cannabisnews.com: Voters To Decide on Measure to Soften MJ Penalties





Voters To Decide on Measure to Soften MJ Penalties
Posted by CN Staff on January 28, 2003 at 21:57:16 PT
By Scott Charton, Associated Press Writer
Source: Associated Press
Voters in this college town will go to the polls in April to decide a ballot measure that would legalize medical marijuana and greatly reduce penalties for possession of small quantities of the drug. Under Proposition 1, doctor-prescribed marijuana use would be legal in Columbia and other possession cases involving 35 grams or less of pot would be handled in city, rather than state, court. Offenders could be punished with misdemeanor-level fines starting at $25, but no jail time. 
The ballot issue represents a new approach to the old battle to decriminalize pot, said Keith Stroup, executive director of the Washington-based National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. "This is the first example I've seen where they're joined medical marijuana with arguments about penalizing college students," Stroup said Friday. "It's a very smart idea to combine these and let the people vote on not scarring any of these folks with arrest records." Supporters of the proposal hope to propel it into the law books on April 8 by simultaneously appealing to the seriously ill, senior citizens, college students and baby boomers who sneak joints on weekends. "This isn't just about potheads," says University of Missouri law student Anthony Lee Johnson, the proposal's author. Johnson and his allies gathered the required 1,191 signatures of registered voters to get the proposal before the Columbia City Council. The council last week decided to place the proposal on the ballot. Medical use of marijuana is legal in nine states, but not Missouri. Columbia Police Chief Randy Boehm strongly opposes the change, insisting that law enforcement needs to keep its discretion about whether to prosecute marijuana cases in city or state courts. "For example, if it's not a first offense, that should be dealt with in state court," he said. "What if there are additional charges from the same incident? That should be handled by one state prosecutor." He noted that Proposition 1 imposes a maximum $500 fine for the fourth and subsequent offenses, but no risk of going to jail. "We try to send the message that substance abuse is not a good thing and this undermines that," Boehm said. Boehm and other critics also say local governments cannot enact laws that are less stringent than state law. Complete Title: Columbia, Mo., Voters To Decide on Measure to Soften Marijuana Penalties, Legalize Medical UseSource: Associated Press Author: Scott Charton, Associated Press Writer Published: Tuesday, January 28, 2003 Copyright: 2003 Associated Press Related Articles & Web Site:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/Hashing Out Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15290.shtmlProposal To Ease Marijuana Penalties On Ballothttp/cannabisnews.com/news/thread15273.shtmlCity Council To Vote on Pot-Possession Penaltieshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15227.shtml Groups Hope Petition Helps Soften Pot Policieshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14445.shtml 
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