Is it heresy to oppose the Colorado medical marijuana initiative?  Are we giving aid and comfort to our opponents by opposing this initiative.  We think not.

The Colorado initiative will endanger patients by limiting them to just 2 ounces for possession or 3 plants for cultivation.  Current Colorado law already allows possession of up to 8 ounces as a misdemeanor.

Activists and patients in Colorado who complained about these limits were told earlier this week by Dave Fratello of AMR that these limits are necessary in order to assure the passage of the initiative and will not be dropped.

We believe the out-of-state backers of the Colorado initiative have concluded that they can do whatever they please and activists will not dare to publicly oppose this initiative. Moreover, we believe the folks who drafted the initiative are dangerously misinformed about the real world needs of medical marijuana patients.

Although most activists would have been happy to endorse the Colorado initiative if they had just dropped the limits clause, the entire initiative is bad medicine.  The "voluntary" photo ID program which this initiative would establish, is a good example of the naive thinking of those who wrote this initiative.  Photo ID may be popular with the police and government officials, but many patients, especially those with AIDS, worry that a photo ID program will allow the government to gain access to their records. Besides, how "voluntary" is such a program if not having an ID will get you arrested?

We reject the efforts of those who want to bring medical marijuana into established, FDA approved, conventional guidelines.  Medical marijuana is not like any other medicine and must be used differently than other medicines.  Private cannabis clubs, not government run clinics is what patients need to receive the maximum benefits of medical marijuana. This initiative will only further marginalize buyer's clubs and the brave souls who run them.

Prop. 215 was a genuine grass roots movement that embraced a wide coalition of support from patients, activists, gays, seniors, business leaders, doctors, nurses, police chiefs, legislators, celebrities and street people. In contrast, the Colorado initiative is a private and secretive affair that is determined to win federal rescheduling by whatever means necessary.

Some of us within the movement have already disagreed, in the strongest terms, with the idea that we need gunslingers to go and challenge key states with a medical marijuana initiatives. Whatever short term gains can be secured by gunslingers, can be undone by other gunslingers.

We view Prop. 215 as a change in political consciousness. The goal is not just to win, but to bring about change in ways that support this new consciousness and includes as many people as possible. Real political change must be based in the broadest coalition of citizens who believe that this is their cause.  No government can defeat us if the people have a personal stake in the debate.

Proposition 215 succeeded because we inspired voters to proclaim that the emperor wears no clothes.  We can prevail without sacrificing our principles or our integrity.  We don't have to resort to the tactics of our opponents.  We can walk the high path and inspire others to join us.  This is the challenge before us.