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Voters Will Likely Decide Whether To Legalize Pot Statewide
Monday Is Deadline To Turn In Signatures For November Ballot
Chris Conrad | TheDenverChannel.com | 08/07/06

DENVER -- Voters could be deciding on whether to legalize marijuana statewide this fall.

Members of the group Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation dropped off 129,000 signatures at the Secretary of State's office Monday morning. The signatures of 68,000 registered Colorado voters have to be verified before the measure can be placed on the ballot.

"The fact that we collected nearly twice as many signatures as are required under statute highlights the widespread support for ending the madness of marijuana prohibition in Colorado," said SAFER Campaign Director Mason Tvert.

The measure, if approved by voters, would make possession of one ounce of marijuana legal in Colorado for those 21 or older.

SAFER helped get a similar measure on last fall's ballot that made the same amount of marijuana legal in Denver. Initiative 100 was approved by a majority of Denver voters and made the city the first in the country to vote to remove all penalties for private adult marijuana possession.

However, state authorities had said Denver's Initiative-100 was virtually meaningless because of state and federal laws that make even small amounts of marijuana illegal.

Tvert said even though Denver voters had expressed their opinion that a small pinch of pot should be legal, people were still being arrested and prosecuted under state law and he wants that to stop.

The statewide proposal would get rid of the state's prohibition of marijuana and allow cities to make the rules about pot use.

"Last year's victory in Denver clearly demonstrated the support we're receiving in the state Capitol," Tvert said. "But tens of thousands of signatures poured in from Colorado Springs, Grand Junction and other areas of the state outside the Front Range. This just goes to show that regardless of Colorado citizens' political persuasions, many agree that punishing adults for using a substance less harmful than alcohol is an absurd waste of time, money and life."

The state's attorney general, John Suthers, does not buy the argument that pot is safer. He and the governor feel the measure would be defeated in the fall. Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff -- a Denver Democrat -- opposes changing the state law. He thinks drug use in the state is already too high and said the matter would wind up in the courts.

Monday Is Deadline To Turn In Signatures

Monday is the deadline to submit petition signatures to the Secretary of State's office to place an initiative on the November ballot.

The Secretary of State's office said there could be as many as 20 citizen initiatives in November. That number is close to the record that was set 94 years ago, when Coloradans were asked to vote on 22 proposals.

So far, at least 13 have been approve before the deadline.

Analysts said the long list likely will lead to more absentee or early voting.

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