Marijuana.com

Lothar121

Pot Bill Lights Up Debate
Emelie Rutherford | MetroWest Daily News | 02/15/06

BOSTON -- As advocates for substance abusers applaud legislation to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, some crime watchdogs are slamming the measure they said would send a mixed message on drug use.

A legislative committee advanced a bill on Monday that would make possession of less than one ounce of marijuana a civil offense with a $250 fine for a first offense, instead of a criminal infraction that could land a first-time offender in jail for six months with a $500 fine.

Supporters said the bill that has languished in the Legislature in past sessions may have fared better this time because it was weighed by the Legislature’s new joint Mental Health and Substance Abuse Committee.

"I think as a committee we really do have a perspective of focusing on education, prevention and treatment, and that’s different than the criminal justice tough-on-crime approach," said the committee’s House chairwoman, state Rep. Ruth Balser, D-Newton.

Supporters said decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana would prevent offenders from having difficulty securing federal student loans, jobs and housing because of criminal records.

A 2002 report by a Boston University economist estimates marijuana possession arrests and bookings cost the state $24.3 million a year. Balser said some of that money could be better spent on substance abuse treatment.

"There’s way too many people with substance abuse problems in jail and in the criminal justice system," said James Cuddy, executive director of Framingham social service agency SMOC, who applauded the legislation.

The bill still would have to clear several hurdles to become law -- approval first by the Senate, then the House and Gov. Mitt Romney, and Romney’s office has signaled he may oppose it.

Spokeswomen for Senate President Robert Travaglini and House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi could not confirm the legislative leaders’ stances on the bill yesterday.

Framingham Police Chief Steven Carl said the bill would "unnecessarily endanger the public in the big picture."

"On a daily basis, we deal with the issue of alcohol and driving when intoxicated...and now we’re going to say it’s easier to use marijuana?" Carl said.

Carl said judges are the appropriate caretakers to determine how to punish marijuana offenders. Many first-time offenders, he said, have their cases continued without findings.

Milford Police Chief Thomas O’Loughlin said the bill would send a mixed message to young adults.

"If the age is 18, are we sending messages to kids that are different, (that) you can’t have that can of beer but you can have five or six joints in your pocket, that’s OK?" O’Loughlin said.

He questioned how the bill would be enforced, saying many of the offenders would not end up paying the civil fines.

State Rep. Karyn Polito, R-Shrewsbury, a member of the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Committee, said the bill "sends the wrong message."

"I think it’s a very narrow group of people that want the passage of this law," said Polito, who was not present for the committee’s 6-1 vote.

Fellow committee member Richard Ross, R-Wrentham, said he dropped his initial opposition to the bill.

"The more I heard about how even a small infraction follows someone for the rest of their lives, and (marijuana) has become such a prevalent use in society, it seemed like an unfair tag to stick on somebody," Ross said.

Eleven other states have decriminalized possession of marijuana to some extent, according to Whitney Taylor, the executive director of the Drug Policy Forum of Massachusetts.

__________________

Donate. Write. Make a difference..
Libertyindex | Posting Guidelines | Marijuana Policy Project | NORML | DPA | Drug WarRant | Media Awareness Project

 

vladimir

not to mention that you can legally kill yourself with cigarettes and go to war...
but the pot, now that would be bad.

__________________
If a drug (or technique or process) were ever to be discovered which would consistently produce a plus four experience in all human beings, it is conceivable that it would signal the ultimate evolution, and perhaps the end of, the human experiment.

dedbr

(Dedbr wipes a finger in the air...)

Another one for our side, baby! I can remember when you wouldn't of even seen a comment like this in the new's.

(Dedbr raises the Ohio Department for Legalization flag...)

I think I can see the light, Lord, I really think I can....

( Dedbr goes into the clown dance in front of the bunker.... )

Have a balloon, Mr. Ross. With clown love from all of us....

Deddy

__________________
"We have met the enemy, and he is us" .......... Pogo (for Prez...)

Remember to check out our most wonderful Posting Guidelines!

Buzzby

After reading the first clause of the first sentence of this article I didn't bother to read the rest. The author's prejudices stand out like a sore thumb. When a person doesn't comprehend that you can use marijuana without being a "substance abuser" you know that whatever else she writes is complete bullsh*t.

__________________

PotShot

Yeah! Why not? We can only hope that some people would then choose to use pot instead of alcohol. Alcohol is legal, and yet society hasn't unravled just because some people choose to abuse alcohol.




You should take a second look at the article Buzz.... that little gem there was priceless.

That is the most important case for cannabis decrim. While it may be far more flawed then legalization, it is a step forward that I am happy to say Ohio had made long ago.

What kind of ridiculous argument is that?

__________________
Posting Guidelines

Carl Sagan Goodness Richard Dawkins Goodness

 

Jibber420

Yeah i noticed that too, buzzby. It's too bad the media can't be neutral and report truthful facts from both sides to let the reader make his/her own opinion. Maybe then people would even start to question the prohibitionists stand point and do some research on their own to further their knowledge on the subject. Then maybe people would realize the war on drugs is a waste of money and resources.

__________________
God gave us this wonderful plant to enjoy, so dammit...thats what i'm gonna do!


Let the plant grow! Throw seeds where ever you go!

Cassius

Yeah, no kidding. I guess we just start jailing people for traffic violations too, since many of them "might not pay the civil fines".

You have a cop, he hands you a summons to pay the fine or appear in court. If you don't, a warrant is put out for your arrest, and THEN you go to jail. How complicated is he making it out to be?

__________________

{ Cassius, Your Humble Narrator }
{ Posting Guidelines | Erowid Drug Information Resource | instantfilehosting.com }

Dave

18 = legal adult, so what wrong message is being sent to the children????

Chron

HaHaHa!

Exactly.

"What about the children, the children, the children!!"

*Yawns*

johnnyd

OH YES. THE CHILDREN. GOD HELP THEM ALL FROM THE PANDEMIC OF POT!!