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Briefs: SAFER Protest At UCCS

10/26/2009 Colorado Springs Independent, The UCCS theme: Pot power! Members of a University of Colorado at Colorado Springs group known as Students for Sensible Drug Policy, along with the Denver-based group Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER), held a news conference Tuesday to protest their exclusion from a school health fair. They wanted to present information showing marijuana is safer than alcohol — because it lacks alcohol's association with overdose deaths, violent crime and heavy addiction — but they were turned down. The students claim it's irresponsible for schools like UCCS to promote 'responsible drinking,' even to underage students, while ignoring a healthier alternative. 'This event was just one in a string of events ... across the country,' says Mason Tvert, SAFER executive director. A new Gallup Poll says 44 percent of Americans — a record high (no pun intended) — want to legalize pot. Also, the Obama administration recently announced it would not seek to arrest users and suppliers of medical marijuana as long as they comply with state laws. In response, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers says he thinks Colorado lawmakers ought to regulate pot dispensaries, prompting outrage from marijuana patients and supporters. Tvert says Suthers should focus on more pressing problems, such as deaths from recreational prescription drug abuse. — JAS