When the initiative campaign to legalize marijuana in Denver was launched in May 2005, they said it would never pass. They were wrong.
When we launched our initiative campaign to make the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana legal under Colorado state law, they said, "Colorado is not Denver," and "You caught us off-guard in Denver. We'll be ready this time."
Well, there is a long way to go until November 7, but there are signs that the voters of Colorado are starting to get as fed up with marijuana prohibition as the voters of Denver. The most prominent sign to date is a poll released by the Rocky Mountain News/KCNC CBS 4 this morning.
In this poll of likely voters around the state, a healthy 42 percent of the likely voters surveyed said they plan to vote YES on Amendment 44. Another five percent are currently undecided, and only 53 percent said they were opposed. The 42 percent is up from 37 percent in a similar poll conducted back in February.
It is also important to note that surveys such as this tend to under-sample our strongest demographic group - those under 25, who tend to use cell phones instead of landlines.
Of course, we are not surprised that such a significant percentage of likely Colorado voters support the commonsense notion that adults should not be punished for using marijuana instead of alcohol. However, we are surprised that we have been able to accomplish so much with so little.
For the past 20 months, SAFER and the SAFER Voter Education Fund have turned a relatively small budget into hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of earned media coverage. We have turned marijuana legalization from a fringe issue to a major political topic in the state. And we have accomplished this on our terms, framing the debate almost entirely around the relative harms of marijuana and alcohol.
[For an example of the kind of media coverage we generate, go to this site -- http://cbs4denver.com/ -- and then in the video box on the right, go to "See All" and you should be able to find our clip. (There is a picture of a baggie full of joints next to the words, "Most Coloradoans Against Marijuana Initiative." It is currently on the first page of videos, but could be bumped to a higher-numbered page.) This is coverage of an event held to introduce a parent-led group opposing current marijuana laws because of the negative messages they are sending to children. It was covered on five different television stations and in newspapers around the state.]
The power of our message is that it is a mind-changer. Once people accept that marijuana is truly less harmful than alcohol, prohibiting its use by adults no longer seems rational. It is not a question about law enforcement priorities or personal freedoms or civil rights. It is simply a logical question about whether adults should be allowed to use a substance less harmful than alcohol when they relax or socialize.
As we noted, there is a long time left in this campaign - 48 days, in fact - and we need to keep the momentum going. We are sure that our opponents will try to come on strong at the end. So if you would like to increase the likelihood of victory by helping us educate more Colorado residents about the relative harms of marijuana and alcohol, please visit - http://www.safercolorado.org -- and make a contribution today to the SAFER Voter Education Fund.
In less than seven weeks, marijuana prohibition as we know it could be over in this country. This is no time to sit on the sidelines. We need you to dig deep and give what you can to the SAFER Voter Education Fund. And regardless of whether you are able to make a contribution at this time, please forward this E-mail to anyone you know who might be willing to make a contribution to support our efforts.
Sincerely,
Mason Tvert
Campaign Director, SAFER
PS. Please check out our campaign blog at http://www.safercolorado.org/blog.html for up-to-date information on the Amendment 44 campaign. It has been non-stop action, and today our opponents went all out by flying in some of the biggest marijuana prohibitionists in the country to blitz the media with reefer madness. They actually went on TV and claimed marijuana is 50 times more potent than in 2000, and tried to argue that, on average, people start smoking marijuana when they're 12. Please make a contribution to the SAFER Voter Education Fund today so that we are able to fight these ludicrous claims and ensure they do not go unanswered.
When we launched our initiative campaign to make the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana legal under Colorado state law, they said, "Colorado is not Denver," and "You caught us off-guard in Denver. We'll be ready this time."
Well, there is a long way to go until November 7, but there are signs that the voters of Colorado are starting to get as fed up with marijuana prohibition as the voters of Denver. The most prominent sign to date is a poll released by the Rocky Mountain News/KCNC CBS 4 this morning.
In this poll of likely voters around the state, a healthy 42 percent of the likely voters surveyed said they plan to vote YES on Amendment 44. Another five percent are currently undecided, and only 53 percent said they were opposed. The 42 percent is up from 37 percent in a similar poll conducted back in February.
It is also important to note that surveys such as this tend to under-sample our strongest demographic group - those under 25, who tend to use cell phones instead of landlines.
Of course, we are not surprised that such a significant percentage of likely Colorado voters support the commonsense notion that adults should not be punished for using marijuana instead of alcohol. However, we are surprised that we have been able to accomplish so much with so little.
For the past 20 months, SAFER and the SAFER Voter Education Fund have turned a relatively small budget into hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of earned media coverage. We have turned marijuana legalization from a fringe issue to a major political topic in the state. And we have accomplished this on our terms, framing the debate almost entirely around the relative harms of marijuana and alcohol.
[For an example of the kind of media coverage we generate, go to this site -- http://cbs4denver.com/ -- and then in the video box on the right, go to "See All" and you should be able to find our clip. (There is a picture of a baggie full of joints next to the words, "Most Coloradoans Against Marijuana Initiative." It is currently on the first page of videos, but could be bumped to a higher-numbered page.) This is coverage of an event held to introduce a parent-led group opposing current marijuana laws because of the negative messages they are sending to children. It was covered on five different television stations and in newspapers around the state.]
The power of our message is that it is a mind-changer. Once people accept that marijuana is truly less harmful than alcohol, prohibiting its use by adults no longer seems rational. It is not a question about law enforcement priorities or personal freedoms or civil rights. It is simply a logical question about whether adults should be allowed to use a substance less harmful than alcohol when they relax or socialize.
As we noted, there is a long time left in this campaign - 48 days, in fact - and we need to keep the momentum going. We are sure that our opponents will try to come on strong at the end. So if you would like to increase the likelihood of victory by helping us educate more Colorado residents about the relative harms of marijuana and alcohol, please visit - http://www.safercolorado.org -- and make a contribution today to the SAFER Voter Education Fund.
In less than seven weeks, marijuana prohibition as we know it could be over in this country. This is no time to sit on the sidelines. We need you to dig deep and give what you can to the SAFER Voter Education Fund. And regardless of whether you are able to make a contribution at this time, please forward this E-mail to anyone you know who might be willing to make a contribution to support our efforts.
Sincerely,
Mason Tvert
Campaign Director, SAFER
PS. Please check out our campaign blog at http://www.safercolorado.org/blog.html for up-to-date information on the Amendment 44 campaign. It has been non-stop action, and today our opponents went all out by flying in some of the biggest marijuana prohibitionists in the country to blitz the media with reefer madness. They actually went on TV and claimed marijuana is 50 times more potent than in 2000, and tried to argue that, on average, people start smoking marijuana when they're 12. Please make a contribution to the SAFER Voter Education Fund today so that we are able to fight these ludicrous claims and ensure they do not go unanswered.
