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Pot Group Pushing Coors Boycott At CU
Sara Burnett | Rocky Mountain News | 12/07/2005

The group that persuaded voters to legalize small amounts of marijuana in Denver has set its sights on the University of Colorado at Boulder.

SAFER (Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation) will ask CU students today to boycott Coors products until the Board of Regents agrees to reduce penalties for students caught on campus with pot, executive director Mason Tvert said.

The Coors family and Molson Coors Brewing Co. have been longtime supporters of CU. This year, for example, Molson Coors is paying $392,000 to sponsor CU football and basketball. The agreement allows the company to advertise in CU stadiums and on TV and radio broadcasts.

SAFER argues that alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana and that if CU wants to reduce alcohol-related problems on campus, it should lessen pot penalties and cut ties with Coors.

"Given the cozy relationship between CU and Coors, we see this boycott as the best way to attack the university's pro-alcohol policies," Tvert said.

CU-Boulder spokeswoman Pauline Hale declined to comment on the proposed boycott, saying the university had not seen SAFER's leaflets.

A spokesperson for Molson Coors could not be reached for comment.

SAFER led this fall's successful campaign to legalize possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana in Denver for people 21 and older, although the local law does not trump the tougher state law. Last spring, the group was involved in successful pro-pot referendums at CU-Boulder and Colorado State University.

CU-Boulder students voted 3,926 to 1,866 to ask CU officials to make penalties for students caught with marijuana equal to those for students caught with alcohol. They also wanted CU to study whether such a change would lead to fewer alcohol-related problems.

Students who are 21 and older may legally drink on campus, while all students are prohibited from using marijuana. A "two-strike" policy approved last year leads to suspension for any student with two convictions for abuse of alcohol, marijuana or any other drug.

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