Breckenridge, Colorado voters may legalize pot, paraphernalia

By Stephen C. Webster
Saturday, October 31st, 2009 -- 1:36 pm
Share on Facebook Stumble This!

marijuana leaves Breckenridge, Colorado voters may legalize pot, paraphernaliaOn Tuesday, Breckenridge, Colorado could become the latest American city to legalize recreational use of marijuana for adults.

The legalization measure, placed on the ballot after campaigners turned in a petition with almost three-times the number of signatures required, would also permit adults to posses bongs, pipes, bubblers and other so-called marijuana paraphernalia.

Allowing paraphernalia would be a first for U.S. voters, according to Marijuana Policy Project spokesman Bruce Mirken, who spoke with the Associated Press. "I don't think there's anywhere else in the country that has legalized paraphernalia," he said.

In Colorado, the current penalty for being caught with marijuana paraphernalia is $100.

According to Colorado's Summit Daily News, the Breckenridge petition needed 500 signatures, but over 1,400 were collected. If the measure passes, the town will remove all penalties for adults found in possession of up to one ounce.

Story continues below...

"It will not make it more available to minors, won't make it legal to smoke it on the street, won't get you out of trouble if you're stoned behind the wheel," the Daily News opined in an editorial supporting the measure. "What it says is that if you, as an adult, choose to possess small amounts of marijuana for personal use, you won't be busted for it. It's still a much more stringent law than those that apply to alcohol — a substance you can own as much as you want of and consume in public."

The paper added: "Eventually, it seems these small possession busts will be a thing of the past state-wide, which makes us conclude some kind of 'nuisance pot smoke' ordinance needs to take their place — roughly analogous to public intoxication statutes."

"'We don't want to spend our tax dollars prosecuting this, so we're saying, let's just stop it,' said Sean McAllister, a Breckenridge attorney who proposed the ordinance," according to ABC 7 News in Denver.

The town's police chief has said he opposes the measure because it places Breckenridge at odds with state law. Should the town legalize marijuana, municipal police officers who choose to make an arrest would be required to transport their prisoners to the Summit County Sheriff's Department, AP noted.

However, the measure would not truly pose much of an inconvenience for officers, as the county's sheriff is located mere moments away from the town's police department.

The odds that this measure will pass appear to be quite strong. While an effort to legalize marijuana state-wide failed during the 2006 elections, Breckenridge voters supported it by a margin of nearly 3-to-1, ABC noted.

Breckenridge, a famous winter get-away for skiing enthusiasts, has roughly 3,300 registered voters.

Share this article:
  • Print this article!
  • E-mail this story to a friend!
  • Digg
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Story comments are below...
  • farang
    "The town's police chief has said he opposes the measure because it places Breckenridge at odds with state law. Should the town legalize marijuana, municipal police officers who choose to make an arrest would be required to transport their prisoners to the Summit County Sheriff's Department, AP noted."

    In other words, the town's police chief thinks it is okay to ignore the law.

    Next petition, make any municipal officer that ignores the law and arrests someone NOT breaking the law serve 90 days in the town jail.
  • luckyjean
    It's almost like a bunch of little places in America have declared themselves as part of a new unofficial state within the nation...It's very encouraging.
  • thefreedomship
    Moving to Breckenridge tomorrow. Great skiing and now this?? What more is there to ask? Paradise.
  • jessepayton46706
    I think its time to like ski ing....
  • doctim11
    haven't they heard that marijuana is a dangerous gateway drug that funds al-Qaida, destroys your chromosomes, causes birth defects turns your brain into scrambled eggs? Guess not, Rock on!
  • cat007
    All right!
  • douvie
    Great news. This will surely put a dent in law enforcement budgets throughout America. Maybe now, ther will be enough manpower and money to go after the likes of Bernie Madoff, the insurance industry and the rest of corporate America.
  • dennycrane
    If those capitalistic "mega-christers" had any sense they would open up "marijuana" bars in their lobbies to "bring" in the stupid fucking libertarians (rape-publikans that want to smoke dope and have sex) to their "fold."
  • wyrdless
    Capitalistic mega christers?
    use the old "Monkey Wards"?

