A study released Tuesday by the University of Colorado Denver indicates that the legalization of medical marijuana reduces alcohol consumption and, as a result, alcohol-related traffic deaths without a corresponding increase in deaths caused by stoned drivers.

The study, hailed as “groundbreaking” by the University, is the first to examine the effect of legalizing medical marijuana on the prevalence of traffic fatalities. Researchers analyzed traffic fatalities nationwide, and in those states that have legalized medical marijuana they found that alcohol consumption went down among those 20 to 29 years old, resulting in fewer deaths on the road...

“Every objective study on marijuana has concluded that it is far safer than alcohol for the user and society,” said Mason Tvert, executive director of Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) and coauthor of the book, Marijuana is Safer: So why are we driving people to drink? (Chelsea Green, 2009). “It should come as little surprise that when we allow adults to make the safer choice to use marijuana it results in less drinking and fewer alcohol-related problems,” he said in a press release.

Read the entire story at: http://coloradoindependent.com/106742/cu-study-medical-marijuana-saves-lives

CUSG will vote to support CU administration's efforts to move smokeout

The University of Colorado Student Government plans to present a resolution to its Legislative Council Thursday night supporting moving the annual 4/20 marijuana smokeout off CU's campus, according to the meeting agenda released Wednesday...

Read the entire story at: http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_19441050

A study released this week has found legalizing medical marijuana has resulted in a nearly 9% decline in traffic deaths and a 5% reduction in beer sales in states that allow it. The study is the first ever to examine the relationship between medical marijuana and traffic fatalities.

The study, Medical Marijuana Laws, Traffic Fatalities, and Alcohol Consumption, could be an important intervention in ongoing debates over medical marijuana and marijuana legalization, reformers said. Opponents of loosened marijuana laws use concerns over drugged driving and possible traffic fatalities as one of their most effective arguments against liberalization, and this study could lessen the effectiveness of that argument...

Marijuana reform advocates who have studiously compared alcohol and marijuana liked what they heard.

"Every objective study on marijuana has concluded that it is far safer than alcohol for the user and society," said Mason Tvert, executive director of Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) and coauthor of the book, Marijuana is Safer: So why are we driving people to drink? "It should come as little surprise that when we allow adults to make the safer choice to use marijuana it results in less drinking and fewer alcohol-related problems."

Tvert coordinated the successful ballot initiatives in Denver that made it the first city in the nation to remove all penalties for adult possession (2005), and designated possession as its lowest law enforcement priority (2007).  He is currently one of two formal proponents of a 2012 statewide initiative campaign to make marijuana legal in Colorado and regulate it like alcohol... 

Read the entire story at: http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2011/nov/30/new_study_finds_traffic_fataliti

The subject of driving under the influence of marijuana has been much debated in these parts. A bill to set a THC driving limit was shelved in May, shortly before an HDNet report demonstrated pot-related driving impairment -- and in August, the Colorado Department of Transportation launched a drugged-driving campaign. Now, however, a new study suggests that traffic fatalities go down in states where medical marijuana is legal.

The paper, co-authored by University of Colorado Denver Professor Daniel Rees and Montana State University Assistant Professor D. Mark Anderson, looked at traffic fatalities nationwide between 1990 and 2009 -- and in the thirteen states that had legalized medical marijuana during that period, alcohol consumption for those between the ages of twenty and 29 declined, as did the number of highway deaths...

No surprise that this info has been embraced by Mason Tvert, whose organization, Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Entertainment (SAFER), has long held that alcohol is riskier than marijuana.

"We've been making the argument for years here in Colorado that allowing people to use marijuana is a safer alternative to alcohol, and that it would reduce alcohol-related problems," Tvert says. "This study is simply more evidence of that."

Tvert adds that the study's conclusion will likely arise during the campaign for the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act of 2012, for which he's a high-profile proponent. In his words, "The subject of DUID" -- driving under the influence of drugs -- "will be brought up, in all likelihood, and we expect this information to be part of that debate, part of the discussion..."

