Colorado marijuana activists, undaunted by California`s failure to legalize the drug, are launching two separate campaigns to legalize pot for adults in 2012, the Associated Press reports. The groups announced their intentions even as voters in more than two dozen Colorado municipalities decided Tuesday to ban medical marijuana centers. Advocates who want to legalize the drug see hope in Colorado, one of 14 states where medical marijuana is legal, and where Denver voters approved an ordinance making pot possession the “lowest law enforcement priority.”
“Colorado is ready,” said Mason Tvert, the head of Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation, which was behind the Denver ordinance. Laura Kriho, outreach coordinator for the Cannabis Therapy Institute, the other group launching a campaign Wednesday called Legalize2012.com, said they wanted to make their announcement Wednesday to time it with whatever result came out of California. Residents there rejected the legalization effort by a vote of 54 to 46 percent. Kriho said her group wants to start its campaign now even though it won`t be until early 2012 that they begin collecting signatures to put the question to voters later that year. Colorado is considered one of the easiest — and most inexpensive states — for groups to put ballot questions to voters. Groups need only 76,047 signatures from the state`s 3.2 million registered voters to propose a ballot question, and all the signatures can come from one geographic area.