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[Courtesy of SAFER] For Immediate Release: November 8, 2007 Contact: Mason Tvert, SAFER, 720-255-4340 Denver Marijuana Initiative Wins 57-43 Mayor John Hickenlooper says the city will follow the new law and create city panel to implement it DENVER -- Election officials have finished counting the votes and an initiative making adult marijuana possession the city's lowest law enforcement priority -- Initiated Question 100 -- has been approved 57-43. In light of the city's overwhelming support for the measure, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper announced yesterday that he would appoint a Marijuana Policy Review Panel to ensure that the new ordinance is implemented to the greatest extent possible, as well as to study and report on its effects. The 11-member panel will include: • One (1) at-large member of the Denver City Council • One (1) representative of the Denver Police Department • One (1) representative of the Denver County District Attorney's Office • One (1) representative of the Denver City Attorney's Office • Three (3) criminal defense attorneys, one of whom shall be a public defender • Two (2) residents of the City of Denver, as selected by the petitioner committee that initiated this ordinance • One (1) drug/alcohol abuse prevention counselor • One (1) member of the Denver Metro Domestic Violence Fatality Review Committee who is not also a member of law enforcement Statement from Mason Tvert, the lead proponent of Initiated Question 100: "We are glad to see our mayor and city officials will be respecting the will of the voters, and we look forward to working with them toward a more sensible marijuana policy in the City of Denver. Although these officials say adult marijuana possession is already a low priority, it could undoubtedly be lower. For example, the City of Seattle, which adopted a very similar lowest law enforcement priority measure in 2003, handled just 125 cases of adult marijuana possession in 2006, whereas Denver -- a city with fewer residents -- handled nearly 1,400. As an example, one can look to Missoula, Montana. There, a similar lowest law enforcement priority measure was approved by voters last year. Just a couple weeks ago officials there adopted an official policy directing police to stop arresting adults for simple marijuana possession and make such cases the absolute lowest priority for prosecutors. We strongly believe Denver policies should reflect the fact that every objective study on marijuana has concluded that it is far less harmful than alcohol to both the user and to society. As we have said repeatedly, there is no logical reason why adults should punished for making the rational, safer choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol."

Florida: Technology Aids State's Long-term Restoration Process State officials met with residents with felony convictions last week in an effort to describe Florida's new voter restoration policy, review cases and alert individuals of their voting status, Florida Today reported. Laptops were set up to review cases on the spot and how-to pamphlets and hotline numbers were distributed. "Florida gets it, and we are doing things differently now," said Janet Keels, of the Florida Parole Commission. In April, the executive clemency board eased the voting restoration process for those with non-violent records. The state is currently deciding rights restoration eligibility for nearly one million residents. National: Disenfranchisement Litigation Efforts Need Reform In an article published in the Journal of Law and Social Change author Daniel M. Katz argues for a new litigation strategy to reform disenfranchisement policy by using the Voting Rights Act (VRA). Katz contends that using the VRA in the context of Article 1, Section 4 of the Constitution provides a new opportunity to challenge current policy, and that "statutes imposing lifetime disenfranchisement on all felons are per se violative of the totality of circumstances test" of the VRA. He also argues that Congress has the "unambiguous constitutional authority to pass a statute which enfranchises felons for the Congressional portion of the election ballot." - - - - - - Help The Sentencing Project continue to bring you news and updates on disenfranchisement! Make a contribution today. Contact Information, email: [email protected], web: http://www.sentencingproject.org