Pubdate: Tue, 14 Mar 2006
Source: Colorado Daily (UC Edu, CO)
Copyright: 2006 Colorado Daily
Contact:  http://www.coloradodaily.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1557
Author: Casey Freeman, Staff Writer

TOP O' THE BONG TO YA

A marijuana law reform group is advising partiers to  smoke pot 
rather than drink this St. Patrick's Day.

Safer Alternatives For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) -  based in 
Boulder - says even though drinking alcohol is  legal, it is still 
more dangerous than smoking  marijuana.

"Obviously, St. Patrick's Day is a day when a  number of people are 
encouraged to go out drinking,"  said Mason Tvert, executive director 
for SAFER.  "If they're going to party, it may not be a bad  decision 
to consider marijuana rather than alcohol."

Tvert has planned a demonstration in Denver on St.  Patrick's Day, 
but on Tuesday he wouldn't provide  details about the precise nature 
of the demonstration.

After St. Paddy's Day, Tvert will be collecting  signatures to 
pressure other universities to reduce  their penalties for marijuana 
use, and working on  passing easier marijuana laws around the country.

CU students passed a referendum providing for precisely  that last 
year. CU officials aren't enforcing it.

But SAFER isn't just trying to change the laws or make  marijuana 
legal, it is trying to inform people that  alcohol causes more social 
and health problems, said  Tvert.

"We encourage adults to consider the facts when  they go out to 
party," said Tvert. "You are far  more likely to be hurt drinking 
than when using  marijuana."

Even though he has a strong stance against booze, Tvert  said he 
isn't trying to attack alcohol users or  companies.

"We're really just trying to get it out there as a  public service 
announcement," said Tvert.

Coloradans are more aware of the differences between  marijuana and 
alcohol because of recent highly  publicized SAFER ballot initiatives 
at CU, Colorado  State University in Fort Collins and in the City of Denver.

"We started SAFER as a response to alcohol  overdosing in Colorado," 
said Tvert.

In 2004, a string of student deaths from alcohol  poisoning hit 
Colorado and the nation. A pledge, Gordie  Bailey, died during an 
initiation rite at a CU  fraternity in fall 2004. At CSU, Samantha 
Spady died in  a fraternity house after drinking dozens of shots and beer.

"Kids were drinking themselves to death, but  marijuana rules were 
harsher than (those for) alcohol,"  Tvert said.

Following successful referenda at CU and CSU last year,  in November, 
SAFER helped pass a law in Denver that  would allow people over 21 
years old to possess an  ounce of marijuana.

"We're obviously very pleased, but our work is  clearly not done," 
said Tvert, who mentioned that  police are still arresting people 
that smoke marijuana  in Denver. "We don't want people to break the 
law,  but we want people to consider the options."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman