DENVER — A pro-marijuana group is withdrawing its ballot measure to allow pot in Denver bars and plans to work instead with the city council and the business community on devising a law on social use in commercial establishments.
Mason Tvert, who led the successful 2012 campaign permitting recreational marijuana use for adults, said in a press release Thursday that his latest group, the Campaign for Limited Social Cannabis Use, had submitted more than twice the number of signatures required for the November ballot.
His announcement came shortly before the Denver City Clerk was expected to certify the signatures Friday.
“We believe in the language we put forward and that adults who consume cannabis deserve the same freedoms to congregate and socialize as those who consume alcohol,” Mr. Tvert said. “We were persuaded, however, by members of the political and business communities, who requested participation in this process. We look forward to working with them to find a solution amenable to all parties.”
The initiative would have given bars, restaurants and other establishments the option of allowing vaping and edibles in areas restricted to those 21 and older, and outdoor pot smoking at least 25 feet away from public property and shielded from public view.
Colorado’s groundbreaking law ushering in recreational marijuana use for adults 21 and over bans the use of pot “openly and publicly.”
Denver city councilman Albus Brooks said in a statement that the group’s decision “ensures we now have the time and ability to include interested stakeholders to reach consensus on this important issue. I am committed to working on a broadly acceptable solution.”
Others involved in the discussions include the Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association, the Metro Denver Lodging Council, the Colorado Restaurant Association, and the Downtown Denver Partnership.
“We appreciate the willingness of the proponents of the Limited Social Cannabis Use initiative to withdraw their measure so we have the opportunity to work collaboratively on this matter,” said the lodging organizations in a joint statement.
Mr. Tvert warned that he would return to the ballot in 2016 if the effort fails to produce an agreement “favorable to all parties.” Such a measure would be widely expected to pass in liberal Denver.
Colorado’s groundbreaking pot law allows recreational marijuana use for adults 21 and over, but not in public.
“If we reach a stalemate, and we hope we won’t, we will have the option of placing a new measure on the ballot in 2016, when the electorate will be more favorable for our cause,” Mr. Tvert said.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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