100, while 46 percent, or 48,632 voters, voted against it.
Morrissey estimated that more than 90 percent of the marijuana possession cases filed in Denver were already being filed by using the state statute and he did not expect a large impact from the ballot measure.
Also Tuesday, voters in the ski resort town of Telluride rejected a proposal to make possession of an ounce or less of marijuana by people 18 or older the town's lowest law enforcement priority. The measure, rejected on a vote of 308-332, was placed on the ballot in August by the Town Council.
"We educated voters about the facts that marijuana is less harmful to the user and society than alcohol," said Mason Tvert, campaign organizer for SAFER, or Safer Alternatives For Enjoyable Recreation. "To prohibit adults from making the rational, safer choice to use marijuana is bad public policy."
Some supporters hoped the Denver proposal would launch a national trend toward legalizing the drug. They say enforcement causes more problems than it cures. They argued that smoking marijuana should carry the same penalties as abusing alcohol.