    you are an idiot.
  • pitbullstew
    sounds like a fantastic place to visit on my next trans continental road trip!
  • dennycrane
    With our luck, rolling papers will be "outlawed." We'll to have use the old "Monkey Wards" catalogues. Ooops! I guess they went out of business, have to use "Sees and Sawbucks."
  • jayderbug
    you really like using quotation marks
  • Glad to see this. Still have to worry that the fed complies.
  • Savantster
    .
    "municipal police officers who choose to make an arrest "

    So, the cops will still bust people they "don't like", or "those people", under the State Statutes, but will let their friends and the affluent off the hook?

    Sounds like they need to also pass a law (as part of this measure) that says local police must ignore the State law on the matter, and let the State police ask permission to come in and arrests people.

    Pretty sad and disgusting that in America, when a public makes a law, the power elite will still abuse whom they will with it making laws (and freedoms) only apply to certain people. This country is fucked.
  • donofcali
    Time to break out those old skis...
  • caseykc
    "municipal police officers who CHOOSE to make an arrest would be required to transport their prisoners to the Summit County Sheriff's Department"

    That doesn't sound like legal to me!
    Any ordinance that prevents police from prosecution but allows the sheriff to prosecute is insane. This says that it is legal in the eyes of the police but the police can hand you over to the sheriff if he doesn't like you. Maybe, if you are rich and sophisticated they will let you go but if your a hippie, park rat, bartender, spring breaker, black, Latino, wear your pants around your ankles or whatever, then they can hand you off to the sheriff. This law has outstanding discrimination, profiling and racism potential.

    IF ITS GOING TO BE LEGAL THEN ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES MUST BE ON THE SAME PAGE. HOW CAN THE POLICE HAVE THE RIGHT TO HAND YOU OVER TO THE SHERIFF FOR LEGAL ACTIVITY.

    I would also like to add that the Colorado sheriff department has been dragging its heels when it comes to Medical marijuana (you only have to look at where all the dispensaries are located to know this is true...very few are in unincorporated areas due to the lack of support by the sheriff department). Sheriffs state wide are acting like renegades in violation of Colorado law. Since they oppose medical marijuana what are the chances they will support recreational marijuana.

    Final thought. If the police detain you for a legal activity and hand you off to a sheriff who will prosecute you then I propose that any time you spend in police custody is AN ILLEGAL FALSE ARREST. IF MARIJUANA IS LEGAL THEN THE POLICE HAVE NO RIGHT TO DETAIN OR TRANSPORT YOU TO THE SHERIFF OFFICE.
  • caseykc
    haven't they heard that marijuana is a dangerous gateway drug that funds al-Qaida, destroys your chromosomes, causes birth defects turns your brain into scrambled eggs? Guess not, Rock on!

    Yes I heard that but I am human and therefore posses the ability to sort bullshit propaganda from the truth.

    If you believe any of that bullshit you are obviously not qualified (or unwilling) to read the scientific research that proves all your claims to be bullshit propaganda.

    Finally, if you believe the bullshit propaganda you are shoveling you are probably dumb enough to believe that Jesus was a white man and that Marry was a virgin. Whats more logical...Marry was raped by god OR she had sex with a black man and no one wanted to accept it.
  • wyrdless
    Dude, its called sarcasm. That other poster doesn't believe that weed does any of that stuff

    why don't you smoke some more and chilax
  • jazzyj22
    This little town seems to have their head on straight. It's not about if you think Marijuana is good for you or not, it's about not having to prosect someone for bongs, pipes, and simple possession. Do you know how much of your tax dollars are going to process these little cases? Way too much. It's nice to hear that someone is thinking sensibly, and saving the whole country money in the process.
blog comments powered by Disqus