POT-LAW BACKERS GET SOME SUPPORT

Backers of a statewide initiative to legalize adult marijuana
possession got the support of a few Republican and Democratic
activists at a gathering on the Capitol steps Tuesday afternoon.

Republican Jessica Corry, a law student at the University of Denver,
stood with Democrat Barbara Harvey and said prohibition of marijuana
hasn't worked and distracts law enforcement from pursuing more serious
drugs like methamphetamines, cocaine and heroin.

"The system is broken," Corry said. "It's not working."

Corry, who said she doesn't smoke marijuana herself, also complained
about it being another example of government inserting itself into
people's personal lives. She stood with her 16-month-old daughter and
fellow Republican activist Laura Evans, who was with her 3- year-old
daughter.

Amendment 44 would allow adults over the age of 21 to possess less
than an ounce of marijuana without legal repercussions.

Opponents say it is poorly written, lacking a provision that would
prevent those between 18 and 20 being given less than an ounce of
marijuana. And there was a recent fight over the description of
Amendment 44 in the voter information book prepared by the Legislative
Council.

Mason Tvert, campaign director for the amendment, filed suit in Denver
District Court last week to stop the book from being printed, but the
judge denied the injunction.

The Legislative Council, which is in charge of writing the impartial
analysis of ballot measures, said the amendment would allow the
transfer of marijuana to those 15 years and older - something Tvert
claims would still be a felony under the current statutes. He also
said if the amendment were to pass, legislators would work quickly to
close the gap for transfer of marijuana to those between the ages of
18 and 20.

But opponents remain concerned about teens being allowed to possess
less than an ounce of marijuana if the measure passes in November.

Robert McGuire, who has headed up the opposition to Amendment 44 with
a group called Guarding Our Children Against Marijuana, said it's bad
policy to try to pass a ballot measure that doesn't completely address
possible loopholes.

"They're saying it's too hard to draft a law that works?" McGuire
said. "That's no way to go - pass bad laws and rely on those bad laws
being fixed by other people."

McGuire said the pro-marijuana forces are also being disingenuous by
saying marijuana use is less dangerous than alcohol use.

"It's not a fair comparison," McGuire said. "Alcohol is so much more
widely used than illegal drugs and so it stands to reason if you
compare the two side by side, alcohol will look a lot worse."

Last November, voters in Denver approved a measure that made it legal
for adults to possess up to one ounce of pot. Denver law enforcement
officials, however, continue to ticket small-time pot-possession
violators under state law.