Backers of Initiated Ordinance 300 (I-300), a City and County of Denver measure on the Nov. 8 general election ballot that would allow marijuana consumption in some private establishments, unveiled a billboard Monday to promote voter approval of the measure.

The billboard, located at 489 Lincoln St., reads “Now that adult use is legal… Permit it in some private places. Prevent it in these public spaces.” An arrow points to an image of a lounge, where the initiative would allow marijuana consumption; another arrow points down to the sidewalk, where consumption would remain illegal.

I-300 would permit certain private establishments to allow adult marijuana consumption in designated areas, under city restrictions and guidelines. The city will only issue permits to establishments that have received formal support from their officially recognized neighborhood organization or business-improvement district. A full description of I-300 is available on the campaign’s website.

Backers of I-300 claim it would cut public marijuana consumption by providing adults with private places where they can legally consume marijuana. Currently, visitors are prohibited from consuming in most Denver hotels, and many residents are unable to consume in their homes because it is prohibited by their landlord or homeowners association. Other adults would simply prefer to consume at private establishments while socializing with other adults.

“There are a lot of parents in Denver who enjoy marijuana, but prefer not to consume it around their children,” said Melissa Vitale, a Denver accountant and mother of two children who took part in a news conference at the base of the billboard. “Plenty of adults line up babysitters so they can go out to unwind and socialize over cocktails once in a while. My husband and I would like to do the same thing, but with cannabis.”

Protect Denver’s Atmosphere: Vote No on 300 Committee filed last week with the Denver Elections Board to oppose the Denver initiative. Campaign manager Rachel O’Bryan, after viewing a photo of the billboard, asked “what’s private about a rooftop in LoDo or a patio on Colfax?”

“What they’re trying to do is redefine what’s private when restaurants and bars are not private,” she added.

O’Bryan noted Amendment 69, the 2012 voter-approved state constitutional amendment, allowed adults to buy and use small amounts of marijuana in private.

“Now, four years later, they’re trying to pass a local law to reverse the intent and protections in the state constitution,” she said.

For backers, though, passing I-300 could help protect children from being exposed to marijuana.

“I can prevent my kids from being exposed to marijuana at home, but not when they’re out and about,” Vitale said. “When adults do not have places to consume cannabis, some resort to doing it in public where my children might encounter it. If they were able to consume it inside adults-only establishments, I know my kids would never see it.”

The Democratic Party of Denver, State Sen. Irene Aguilar (D-Denver) and State Rep. Jonathan Singer (D-Longmont) endorsed the initiative earlier this month, according to supporters, joining more than 100 local businesses and organizations encouraging Denver residents to vote yes on 300.

O’Bryan noted the Denver chapter of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, spoke against I-300 at a Denver City Council committee meeting last week. The Denver chapter had sought to place a measure on the ballot that would legalize marijuana clubs and special events in the city. However, they failed to gather enough valid voter signatures.

O’Bryan’s group is supported in its efforts to oppose I-300 by the Mile High Chapter of the Colorado Restaurant Association, Smart Colorado, American Lung Association in Colorado, Group to Alleviate Smoking Pollution (GASP) of Colorado and DUID (driving under the influence of drugs) Victim Voices.