cannabisnews.com: Mayor: Police Causing Hassle





Mayor: Police Causing Hassle
Posted by FoM on December 11, 2001 at 21:17:28 PT
By The Associated Press
Source: Standard Examiner
The mayor-elect of Big Water is accusing police of harassing drivers as retribution for a town ordinance that decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana. State and local police deny the claim, saying they were only doing a "special enforcement" effort that was planned weeks ago.Under an ordinance adopted in Big Water in November, anyone found possessing less than an ounce of marijuana or drug paraphernalia may make a plea agreement that allows the case to be dropped if the defendant abides by some plea conditions.
They will also be fined $10 or less for possession of marijuana, or $5 or less for drug paraphernalia.Mayor-elect Willie Marshall says Utah Highway Patrol officers and Kane County sheriff"s deputies began a driving cracking down Wednesday as revenge for the ordinance. Police stopped drivers for minor violations just outside the southern Utah town."They"re ticketing everyone for everything," Marshall said. "It"s very clear that this is retaliation and harassment for the passing of the (marijuana) ordinance. It"s very scary."He said drivers were being ticketed for cracked windshields, not wearing seat belts and driving with Arizona plates. Big Water, a town of 400 residents, is located 260 miles south of Salt Lake City near the Arizona border.The town is a mixture of polygamists and non-polygamists. It was incorporated in 1983, and had what was believed to be the country"s first Libertarian Party town government.Marshall says a UHP officer asked town employees for a copy of the ordinance after it passed two weeks ago, then warned them that "all hell was going to break loose" because of the statute.Kane County Attorney Eric Lind said the ordinance does not comply with the state"s marijuana law, which makes possessing less than an ounce of marijuana or drug paraphernalia a class B misdemeanor punishable by a fine and up to 6 months in jail.Lind says he is not eager for a long battle over the marijuana ordinance."I don"t want a big legal fight," he said. "I intend to work with the Attorney General"s Office to make sure this is repealed, but I hope we can work it out with Big Water in a friendly way."Marshall says Wednesday"s events will make that more difficult.Marshall called the Utah branch of the American Civil Liberties Union after Wednesday"s crackdown.Utah Highway Patrol Col. Earl Morris blamed any misunderstanding on a "casual conversation" between a trooper and a Big Water resident.UHP conducts special enforcements throughout the state - such as last month"s crackdown on speeders on Interstate 15 in Salt Lake County - where troopers focus on a geographic area and look for violators."We have targeted many areas around the state. Big Water got it for a day (Wednesday)," Morris said. "They can expect we will be down there again."Source: Standard-Examiner (UT)Published: Saturday, December 8, 2001 Copyright: 2001 Ogden Publishing CorporationContact: letters standard.netWebsite: http://www.standard.net/Related Articles:Towns Lenient New Pot Law May Go Up in Smoke http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11459.shtmlBusted Tourist Vows To Fight Drug Chargeshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11405.shtml
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Comment #2 posted by i420 on December 12, 2001 at 04:46:27 PT
Sic em Rover...
Marshall says a UHP officer asked town employees for a copy of the ordinance after it passed two weeks ago, then warned them that "all hell was going to break loose" because of the statute. 
Ya well the only bright spot in that cess pool u call Utah is Big Water. I hope all hell does break looose.... never know where the **** is gonna land when it hits the fan.... sic em ACLU 
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Comment #1 posted by MikeEEEEE on December 11, 2001 at 21:53:23 PT
Taking Orders
The mayor-elect of Big Water is accusing police of harassing drivers as retribution for a town ordinance that decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana. The robots must be educated.
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