Marijuana.com

Lothar121

Possession of Ounce of Pot Object of Amendment 44
Gary Harmon | Daily Sentinel | 10/01/2006

One measure on the November ballot would amend the Constitution to make it legal for Colorado residents 21 or older to possess one ounce of marijuana.

(LothNote: The marijuana measure would not amend the Colorado state Constitution, it would simply change Colorado state law.)

Amendment 44 was placed on the ballot to offer people a choice other than alcohol, said Mason Tvert, spokesman for the measure.

“We simply don’t think it makes sense for the government to discourage the choice of marijuana instead of alcohol,” Tvert said.

The amendment, however, “sends an irresponsible message,” Attorney General John Suthers said.

Alcohol use is linked to an array of social pathologies, from domestic violence to sexual assault to drunken driving, Tvert said. Marijuana use would have far less drastic social consequences, he said, adding that no one has overdosed from marijuana or died as a direct result of its use.

The evidence is, however, that marijuana continues to be a gateway drug, Suthers said. Worse, marijuana has grown in potency over the years and is opening the way for use of even more dangerous substances, such as methamphetamine, Suthers said.

Similar experiments with legalizing small amounts of marijuana have had disastrous consequences, Suthers said, citing decriminalization in Alaska and the Netherlands. In both cases, juvenile marijuana use increased by as many as three times, he said.

Making it legal to possess less than an ounce of marijuana would have some serious legal contradictions, Suthers said, because manufacturing, distributing and selling it would remain illegal.

“Every single activity that leads up to it is illegal,” he said.

And, he said, it’s misleading to suggest marijuana users are uniformly easy to deal with.

“Cops tell me marijuana users are just as erratic as drunks,” he said.

Yet it makes little sense, Tvert said, to defend what is now a petty offense.

“It’s hard to believe that law enforcement is so vehemently in favor of maintaining a $100 fine (for possession of small amounts), which is less than a speeding ticket.”

The measure has strong geographic support, he said, citing the collection of thousands of signatures at Country Jam to place it on the ballot.

Opponents of Amendment 44 are refusing to recognize the reality that Coloradans will use recreational drugs and ought to use marijuana instead of alcohol, Tvert said.

Suthers “suggests sobriety is what we should be teaching people,” Tvert said. “The attorney general would prefer to live in an ideal world rather than the real world.”

Suthers said it remains clear that people want guidance in life and cited the National Household Survey, which he said has consistently shown the No. 1 reason nonusers cite for disdaining marijuana is that it’s illegal.

“In fact,” Suthers said, “a lot of people are deterred by the law.”

Gary Harmon can be reached via e-mail at gharmon@gjds.com.

__________________

Donate. Write. Make a difference.. Posting Guidelines | Marijuana Policy Project | NORML | DPA | Drug WarRant | Media Awareness Project

 

godfather

I get really tired of hearing this argument.

That doesn't sound right to me...

420godfather

...I've been smoking herb for almost 32 yrs. and don't do any type of other drug, so as far as a gateway drug...I disagree. Alaska and the Netherlands? No that does'nt sound right.

__________________
......420gf......