DENVER'S VOTERS LEGALIZE MARIJUANA

Possession Of Small Amounts OK; Officials Say State Ban Still Holds

DENVER - Residents have voted to legalize the possession of small
amounts of marijuana for adults. Authorities, though, said state
possession laws will be applied instead.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting early Wednesday, 54 percent,
or 56,001 voters, cast ballots for the ordinance, while 46 percent,
or 48,632 voters, voted against it.

Under the measure, residents 21 and older could possess up to an
ounce of marijuana.

"We educated voters about the facts that marijuana is less harmful to
the user and society than alcohol," said Mason Tvert, campaign
organizer for Safer Alternatives For Enjoyable Recreation. "To
prohibit adults from making the rational, safer choice to use
marijuana is bad public policy."

Bruce Mirken of the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project
said he hoped the approval will launch a national trend toward
legalizing the drug. He said enforcement of marijuana laws causes
more problems than it cures.

Seattle, Oakland, Calif., and a few college towns already have laws
making possession the lowest law enforcement priority.

The Denver proposal seemed to draw at least as much attention for
supporters' campaign tactics as it did for the question of legalizing the drug.

Tvert argued that legalizing marijuana would reduce consumption of
alcohol, which he said leads to higher rates of car accidents,
domestic and street violence and crime.

The group criticized Mayor John Hickenlooper for opposing the
proposal, noting his ownership of a popular brewpub. It also cited
recent violent crimes -- including the shootings of four people last
weekend -- as a reason to legalize marijuana to steer people away
from alcohol use.

Those tactics angered local officials and some voters. Opponents also
said it made no sense to prevent prosecution by Denver authorities
while marijuana charges are most often filed under state and federal law.