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Marijuana Proponent Stumps 44
Joe Hanel | Durango Herald | 10/01/2006



DENVER - Mason Tvert is standing in front of City Hall with a whole lot of beer.

The leader of the marijuana-legalization initiative says he's ready to go "hit-for-chug" against two of the state's most prominent people to prove that marijuana is safer than alcohol. His targets are Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper - a Democrat who founded the Wynkoop Brewery - and Pete Coors, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate and serves on the board of his family's brewery.

Tvert has three 20-packs each of Coors and Coors Light and two jugs of Wynkoop microbrews.

"Oh, by the way," Tvert says. "These wine coolers are here in case Attorney General (John) Suthers decided to show up."

No one took up the challenge.

Such in-your-face personal challenges have been the hallmark of Tvert's campaign for Amendment 44, which would make it legal for people age 21 and older to possess an ounce or less of marijuana - enough for about 30 marijuana cigarettes. Currently, it's a petty offense that carries a $100 fine.

Throughout the campaign, Tvert has tried to force his opponents to compare marijuana to alcohol. He took the same tactic in a heated debate against Suthers on Tuesday. Suthers is running for re-election against Democrat Fern O'Brien.

Pot vs. booze

Suthers rejected Tvert's argument that marijuana is safer.

"That assertion is incorrect and irresponsible," Suthers said. "Marijuana is not a harmless and benign drug.

"The only safe alternative to intoxication or mind-altering drugs or alcohol is sobriety," he said.

Unrealistic, Tvert said.

"That's like suggesting that we ban condoms because we don't want young people to have sex," Tvert said.

Opponents say that legalizing marijuana for adults would send the wrong message to children.

Also, Suthers said, a glitch in the amendment would remove the penalty for adults who give marijuana to a minor. Tvert says those adults could still be prosecuted for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Suthers said that marijuana and alcohol are both dangerous, but millions of people drink alcohol and don't get drunk. But Tvert says it's all a matter of moderation.

The federal Institute of Medicine supports many of Tvert's arguments about alcohol. Marijuana users, according to a 1999 IOM study, are less likely to be dependent than alcohol users, and their withdrawal symptoms are usually milder.

'Two wrongs don't make a right'

But that's not the point, says Craig Westberg, district attorney for La Plata, Archuleta and San Juan counties.

"Two wrongs don't make a right," Westberg said.

He agrees that alcohol is "the No. 1 problem among drugs," but marijuana is a problem, too.

"Boy, I've seen a lot of people who were really, really addicted to marijuana," Westberg said.

Westberg also opposes using a popular vote to make criminal law, something he says is best left to the Legislature.

And finally, he echoes Suthers' concern about the message Amendment 44 sends to children.

"I am convinced, if this passes, we're just going to be encouraging more kids to use," Westberg said.

The district attorney doesn't keep statistics on how many local people are charged with marijuana possession, but the county court sees "a considerable number" of cases each week, said Westberg.

If Amendment 44 passes, it will still be illegal to display marijuana in public, grow it or sell it.

And, as Westberg pointed out, possession of drug paraphernalia will still be illegal. While Westberg doesn't have statistics, he says that in most cases when police officers write petty offense tickets for marijuana possession, they also cite the suspect for possessing a pipe or roach clip.

Rights for adults

Durango resident Ernest Eich says he'll vote for Amendment 44 on philosophical reasons.

"It's finally a law that treats adults as adults, instead of making legislation based on what people are afraid their children might do. I don't think the government in general thinks people are capable of making their own decisions," said Eich, who is not actively working with the campaign.

Last November, Tvert convinced Denver voters to decriminalize the possession of an ounce or less of marijuana in their city.

The Denver-Boulder area leads the state in marijuana consumption, with 8.58 percent of people age 12 and older reporting marijuana use in the last month.

But the Western Slope follows closely behind, with 7.49 percent, according to the federal government's National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

The numbers are an average of results between 2002 and 2004.

Marijuana use dropped since the 1999-2001 survey, when 8.37 percent of Western Slope residents and 10.33 percent of Boulderites reported using marijuana in the previous month.

jhanel@durangoherald.com

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