Breckenridge's Chief
of Police Rick Holman opposes the initiative. “I worry about the
collateral affect of the youth of the community,” he said.
If
the initiative did pass, marijuana would still be illegal under
Colorado State law and federal law. Holman said his department would
have the discretion to enforce those laws, but wouldn't comment if they
would use that discretion because he said he didn't know.
“Obviously
we're a police department that's here to service the needs of the
community and often times cater toward those needs and what we see as
priorities,” Holman said.
The initiative wouldn't affect the Sheriff's Department, which is bound to uphold state law.
The
petitioners' committee filing the affidavit is comprised of a number of
local leaders including Breckenridge Town Councilman Jeffrey Bergeron
and local attorney Sean McAllister.
“It's a cause I believe
in, and I think the initiative reflects the will of the people of
Breck,” Bergeron said. “I don't think there's any public safety
concerns in regards to an adult possessing less than one ounce of
marijuana.”
“The main issue is marijuana is safer than alcohol,” said Sensible Breckenridge's Josh Kappel.
“Alcohol
is far more toxic than marijuana; there has never been a death reported
from a marijuana overdose,” said Mason Tvert, co-author of the
forthcoming book, “Marijuana is Safer: So Why do We Drive People to
Drink?”
Holman said they're both problematic. “It's no safer to
get behind the wheel of a car if you smoke a joint than drink,” he
said. Although during winter nights, when more people are in
Breckenridge, Holman said drinking is the primary problem.
Public safety issue?
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency website maintains that the
“legalization of marijuana, no matter how it begins, will come at the
expense of our children and public safety. It will create dependency
and treatment issues, and open the door to use other drugs, impaired
health, delinquent behavior, and drugged drivers.”
“In
the wrong hands it's definitely life-affecting, but at the same time I
don't know that it's the government's job to protect us from
ourselves,” said Breckenridge resident Sam Breede. “I would say
education would be important if it went forward.”
The Summit Prevention Alliance declined to comment on the issue, saying they needed more information first.
Marijuana
possession is currently a misdemeanor in Breckenridge, but marijuana
convictions do show up on background checks, possibly affecting
people's ability to get hired.
“As a criminal defense attorney,
I have defended numerous locals and tourists for marijuana possession
and have seen too many otherwise law-abiding citizens' lives damaged by
these zero-tolerance laws that penalize adults for making the safer
choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol,” McAllister said in a press
release.
“This would give the police an opportunity to use
their time in another direction, like keeping drunk drivers off the
road,” Bergeron said.
If approved, the initiative would set Breckenridge apart, Tvert said.
“Breckenridge
is in a position where it can really set a precedent and send a message
to the rest of the state that it's OK to have different laws than the
state,” Tvert said. “I think that would send a direct message to the
state Legislature that it's time to let cities decide for themselves if
adults can use marijuana.”
Sensible Breckenridge is currently
seeking local volunteers to help gather signatures to place the
initiative on the ballot. The contact information is (970) 453-6594 or
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