|
SAFER
E-newsletter 2. New SAFER initiative launched in Denver 3. SAFER continues to battle with CU and CSU administrators 5. Support
SAFER’s work by donating (T-shirts now available) 1.
Paid and volunteer positions now available at SAFER
(top) In particular, SAFER needs signature collectors. Our next project (see #2 below) involves a citywide ballot initiative that would make the private use and possession of marijuana non-punishable for adults aged 21 and older. We must collect a vast number of signatures to get the initiative on the ballot, thus we need a vast number of determined folks willing to get out there and gather them. This is an ideal opportunity to get involved in a grassroots marijuana policy movement, and staffers/interns/volunteers will gain invaluable campaign field experience. Furthermore, you will learn the basics of grassroots activism and work with a number of great like-minded individuals. If you are
interested in a summer position with SAFER, or if you would simply
like to know more about these positions, please contact us via
telephone (720-275-8230) or E-mail (mail@saferchoice.org). Payment
for these positions has yet to be determined, but will likely
be done on a per hour basis. Documented “hours” are
also available for students with mandatory community service. 2. New SAFER initiative launched in Denver (top) Last week SAFER notified the City of Denver of its intention to run a citywide ballot initiative seeking to make the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana non-punishable for adults over 21 years of age. Quite simply,
we believe that if individuals twenty-one years of age or older
are able to use alcohol legally, they should also be allowed to
use legally a less harmful substance, marijuana. Similarly, it
makes sense to discourage the use of both substances among individuals
under the age of 21. • Denver residents are hospitalized for alcohol-related illnesses at nearly twice the national rate. • Denver’s
alcohol-related death rate is 44 percent higher than the national
rate. The passage of such an initiative will send a message to the city regarding how the public feels about spending its limited resources arresting adults for the private use of marijuana. Also, should this initiative pass, it will put the city of Denver on record as wanting to make the private, adult use of marijuana legal. This could inspire the state to give cities and counties the freedom to determine their own penalties related to marijuana possession. The Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization Initiative will be introduced to the public this week, and we will begin collecting the signatures necessary to place it on the November 1 ballot shortly thereafter. SAFER is currently hiring paid and unpaid signature collectors (see #1 above) to assist in collecting the 10,000-plus signatures during the next couple months. SAFER has
begun raising funds for the upcoming campaign, and will be seeking
both large and small donations to support its efforts up through
the election. Funding will be needed to pay signature collectors,
purchase campaign materials and pay for additional campaign-related
expenses. Please contact SAFER if you are interested in making
a donation (also see # 5 below). 3. SAFER continues to battle with CU and CSU administrators (top) Following the overwhelming passage of the SAFER referendums at the University of Colorado-Boulder and the Colorado State University, and the schools’ subsequent refusal to acknowledge the student vote, SAFER has taken its fight for reasonable university marijuana and alcohol policies to the universities’ door. On April 26,
SAFER Executive Director Mason Tvert met with CU Vice Chancellor
of Student Affairs Ron Stump to discuss the reasoning behind the
passed referendum, as well as to provide recommendations for potential
changes in CU marijuana policy. The meeting concluded with both
parties agreeing to meet again over the summer to discuss a Vice Chancellor Stump initiated the meeting after hundreds of students attended a rally in front of the Coors Center on the CU campus to protest the school’s hypocritical stance on alcohol and marijuana, as well as its prior unwillingness to listen to the student body’s voice demonstrated in the April student election. The meeting proved to be a goodwill effort on the part of the university, and SAFER looks forward to working with the CU administration over the summer and next fall to bring about the requested policy changes. Newspaper articles regarding the meeting between SAFER and CU appeared in both the Colorado Daily and the Boulder Daily Camera, and they can be found on the press section of SAFER’s Web site (see # 4 below). In Fort Collins,
CSU administrators have yet to engage in such talks, but SAFER
will undoubtedly be back on the CU and CSU campuses next fall
to continue pressing BOTH universities for action. 4. SAFER in the news (top) Since the establishment of SAFER in January 2005, the organization has enjoyed exposure in a wide array of local, state and national media outlets. SAFER has been covered in the following: National State Local Campus Press coverage
of SAFER is thoroughly documented on its Web site at
http://www.saferchoice.org/press.html. 5. Support SAFER’s work by donating (T-shirts now available) (top) SAFER’s newest project—a citywide ballot initiative in Denver to make adult possession of up to one ounce of marijuana non-punishable—is just getting started (see #2 above). This campaign will be a much bigger and more elaborate effort than those campaigns run at CU and CSU, thus it will also be a more expensive campaign. We are currently seeking donations to support SAFER’s mission of having marijuana treated in the same manner as alcohol. Thus, we encourage you to please consider contributing to a fund specifically for the upcoming Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization Initiative in Denver. This money will be used solely to further our citywide campaign, and will go towards the purchase of campaign materials and services, including signs and literature, mailings and auto-dials, and possibly even media spots and advertising. SAFER is also seeking in-kind donations of such materials and services from private individuals and companies who wish to contribute to the campaign in an even more direct manner. SAFER is a
non-profit organization that relies on contributions from private
individuals who wish to support our work, either by making large
gifts and in-kind donations, or by purchasing SAFER merchandise.
SAFER currently has Pictures of some of SAFER’s shirts are available on-line at http:www.saferchoice.org/donate.html. If you would like to make a donation or purchase a T-shirt to support SAFER’s work, please send payment to: SAFER Please include $4 for shipping and handling (within the continental United States), along with the name and size of the T-shirt you would like. Please contact us if you have any questions about contributing to SAFER: Phone: (720)
275-8230 THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
|