[vta]

Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Author: Michael Muskal

DENVER WEIGHS POT RULES

An Ordinance Could Mean Hefty Penalties for Using Marijuana Openly in Public.

The Mile High City is having a tough time living up to its name.

Denver proposed an ordinance Monday night that would impose penalties of up to a year in jail and a fine of $999 for openly using small amounts of marijuana in public places. The proposed ordinance notes that "openly" is defined as being perceptible through sight or smell, so that a whiff of secondhand smoke could put someone in jeopardy.

The proposal arrives as Colorado is coming to grips with how to deal with last fall's action by voters to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Colorado and Washington became the first U.S. states to legalize the possession and use of small amounts of pot for recreational purposes.

Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, but the Justice Department has said the federal government will not target users if they comply with Colorado and Washington state laws. Colorado lawmakers have crafted statewide rules governing the retail sale of pot, including licensing and taxation of vendors.

But the open use of marijuana is an area in which some local governments can make rules.

"This proposed ordinance clearly communicates what our residents and visitors are and are not allowed to do in public," Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said. "It respects the will of the voters, who last year approved Amendment 64, which allows people over 21 to have and consume a small amount of marijuana. It also ensures that our public spaces remain enjoyable for residents, families and tourists."

The ordinance would also specifically prohibit the possession, use and sale of marijuana on the 16th Street Mall, the well-trafficked pedestrian and transit street known for its buskers. The ordinance exempts medical marijuana and any pot purchased from a store on the mall, if one opens when the marijuana usage laws go into effect in January.

The proposal is being opposed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, which calls it "ill-advised, unnecessary and unconstitutional."

"Voters made it clear last year that law enforcement time and resources should not be spent pursuing lowlevel marijuana arrests," the group's legal director, Mark Silverstein, said in a statement.

"Two out of three Denver voters agreed that marijuana should be legalized but regulated like alcohol," he said. "This proposed ordinance does not regulate marijuana like alcohol: No one risks a year in jail for drinking a beer in their fenced backyard, yet this ordinance would make criminals once again of persons who enjoy a legal joint on their back porch, if anyone can see or smell from a public area or a nearby property. The proposed ordinance also violates the Colorado Constitution by making it a crime to carry a legal product in your pocket if you are walking on the 16th Street Mall.

"It's hard to read this proposal and not wonder what they've been smoking up at City Hall."

[1TWISTEDTRUCKER]

It seems They just cant quite let go of the revenue, just yet.

Peace; 1TT

[BOMBAYCAT]

I think there are some old drug warriors against legalization that are trying to sabotage the new laws.

[nattynattygurrl]

…only when they make smelling like booze just as illegal.



(and even then, I’d be against that too, lol…it’s just that they would never do it.)

[trichrider]

never trust a gang of thieves.

[Eighths-n-Aces]

is there ANYTHING that the politicians can't fuck up?

you would think that after seeing everything you touch turn to shit, again and again and again you would learn to keep your hands off things. this shit is like watching a bunch of retarded tweekers swatting flies with hockey sticks.

is there some rule that says you have to be an ass to hold any political office in this country that they forgot to tell the voters about?

fucking drug warriors are as clueless as the japanese soldiers they found on islands years after the war that had no idea that it was over and they had lost ....... but at least those guys had a code of honor and lacked information so they could be respected on some level

rant off

[Arthritis_sucks]

This stinks of bacon infused politics! So the pigs couldn't have their way with arresting the easy targets so they impose new laws in which they get their ability to put us in jail for our herb. Sounds like the same song an dance.

Sitting on your porch smoking a joint will now get you a year an a G fine if this goes through. Even if you smoke a J inside an the neighbor complains about the smell you can get a year an a G fine.

So if I get this straight they legalized herb an are about to make it illegal to smoke an possess if it smells strong an is complained about by "someone"...........

Colorado........they are about to take your legalization away!

From the words of a great man, "Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights!

[trichrider]

you know it has to be a minority of consrvatives trying to derail/destroy our hard won gains towards legality.
cannot ignore that it was a constitutional ballot issue that has to be repealed by voters...not the slick politicians. without a chance of repealing they resort to narrow definitions and ambiguous language.
fuck all politicians, lawyers, and judges.

we will have our cake.

[nattynattygurrl]

Colorado........they are about to take your legalization away!

Yeah, that’s over stating things just a tad don’t you think?

As Trichrider put it,

"[they] cannot ignore that it was a constitutional ballot issue that has to be repealed by voters"

People will go bananas and I doubt this ridiculous ordinance will hold up long, (I have a slightly less optimistic, but similar hope for the arbitrary '5 nano' DUI law.)

This is just another “speed bump” on the road to legalization!
You can’t stop progress, as much as the “Regressives" may try.

The science is becoming clear, and as more and more people witness their family members being cured and/or their quality of life drastically improved by cannabis, and witness that cannabis is often a better option than many of the ’traditional’ medical interventions, they realize cannabis is medicine!

I remain incredibly optimistic and I’m amazed by how far we have come in the past 20 years!
We’re so close to complete legalization and reclassification by the federal government.

It’s a matter of when, not if!
I am incredibly excited to be living during such a ground breaking time for cannabis.

Whenever I have a moment of ingrained paranoia, and then re-remember “oh yeah, cannabis is legal!” (ish), I am blown away all over again!

[vapedg13]

another reason why the bho oils and pens are makin it big.... no fus no muss.... no burnt pot smell to detect.... no weed to see

I have literally taken hits off my pen in a lot of restaurants or in public parks ...no one notices... they all think its a e-cig