Marijuana legalization rally advocates personal freedom

FORT COLLINS -- Marijuana legalization advocates say their fight is about more than smoking pot.

"All we want is to be equal," said Mason Tvert, campaign director of Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation. "We want to see marijuana starting to be treated like alcohol."

Tvert was one of many pot legalization proponents who attended a rally at the Lory Student Center Theatre at Colorado Sate University Thursday evening. He encouraged students and residents to sign a petition to put the legalization issue on the ballot.

Tvert also said marijuana is less harmful than alcohol.

"It never kills and is never the reason behind abuse," Tvert said. "If adults here would rather use marijuana than alcohol, why on earth would we want to stop them and push them toward drinking?"

The proposed statewide initiative would legalize pot use and possession of less than one ounce for adults older than 21. It would allow cities to decide on the punishment for selling, cultivating and driving under the influence of marijuana.

Travis Nicks, state chairman of the Libertarian Party of Colorado, said individuals do not know the difference between rights and privilege.

"You have a right to put anything in your own body," Nicks said. "The government has taken over our own bodies."

Along with Tvert, Nicks is asking people to get involved and to spread the word on this issue. The legalizing petition needs 68,000 valid signatures to be considered for the next election. According to Tvert, only about 15,000 signatures have been collected.

Nancy York, of the Poudre Valley Green Party, and Brian Vicente, executive director of Sensible Colorado, also attended the rally to support the petition.

"We are going to change this thing," York said. "We can't stop at 68,000."

CSU student Jonah Ricke, 18, said the rally was about more than one issue.

"This is an issue of freedom," Ricke said. "This is about the ability of what you want to do."