Denver, CO: Voters in a pair of Colorado cities as well as two Michigan suburbs will decide next month on four municipal initiatives aimed at liberalizing their area’s local cannabis laws.
In Denver, residents will vote on I-100: the Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization Initiative. Sponsored by SAFER (Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation), I-100 seeks “to have the private adult use and possession of marijuana treated in the same manner as the private adult use and possession of alcohol.” If passed by Denver voters, the initiative would eliminate all local civil and criminal penalties for the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by those age 21 and over. For more information about Denver’s initiative, visit: http://www.saferchoice.org/
Telluride, Colorado voters will decide on Question 200, which seeks to make “the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of marijuana offenses … the town’s lowest law enforcement priority.” The proposal further adds, “If the adult use of marijuana is ever recognized as lawful under Colorado law, the town of Telluride shall support the creation of a system to license, tax and regulate marijuana for adult use as soon as possible.” In recent years, voters have passed similar deprioritization initiatives in Oakland, California; Columbia, Missouri; and Seattle, Washington. More information on Question 200 is available online at: http://www.sensiblecolorado.org
Voters in Ferndale, Michigan will decide next month on Proposal D, which seeks to “exempt” patients from local criminal penalties if they use medical cannabis under a physician’s supervision. Last year, voters in Detroit and Ann Arbor overwhelmingly approved similar proposals. For more information on Proposal D, visit: http://www.ferndalecares.org
Lastly, Traverse City voters will decide on a measure to require police to make the prosecution of medical cannabis patients the town’s “lowest law enforcement priority.” A recent poll of Michigan voters found that more than 60 percent favor legalizing medical cannabis.
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, or Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. A detailed analysis of this November’s pending marijuana initiatives is available online at:
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