SAFER IN DENVER— Denver voters line up to sign the new initiative petition at the Denver People's Fair.  Oaksterdam Media photos by Evan Ackerfeld

The organization behind the successful marijuana legalization measure in Denver is still fighting to end arrests for possession in the city.

Citizens for a Safer Denver, a project of the Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) Voter Education Fund, kicked off a campaign this month to make marijuana possession the city's lowest law enforcement priority in hopes of compelling police to stop making arrests and city attorneys to stop taking the cases. 

"It is quite incredible that we have to go through so much trouble just to get police to stop arresting adults for possessing small amounts of a drug less harmful than alcohol," said Mason Tvert, spokesman for Citizens for a Safer Denver. "Such cases are a drain on the city's limited time and resources, and the people have made it clear they do not want adults punished simply for making the safer choice to use pot instead of booze."

A majority of Denver voters approved Initiative 100 (I-100) in 2005, amending city ordinances to remove all penalties for private adult marijuana possession. But Denver officials swore to ignore the vote and followed through by directing police to continue enforcing the state marijuana law in the city.

A huge beer bottle appropriately looms over the SAFER booth at the People's Fair in Denver.   Oaksterdam Media photos by Evan Ackerfeld

As a result, SAFER and the SAFER Voter Education Fund attempted a statewide legalization initiative in 2006. Although the measure, known as Amendment 44, ultimately lost at the polls, it garnered an impressive 41 percent of the vote and sent a message that Colorado was bound for change at the state level.

In April 2007, however, statistics were released showing that marijuana arrests had increased in Denver since the passage of I-100. This led to SAFER taking action and introducing the latest initiative, which is modeled after those passed in Seattle and a number of cities throughout California.

The measure would create a new city ordinance designating private adult possession as the city's lowest law enforcement priority, and it would create an oversight committee to monitor and ensure the implementation of the new law.

The campaign is currently collecting the approximately 4,000 signatures necessary to qualify the measure for the ballot, and it plans to turn in about 8,000 or more signatures in the first week of July.

There will not be many other items on the November ballot, so the proponents of the measure expect marijuana to become a major issue this fall.

For more information on the initiative and the campaign, please visit www.SaferDenver.com.