The last time the House debated medical marijuana, David Krahl trod the halls of Capitol Hill lobbying against the legislation as deputy director of the Drug Free America Foundation. Now, he's ready to lobby for allowing medicinal use of marijuana, and do anything he can to support it. So far, no one has asked him for help, but in a recent letter to medical marijuana bill sponsor Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.), he proclaimed that he'd reversed his position on whether cannabis can be a medicine. [continues 331 words]
Records Indicate Senator Lobbied for Software Deal Washington - As director of a Rocky Mountain drug-fighting task force, Tom Gorman was surprised to learn last year that Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell had gotten him a million-dollar federal grant. Gorman had not asked for the money, nor was he familiar with the software system it was supposed to buy. And he was unaware, until Campbell's chief of staff told him, that it was targeted to one particular firm. It quickly became clear, to Gorman and other public officials, that Campbell was trying to steer a no-bid contract to a software company called Thinkstream Inc. One of the company owners, records show, is a longtime political supporter of the senator. [continues 2368 words]
WASHINGTON - Ben Gelt, who ran a gun-control campaign all the way to the White House, found himself in a less illustrious landmark in the nation's capital Wednesday as he pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana. Gelt, 21, son of Denver Councilwoman Susan Barnes-Gelt and former Colorado Democratic chairman Howard Gelt, stood in District of Columbia Superior Court to plead guilty to possession of 16.8 grams of marijuana in his dorm room at American University. Gelt will serve no jail time and a drug-trafficking charge was dismissed in exchange for his plea. He will serve six months of unsupervised probation in Colorado, at the end of which he can have his record wiped clean. He also was ordered to pay $150 into a crime victims' fund. He was accompanied to court by Barnes-Gelt. [continues 345 words]
WASHINGTON - Police in ski masks pounded on a Washington dorm room door in a late-night raid last week, and what they found rocked one of Denver's most prominent political families. Ben Gelt, 20, who led a post-Columbine gun control campaign all the way to the White House, found himself in a District of Columbia jail Thursday after being arrested in his dorm. He was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. The arrest stunned Gelt's well-known parents, Denver City Councilwoman Susan Barnes-Gelt and former Colorado Democratic Party chairman Howard Gelt. Barnes-Gelt has been mentioned as a potential candidate for mayor. [continues 743 words]
Aug. 13, 2000 - WASHINGTON - Ben Scribner is an idealistic young man hitting the Democratic National Convention this week to live out his political dreams. But he's got a decision to make: Is he willing to get arrested? Scribner, a 28-year-old resident of Denver's Baker neighborhood, isn't going to cheer the nomination of Al Gore. He is one of thousands heading to Los Angeles to upstage the Democrat's big party by protesting everything from "corporate globalization" to U.S. military aid to Colombia. [continues 452 words]
Former Colorado senator Gary Hart will step back into the public arena in Los Angeles on Sunday to take a few jabs at the party he once sought to lead. Hart will give the kickoff address to the "shadow convention," a counterculture alternative to the glitzy love-fest being put on by the Democratic Party and corporate sponsors. Hart has said for some time that both parties are too corrupt to fix society's problems, a complaint that fits neatly with the philosophy of the guerrilla gatherings. [continues 375 words]
April 4 - State legislators have decided not to make it so tough for police to get no-knock search warrants. Sen. Jim Congrove, R-Arvada, had proposed jacking up the legal standard that officers had to meet to get the warrants. That drew howls of protest from the state's prosecutors. On Monday, Congrove backed off. Congrove, a former undercover narcotics officer, said he didn't want good cases being thrown out on technicalities because of questions about a legal standard. [continues 507 words]
Mar. 18 - State legislators want to clamp down on "no-knock" raids by police, such as the botched bust in September in which Denver police killed a 45-year-old Mexican national. Sen. Jim Congrove, R-Arvada, will introduce a bill Monday requiring prosecutors to approve police requests for no-knock warrants and making it harder to get a judge to issue one. "The way they do this is unbelievable," said Congrove, a former police officer who used to run an undercover narcotics unit. "With the passage of this legislation, a key component of accountability would be put in place." [continues 543 words]
Sept. 22 - Voters in 2000 will be asked again whether they think the medicinal use of marijuana should be legalized. Only this time, their votes will count. Secretary of State Donetta Davidson has found that organizers of a petition drive did obtain enough signatures last year for the measure to be put on the ballot. "We're extremely pleased people suffering from glaucoma, cancer, AIDS and other illnesses will finally have an additional treatment option,'' said Luther Symons, spokesman for organizers of the drive, Coloradans for Medical Rights. "We're extremely confident that voters will pass this measure in November 2000.'' [continues 252 words]
