Denver Daily News: Pot group: can Coors
By Peter Marcus
A group that is calling for the Denver Police Department to make marijuana its lowest enforcement priority yesterday called for the City Council to hold a public hearing concerning a bill that would renew the city’s partnership with Coors Brewing Company.
Citizens for a Safer Denver claim that the partnership “sends the wrong message to children” who attend entertainment events at the city’s theaters and arenas where Coors would be awarded a sponsorship contract. The Colorado Convention Center is excluded in that partnership.
“Once and for all, the Council needs to explain why it is necessary to punish adults for using marijuana in order to send the right message to children, yet somehow it’s no problem to have our city officially partner with an alcohol company to promote alcohol use to all who attend these events, including children,” said Mason Tvert, executive director of Citizens for a Safer Denver. Tvert said he is concerned that the Denver Coliseum will be hosting the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus next month where many children will be in attendance.
Bashing Safer Denver
Tvert’s concerns come just one week after City Council members each took turns bashing Citizens for a Safer Denver’s ballot initiative to make marijuana the city’s lowest law enforcement priority. The City Council unanimously agreed that the measure either sends the wrong message to the community or will be unenforceable. Voters will decide on the measure this November.
City Council President Michael Hancock has continuously maintained that marijuana is a dangerous drug and acts as a gateway to children for using other more harmful drugs.
Corporate sponsorship
Despite Tvert’s claims that alcohol is much more dangerous than marijuana, Hancock said the city’s partnership with Coors is more about corporate sponsorship than whether alcohol is more dangerous than pot.
“We are doing a partnership with viable and strong corporate citizens who are helping the public by providing the necessary financial support for such amenities as entertainment,” Hancock said. “It’s not that we’re promoting the alcohol as much as we’re promoting the lesser burden on the taxpayer by receiving financial resources.”
Hancock added that a public hearing is not out of the question, but no one on the City Council had called for one as of yesterday.
A spokeswoman for Coors declined to comment on the issue yesterday.
Tvert said Hancock is being hypocritical by choosing to support Coors because the partnership makes financial sense for the city.
“So, I guess Hancock supports pushing alcohol on children because it is profitable, and alcohol companies — not our government — should combat youth drinking,” Tvert said.
Decision next Monday
The City Council will give final consideration to the partnership with Coors at its weekly legislative meeting next Monday. If there is to be a public hearing on the matter, it would need to be at next week’s meeting.