cannabisnews.com: Bud On The Ballot





Bud On The Ballot
Posted by CN Staff on October 19, 2006 at 13:23:26 PT
By Dale Bridges 
Source: Boulder Weekly
Colorado -- Almost a year ago, the Mile High City passed Initiative 100, making Denver one of the first cities in the country to legalize possession of less than one ounce of marijuana for adults 21 and older. Or so they thought. Since that time, local authorities have continued to arrest marijuana users in Denver, claiming that state laws trump the city's ordinance.
Currently, possession of less than an ounce of cannabis is a class two petty offense and carries with it a fine of $100. However, the debate continues over whether or not the police are required to enforce this policy. "They can stop citing people if they want to, but they just aren't," says Mason Tvert, president of SAFER Colorado, the nonprofit organization that worked to put Amendment 44 on the ballot. "Amendment 44 is a direct response to that, because we don't think cities and towns should have their hands tied by a state law like this." If passed, Amendment 44 will expand the Denver ordinance and legalize marijuana throughout Colorado. Tvert's argument is that marijuana is actually a safer recreational drug than alcohol and that legalizing pot will save lives all across the state. Dr. Andrea Barthwell disagrees with this assertion. She has been working in the area of Addiction Medication in Chicago for 20 years and recently came to Colorado to discuss the hazards of marijuana. "The things we assume about marijuana are not necessarily true," says Barthwell. "Marijuana acts in individuals in different ways. It is not something that is calming to everyone. There are things people believe about it based on their own experiences that for other individuals are not in fact true." But Tvert says this is exactly why Colorado needs to pass Amendment 44. "We believe adults can make intelligent choices about their own personal marijuana use," says Tvert. "Unfortunately, people's views on marijuana have been clouded by the exaggerations and myths perpetuated by our government." Another concern posed by the opponents of Amendment 44 is that legalizing marijuana will cause increased drug activity among teenagers. "Debates about whether (marijuana) is as harmful or to what degree are esoteric debates that are better left to adults," says Barthwell. "But when you are trying to establish a system that allows a young person to make a good decision they really work best in an environment where the rules are clear. We have good evidence to suggest that age-restricted access does not work with intoxicating substances." Age-restricted access has long been applied to the legal distribution of both alcohol and cigarettes, two legal drugs, both of which cost the nation millions each year. However, Tvert says the issue is not about access; it's about honesty. "We are currently telling young people that marijuana is as harmful as crack and heroin and PCP," he says. "Clearly it's not. So when they try marijuana, they then don't trust us when it comes to other hard drugs and assume they're not very harmful either." Tvert also questions Barthwell's intentions in Colorado. According to the L.A. Times, in 2005 Barthwell teamed up with GW Pharmaceuticals to promote a product called Sativex, a mouth spray derived from the cannabis plant that is designed to alleviate the pain of multiple sclerosis. Tvert claims this is a conflict of interests. "She doesn't want marijuana to be legal anywhere because she has a substantial profit to gain," says Tvert. Barthwell says she can't speak in detail on the product because Sativex has not yet been legalized in the United States. However, she says Sativex "is so far removed from marijuana that it is not recognizable." Barthwell also claims that her affiliation with GW Pharmaceuticals has no relation to her political opinion on legalized marijuana. "To say that because I support a true pharmaceutical product (made) from a botanical, I can't comment on whether that botanical is legal or not is ludicrous. And it's an extension of the tactics that are often used to discredit everyone that has an opinion that's different from the proponents of this bill." Even if the amendment passes, marijuana is still illegal under federal law. However, both sides agree that the government would have a difficult time enforcing this policy. "Generally, the federal government only goes after high-profile drug traffickers and dealers," says Tom Gorman, director of the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. "This would be beneath their threshold." Tvert concurs. "About 99 percent of marijuana cases in the country are handled at the state and local level. The federal government simply doesn't have the resources to prosecute all those petty crimes." One thing is for certain, however Coloradans choose to vote on this issue, they will be setting a precedent for the entire nation. Note: Amendment 44 would legalize small amounts of marijuana. Newshawk: The GCWSource: Boulder Weekly (CO)Author: Dale Bridges Published: October 19, 2006Copyright: 2006 Boulder WeeklyContact: letters boulderweekly.com Website: http://www.boulderweekly.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Safer Choicehttp://www.saferchoice.org/Debate on Pot Sizzleshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22301.shtml44 Fires Up Votershttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22300.shtmlLinkhart Weeds Out Arguments Against Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22297.shtml
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on October 20, 2006 at 06:39:18 PT
mayan 
I hope it doesn't hurt but I have learned to be on guard because I know how dirty politics are anymore. I am not watching this Colorado Amendment 44 with rose colored glasses on. I wish I could.
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Comment #9 posted by mayan on October 20, 2006 at 05:08:09 PT
FoM
I don't think that bust will negatively affect 44. It just goes to show how organized crime thrives off of illegal cannabis...CANNABIS THAT HAS BEEN MADE WORTH IT'S WEIGHT IN GOLD DUE TO PROHIBITION. Did you notice how the "drug network" wasn't producing or trafficking alcoholic beverages? They wouldn't be able to get rich off of alcohol because it is legal and regulated.What scares me are the electronic voting machines that Colorado is using...Suit: Ban computer voting - Attorney fears fraud, says state 'headed for train wreck' in November:
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/elections/article/0,2808,DRMN_24736_4994042,00.htmlYou can bet that if anything is likely to be rigged, besides some key Senatorial elections, it will be Amendment 44.
