Another group for Pueblo marijuana industry prohibition emerges

The group, Safer Pueblo, has ties to Citizens for a Healthy Pueblo

The mystery behind some Proposition 200 campaign fliers that have appeared around Pueblo is becoming a little clearer, but muddying the information regarding where the money is coming from.

Growing Pueblo’s Future — opposed to the proposition to prohibit the marijuana industry in Pueblo — filed a complaint with the Secretary of State’s office Wednesday accusing the question’s author group Citizens for a Healthy Pueblo of failing to include a ‘paid for by’ statement on distributed literature that is pro-marijuana.

Jim Parco, co-owner of Mesa Organics, filed the complaint, but Citizens for a Healthy Pueblo says the group was not behind the fliers that lacked any ‘paid by’ line, which is required for issue committees by state law.

Then, Wednesday night another flier emerged at the forum the GPF hosted at CSU-Pueblo. This one disclosed it was paid for by Safer Pueblo. But that group, according to the Colorado SOS, does not exist as an issue committee. The Secretary of State shows that Safer Pueblo is a non-profit, which was formed in December 2015. Their registered agent is The Corporation Company, out of Centennial.

In some of the documents associated with Safer Pueblo, Keith Swerdfeger is shown as being a major player with the non-profit. Swerdfeger has come out as supportive of the prohibition ballot questions. He has not returned phone calls from PULP.

The initial campaign complaint is still under review by the state — it’s the second against Citizens for a Healthy Pueblo this election.