SAFERchoice Denver - Press Articles

Rocky Mountain News
10/26/05

Pot supporters invite mayor to debate initiative
By Alan Gathright

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Pro-pot forces worked hard today to draw Denver's brew pub-owning mayor into a debate about the merits of marijuana initiative on Tuesday's ballot.

Mayor John Hickenlooper wasn't taking the bait.

"Mayor Hickenlooper's attention and energy are focused on issues that actually matter to Denver, which more than anything else seems to be what is annoying these folks who already know that passage would be irrelevant as state laws on marijuana would still be enforced in Denver," said Lindy Eichenbaum Lent, the mayor's spokeswoman.

That didn't stop 20 supporters of Initiative 100, which asks Denver voters whether to change city law to legalize adult possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana.

They rallied outside City Hall, calling Hickenlooper a hypocrite and a (legal) "drug dealer" because his brew pubs sell beer, but the mayor opposes the pot measure because he says marijuana is a "gateway drug" to destructive addictions.

"What is the difference between Mayor Hickenlooper and a marijuana dealer? The mayor has made his fortune selling a more harmful drug: Alcohol," read a huge banner unfurled by members of the I-100 group, Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER).

The central theme of the Alcohol-Marijuana Legalization Initiative is that adults should have the legal right to choose marijuana, which proponents — citing national and local studies — call a safer alternative to booze, which they argue fuels deadly violence, car wrecks, collegiate binge-drinking and alcoholism.
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	Rocky Mountain News 10/26/05 Pot supporters invite mayor to debate initiative By Alan Gathright (Return to Press Section) Pro-pot forces worked hard today to draw Denver's brew pub-owning mayor into a debate about the merits of marijuana initiative on Tuesday's ballot. Mayor John Hickenlooper wasn't taking the bait. "Mayor Hickenlooper's attention and energy are focused on issues that actually matter to Denver, which more than anything else seems to be what is annoying these folks who already know that passage would be irrelevant as state laws on marijuana would still be enforced in Denver," said Lindy Eichenbaum Lent, the mayor's spokeswoman. That didn't stop 20 supporters of Initiative 100, which asks Denver voters whether to change city law to legalize adult possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana. They rallied outside City Hall, calling Hickenlooper a hypocrite and a (legal) "drug dealer" because his brew pubs sell beer, but the mayor opposes the pot measure because he says marijuana is a "gateway drug" to destructive addictions. "What is the difference between Mayor Hickenlooper and a marijuana dealer? The mayor has made his fortune selling a more harmful drug: Alcohol," read a huge banner unfurled by members of the I-100 group, Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER). The central theme of the Alcohol-Marijuana Legalization Initiative is that adults should have the legal right to choose marijuana, which proponents — citing national and local studies — call a safer alternative to booze, which they argue fuels deadly violence, car wrecks, collegiate binge-drinking and alcoholism. (Return to Press Section)