Read the entire story at: http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2011/11/medical_marijuana_laws_fewer_traffic_deaths.php

States that have passed initiatives to legalize medical marijuana have also seen a decline in traffic fatalities, according to a new study out this week by the Institute for the Study of Labor...

But far from marijuana acting as a “gateway” to more dangerous drugs, as authorities often claim, researchers found that it’s more commonly used as a substitute for alcohol, which is often more harmful and inebriating than marijuana...

A further analysis of data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, spanning from 1990 to 2009, revealed that states which legalized medical marijuana saw a decline in alcohol consumption. A decline in traffic fatalities was a direct side effect of that...

“Every objective study on marijuana has concluded that it is far safer than alcohol for the user and society,” explained Mason Tvert, director of SAFER, a group which advocates for legalization in Colorado. “It should come as little surprise that when we allow adults to make the safer choice to use marijuana it results in less drinking and fewer alcohol-related problems..."

Read the entire story at: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/11/29/study-legalizing-medical-marijuana-reduces-traffic-fatalities/

A leading activist pushing for legal adult use of marijuana in Colorado urged UCF students to discuss the legalization issue with larger audiences.

The executive director of Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation, Mason Tvert, spoke to UCF students Thursday evening in the Student Union about focusing on dialogue to convince greater numbers of people of the plant's harmlessness, especially when compared to substances like alcohol.

"We need to start addressing why they think [marijuana] is such a bad thing. In order to do that we need to start fostering conversations with people. And that's really a big part of what our organization has done and a big part of what we're going to be doing with the legalization initiative campaign in Colorado."

Tvert told of his experience garnering attention and support for legal adult use in Colorado to demonstrate to the audience of about 50 people that successfully legalizing marijuana may be as simple as getting people to talk about the issue publicly. Tvert referred to SAFER's loss in 2000 to pass legal adult use – regulated and taxed like alcohol – as a way of showing how success could be redefined.

"We ended up with 41 percent...And although we lost, we really accomplished our goal because now, not only do we get people talking about this, we got all this stuff going on...We had newspapers endorsing this...Officials were asked about it because we got on the ballot."

Tvert emphasized that by using SAFER's argument that marijuana is a safe alternative to alcohol, students nationwide can pressure administrators to change existing policies that use harsher penalties for students caught using marijuana in dorms than those caught drinking in them.

"We worked with students to get in the face of administrators, saying 'you're killing students by making them feel like they need to drink instead of using marijuana.' It was very different for administrators and for government officials and cops to be getting attacked for making people less safe by keeping marijuana illegal. Now, all of a sudden they're on the defensive."

The audience, mostly UCF students and supporters of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, applauded Tvert when he mentioned that instead of "getting together all the time and just agree[ing] with each other, students have "got to get out and fight with people."

Aerospace engineering freshman Cameron Sackrider, agreed with Tvert that public discussion with opponents of legalization will decide the success of changing disciplinary policies toward students using marijuana in dorms.

"We have a bigger force in [NORML] now. I think if we have more people behind it, it might have more chance of getting through to the higher powers and leaving a greater impression this time. More people will talk to more people. Get the word out. Spread the message."

Sackrider added that the medical marijuana bill passed in Colorado will play a large role in warming outsiders to the debate.

"They had 60 to 70 percent voting rate for 'yes' for legalization for the medical. It's pretty much there. It's just a matter of time."

Senior digital media student Max Clausen, said that SAFER's focus on marijuana's safety compared to that of alcohol, rather than focus on the medical marijuana angle, can change the legalization debate for the better. Portraying marijuana in a positive light, Clausen said, is still the most important element of the pro-legalization side of the discussion.

"We have to make it so that even the older generation can see that we're serious about it. It's not just a bunch of stoners...A lot of people are still disgusted especially about medical marijuana. I know people who would scoff at the idea, but they're completely okay if someone just says 'okay, we're going to legalize it.' 'Fine, but don't pretend that it's medicine.' That's where they always turn to."