Marijuana: Amendment 64's Mason Tvert on Bill Maher's invite, advocate advice

Backers of Amendment 64 Call on Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey and Other Colorado Prosecutors to Follow the Will of the Voters and Stop Filing Cases of Adult Marijuana Possession

Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett follows lead of district attorneys in Washington State and dismisses all pending cases in which the sole charge is possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by an adult 21 or older

DENVER -- Proponents of Amendment 64, the successful statewide initiative to make marijuana legal for adults and regulate it like alcohol, are calling on Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey and other Colorado prosecutors to follow the will of the voters by no longer filing cases of adult marijuana possession and dismissing all pending cases in which the sole charge is possession of up to an ounce of marijuana by an adult 21 or older.

Earlier today, Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett announced via Facebook that his office will "dismiss all pending possession of MJ less than an ounce, and MJ paraphenalia cases, for defendants over the age of 21," noting that cases of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol remain a top priority. On Friday, prosecutors in Washington's largest counties announced they would be dropping more than 200 pending cases of marijuana possession in light of voters' adoption of a similar marijuana initiative in last week's election. Read more at: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/crime/article/King-Pierce-counties-dropping-marijuana-cases-4024415.php

Amendment 64 backers are spotlighting Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey because the bulk of Colorado marijuana possession arrests occur in Denver, and the city's voters have passed multiple initiatives intended to stop the arrest and prosecution of adults 21 and older for private marijuana possession. Specifically, they approved a local ballot initiative in 2005 that removed all penalties for adult possession under city ordinance, and in 2007 they adopted a measure that established adult possession as the city's lowest law enforcement priority. Morrissey refused to stop the prosecutions, citing the state's law against marijuana possession.

"A strong majority of Coloradans made it clear that they do not believe adults should be made criminals for possessing small amounts of marijuana," said Mason Tvert, a proponent of Amendment 64. "Colorado prosecutors can follow the will of the voters by dropping these cases today and announcing they are no longer taking on new ones.

"We applaud District Attorney Garnett for respecting the will of the voters, and we hope his colleagues across the state will follow his lead," Tvert said. "We do not see why District Attorney Morrissey or any other prosecutor would want to continue seeking criminal penalties for conduct that will be legal in the next month or so."

Amendment 64 was approved 55-45 in last week's election. The law officially takes effect upon certification of the election. Certification of the election must take place within 30 days of the final election canvass, which must be finalized within 30 days of the election.

More from our Marijuana archive: "Amendment 64: Feds will threaten lawsuit or arrests to stop implementation, predicts DU prof."