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Comment #8 posted by afterburner on October 19, 2006 at 22:24:44 PT
Far Out, Ma'am
Barthwell ... says Sativex "is so far removed from marijuana that it is not recognizable." Both medical cannabis and Sativex are legal medicines in Canada *for the chosen few*! An earlier Conservative government (Diefenbaker) cancelled a revolutionary Canadian-made military aircraft, the Avro Arrow, because its was a project started by a previous Liberal government. The Harper Conservative government has cancelled medical cannabis research, despite the benefits to society of futher investigating the medical exemptees and their medicines, whole herbal cannabis flowers and Sativex. The exemptees are protected by court order and Medical Marijuana Access Regulations adopted by the previous Liberal government. For those interested in the comparative effects of these medicines, google Alison Myrden and other exemptees who have real world experience with the meds.
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Comment #7 posted by whig on October 19, 2006 at 22:12:23 PT
goneposthole
What happened to her, what was her story do you know?
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Comment #6 posted by The GCW on October 19, 2006 at 21:17:36 PT
Barthwell, Sweetin etc???
Anyone who thinks it is okay to cage humans for using or growing what God says is good is a fool. CN BC: Edu: PUB LTE: The Bible Forgotten In Martlethttp://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n1410/a14.html?271876
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on October 19, 2006 at 20:55:21 PT
Interesting Timing
38 Indicted in Alleged Drug Ring***Excerpt: Announcement of the bust comes less than three weeks before Coloradoans go to the polls to vote on Amendment 44, which would legalize possession of one ounce or less of marijuana. Sweetin was asked if the timing of the announcement had a political intent. "I don't consider it a political announcement," Sweetin said. "It wasn't timed to be a message, but yes, I think it was a message." Immediately after the news conference, Amendment 44 campaign director Mason Tvert held a second news conference to blast officials for the indictment's timing, which he said was an effort to scare voters into rejecting the pot referendum.
  http://www.insidedenver.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5078507,00.html
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Comment #4 posted by goneposthole on October 19, 2006 at 18:58:58 PT
cognitive dissonance
Andrea Barthwell suffers from cognitive dissonance. She smoked cannabis for over fifteen years, now she is a prohibitionist. She knows that her experiences with cannabis weren't all bad, but she now has to do a shuck and jive to keep cannabis from becoming legal.It's a revoltin' predicament. You can't really say she is a hypocrite, she just doesn't want to admit the truth.She's between a rock and a hard place.
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Comment #3 posted by John Tyler on October 19, 2006 at 18:38:55 PT
to control or not to control
When something becomes a legally “controlled substance” it then becomes an uncontrolled substance. When it is taken out of the “controlled substance” category it becomes controlled again. Strange. 
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Comment #2 posted by mayan on October 19, 2006 at 18:25:57 PT
Barthwell Exposed
"She doesn't want marijuana to be legal anywhere because she has a substantial profit to gain," says Tvert. One by one, the prohibitionists are losing credibility and running out of ammo. By election day Mason will be the last man standing!THE WAY OUT..9/11 - The Myth and the Reality: Dr. David Ray Griffin (video):
http://911blogger.com/node/3882
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Comment #1 posted by Celaya on October 19, 2006 at 18:07:58 PT
Cleanin' Up The Hogwash
"Debates about whether (marijuana) is as harmful or to what degree are esoteric debates that are better left to adults," says Barthwell. "But when you are trying to establish a system that allows a young person to make a good decision they really work best in an environment where the rules are clear. We have good evidence to suggest that age-restricted access does not work with intoxicating substances."It certainly works better than the anytime, anywhere, anybody system we have now. What slop.Barthwell says she can't speak in detail on the product because Sativex has not yet been legalized in the United States. However, she says Sativex "is so far removed from marijuana that it is not recognizable." LOL!! -- Unless you know what you're looking at. Sativex is basically liquid marijuana. Made from the real thing. Not like Marinol.  Barthwell also claims that her affiliation with GW Pharmaceuticals has no relation to her political opinion on legalized marijuana.Right. No coincidence here. Move along. "To say that because I support a true pharmaceutical product (made) from a botanical, I can't comment on whether that botanical is legal or not is ludicrous.What's ludicrous is Barthwell's attempt to portray Sativex as a better pharmaceutical product than whole marijuana. Vaporized marijuana is likely more effective than Sativex.And it's an extension of the tactics that are often used to discredit everyone that has an opinion that's different from the proponents of this bill.""Debates about whether (marijuana) is as harmful or to what degree are esoteric debates that are better left to adults," says Barthwell. "But when you are trying to establish a system that allows a young person to make a good decision they really work best in an environment where the rules are clear. We have good evidence to suggest that age-restricted access does not work with intoxicating substances."It certainly works better than the anytime, anywhere, anybody system we have now. What slop.Barthwell says she can't speak in detail on the product because Sativex has not yet been legalized in the United States. However, she says Sativex "is so far removed from marijuana that it is not recognizable." LOL!! -- Unless you know what you're looking at. Sativex is basically liquid marijuana. Made from the real thing. Not like Marinol. Barthwell also claims that her affiliation with GW Pharmaceuticals has no relation to her political opinion on legalized marijuana.Right. No coincidence here. Move along. "To say that because I support a true pharmaceutical product (made) from a botanical, I can't comment on whether that botanical is legal or not is ludicrous.What's ludicrous is Barthwell's attempt to portray Sativex as a better pharmaceutical product than whole marijuana. Vaporized marijuana is likely more effective than Sativex.And it's an extension of the tactics that are often used to discredit everyone that has an opinion that's different from the proponents of this bill."The only questions marijuana reformers have are aimed straight at the truth. That's what has these parasites on the run. 
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