Denver Public Pot Use Campaign Turns In More Than Enough Ballot Signatures

DENVER (AP/CBS4) - Marijuana activists campaigning to see pot consumption allowed in bars and other public places in Denver turned in nearly 11,000 signatures to get the question on November's city ballots.

The Limited Social Use campaign says they have more than enough signatures to see a public vote on the matter. They need 4,700 signatures and say they have collected 10,700 signatures. The city clerk has 25 days to verify them.

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If the measure passes, Denver would be the first American city to allow public marijuana consumption. Bars and clubs would have the final say about whether to allow pot.

Patrons would have to bring their own weed and comply with clean-air laws. That means the marijuana would have to be edible, or if smoked, consumed on an outside patio shielded from public view.

"In terms of smoking it would have to be in areas that are already designated smoking areas except they would not be visible to the public," said marijuana advocate and attorney Mason Tvert said. "So actually it's a lot more limited than how we treat alcohol and cigarettes here in Denver."

Tvert said the goal is to give people more options to smoke without being in public.

"Really one of the primary goals of this initiative is to reduce the likelihood that adults who can legally purchase marijuana are going to use it in public and to provide private establishments where they are able to do it," he said. "We want to make sure that when they do use it they are doing it legally in a place that's it's supposed to be taking place."

He said while collecting signatures they "found a lot of enthusiasm among voters who just seem to recognize that this makes sense."

LINK: limitedsocialuse.org

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