Council Sends Pot Initiative to Voters

I attended this council meeting tonight. I was thrilled to see over a hundred people packed into Council Chambers to hear compelling and moving testimony from both sides.

Denver City Council voted unanimously tonight to let voters decide in November if marijuana possession should be the lowest law enforcement priority for police.

The council heard emoitonal testimony from people on both sides of the issue.

Supporters of the ballot initiative, including one man with AIDS, said that people who use small amounts of marijuana were still being targeted by Denver police.

Opponents argued that marijuana could be a dangerous substance, especially when used by adolescents.

Several councilors said they thought the proposed change would have little or no impact because state law makes the possession of marijuana illegal.

Some of the councilors described the ballot initiative as a "circus" to garner media attention.

Rocky Mountain News

In a related story, medical marijuana advocates rallied around Jack Branson at his trial today in Brighton.