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a pro-pot group friday rejected domestic violence advocates' demands to stop the monday debut of three denver billboards showing a battered woman and urging voters to reduce violence by passing a marijuana legalization measure.
the billboards show a downcast woman with a black eye, her abuser lurking behind her, and the slogan: "reduce family and community violence in denver. vote yes on i-100." nowhere is there a mention that initiative 100's passage would amend denver law to make it legal for adults to possess 1 ounce or less of marijuana.
women's advocates said the "disgraceful and appalling" ads mislead voters and ignores the root causes of domestic violence.
"it really is trying to sell the issue of marijuana on the backs of the victims of domestic violence, when the two really having nothing to do with each other," said ellen stein wallace, executive director of safehouse denver, which runs a women's shelter and a counseling center. "i have not seen any research to show that marijuana use decreases domestic violence."
supporters of i-100, known as the alcohol-marijuana equalization initiative, maintain that if adults are allowed the alternative of smoking pot it might reduce drinking, which they say causes more violence.
"a 2001 report by the denver domestic violence fatality review committee found that 50 percent of domestic violence cases in the city involved alcohol and alcohol was involved in the predominant number of fatal cases," said mason tvert, head of the yes-on-100 group, safer alternative for enjoyable recreation (safer).
the founder of the massachusetts marijuana-reform group that independently paid less than $10,000 for the billboards, rejected calls to halt the ads.
"that's the most ridiculous thing i've heard," said joe white of change the climate. "we're the ones who are trying to raise consciousness (about domestic violence). we're (anti-violence groups) allies in this issue. i don't understand why they're targeting us."
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