Pueblo group pushing for ban against recreational weed

An anti-marijuana measure in Pueblo is one step closer to making it on the November ballot.

Citizens for a Healthy Pueblo turned in their petitions to the city and county on June 16 hoping to ban the sale of recreational marijuana in Pueblo.

To place a measure on the ballot, 5,454 signatures are required at the county level.

The county verified more than 8,000 signatures, rejecting a little more than 800.

“We went through and checked each entry just to make sure that the voter was registered in Pueblo County at the address that they put on the petition. The ones that weren’t were rejected,” said Theresa Urenda, elections supervisor for Pueblo County.

The measure will wait for a 30-day protest period to end before being officially placed on the ballot.

Citizens for a Healthy Pueblo also face a lawsuit regarding the number of signatures required for the petition. Under amendment 64, marijuana is to be treated like alcohol, requiring signatures from 15 percent of registered voters.

The signatures currently submitted don’t meet those requirements. The case is set to be ruled on July 11.