Pot Legal in Denver (But Not in Colorado)

Yesterday voters in Denver approved a ballot measure that "legalizes" possession of up to an ounce of marijuana by residents 21 and older. I use the scare quotes because the measure, which passed by a margin of 54 percent to 46 percent, applies only to city ordinances, not state law, under which marijuana possessors typically are charged. Still, the vote is interesting and potentially significant as a measure of publc opinion, especially since the initiative's advocates offered a straightforward defense of marijuana as a recreational intoxicant (the drug is already legal as a medicine in Colorado), arguing that it was a safer alternative to alcohol.

[Thanks to the Marijuana Policy Project for the tip.]