Denver Ballot Initiative #100 --- the Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization Initiative:
saferchoice.org
"The legislative purpose of this initiative is to make the use and possession of less then one ounce of marijuana non-punishable under Denver city ordinances for adults 21 and older. (Initiative Language)"
"Alcohol is far more harmful than marijuana, both to the user and to the society, and Denver citizens are fed up with a system that punishes them for choosing to use a safer substance. It is time our government stops driving people to drink and allow them to make the safer choice."
"If they vote to pass it, we'll follow the will of the people."
-- Capt. John Kilpatrick, Denver Police Department vice and drug bureau, August 17, 2005, in the Fort Collins Weekly.
(The November ballot initiative is mostly symbolic: If voters agree to get rid of the city ordinance making possession a crime, police would charge violators under state laws, which is what they do anyhow. It still would be illegal to grow or distribute marijuana, or drive under its influence.)
-----------------------------------------
Annual US deaths caused by the consumption of:
(1) alcohol ---- 85,000+
(2) marijuana --- 0
(3) 2/3 of domestic violence cases involve alcohol
(3) alcohol is a factor in more then 3,000,000 violent crimes in the US each year
(3) 40% of rape and violent assault cases involve alcohol
SOURCES:
(1) American Medical Association
(2) Institute of Medicine
(3) U.S. Department of Justice |
