Pubdate: Tue, 22 Apr 2014
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Page: 1A
Copyright: 2014 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122
Author: John Ingold

MARIJUANA LAWS, EVENTS FACING SOME BACKLASH

A national anti-marijuana group has met with Obama administration
officials to encourage the federal government to reverse legalization
in Colorado and Washington.

Meanwhile, on Monday, a Colorado group concerned about the impacts of
legalization on children issued a statement decrying the scenes of
public pot smoking in Denver on Sunday, a day marijuana enthusiasts
treat as a holiday called 4/20.

Both are examples of organizations skeptical of legalization pointing
to the unprecedented interest around marijuana in Denver this past
week as reason to change or reverse the 16-month-old law. Scenes of
open toking, cannabis commercialism and pot-fueled revelry, the groups
say, run contrary to the restrained system of at-home marijuana use
that voters approved in 2012.

"This is not healthy for our young people," said Gina Carbone, a
spokeswoman for the group Smart Colorado. "This does not send the
right message. ... We're not educating our kids to the harms of it.
Instead, we're glorifying it and promoting it." Denver City Councilman
Charlie Brown likewise questioned whether the 4/20 celebrations are
beneficial to Denver and said he hopes any added expense incurred by
the police department as a result of the events are paid for by taxes
on marijuana stores.

"It's not Denver's finest hour, let's put it that way," Brown said.
"And it still comes across to me as in-your-face politics."

For the first 4/20 after history-making recreational marijuana stores
opened in Colorado, Denver was awash in marijuana-centric events on
Sunday - the most notable being the large pro-pot rally in Civic
Center park that culminated with a mass smoke-out at 4:20 p.m. This
year, Denver police issued 92 citations for public marijuana
consumption over the two-day festival-far more than the five
public-consumption tickets police issued at the one-day event in 2013-
and organizers told attendees that public consumption is illegal.

Tens of thousands still lit up in unison Sunday afternoon.

Miguel Lopez, the rally's organizer, said the event remains more of a
protest than a festival, despite beefed-up security, new vendor booths
and an expanded musical lineup that brought the rally closer to other
annual events like A Taste of Colorado. Those who smoked in public did
so as an expression of civil disobedience against laws they disagree
with, Lopez said.

Lopez said the rally doesn't encourage youth marijuana use, but, "I
thought it was a very positive message for our children about having
safer choices when they become adults."

"If people thought it was so bad for the city's image, then why did we
have so many tourists?" Lopez asked.

The tug-of-war over the impact of 4/20 began last week, when the
national anti-legalization group Project SAM released a report card
filled with data that the group said suggest a rise in
marijuana-related problems in Colorado.

The report card shows an increase in marijuana-positive workplace drug
tests at one lab in Colorado Springs. Another chart on the report card
shows an increase in seizures by U.S. postal inspectors of marijuana
being shipped out of state. The report card also noted two recent
deaths in Colorado that may be linked to marijuana edibles.

In a conference call with reporters on Friday, former U.S. Rep.
Patrick Kennedy, the chairman of Project SAM, said he met last week
with representatives from the White House's Office of National Drug
Control Policy to push for the federal government to intervene in
Colorado and Washington. The Justice Department has previously
announced it would not block marijuana legalization in the two states
as long as certain conditions were met - such as keeping marijuana
away from kids and within state lines.

Indicative of the deep divisions over legalization within the Obama
administration, ONDCP officials have spoken critically of marijuana
legalization in the past. Kennedy did not provide a direct answer when
asked whether Justice Department officials attended the meeting as
well.

"The president and the attorney general, now that we're getting this
new information, have a better ground to say, 'Well we gave this a
chance. Now we're going to change our approach here,' " he said.

In a statement issued Monday, Smart Colorado said the marijuana
industry "willfully betrayed many of their key Amendment 64
supporters" by not stopping public marijuana consumption on 4/20 or
doing more to keep marijuana away from kids.

"This past weekend we saw marijuana users and folks from the industry
openly flouting the laws by consuming pot in public," group
spokeswoman Rachel O'Bryan said in the statement.

Marijuana industry advocates distanced themselves from the rally prior
to the weekend. The Marijuana Industry Group put out a news release on
Friday saying it was not connected to any of the weekend's 4/20
events. The release included reminders that public marijuana
consumption and giving marijuana to minors are illegal.

"We are constantly working to help the public understand what is legal
and safe," said Michael Elliott, the group's executive director. 
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