cannabisnews.com: Pot Proposal’s Author Pushes for Reform





Pot Proposal’s Author Pushes for Reform
Posted by CN Staff on February 10, 2003 at 11:52:32 PT
By Sana Syed
Source: Columbia Missourian 
To Anthony Johnson, marijuana penalties are an issue of fairness. Johnson, a 25-year-old law student at MU, is the man behind the proposed marijuana ordinance on the April 8 ballot. “This issue isn’t about potheads,” Johnson said. “It’s about what’s a better policy for the community and about being passionate about Columbia.”
Johnson’s group, the Columbia Alliance for Patients and Education, began a petition in August proposing an ordinance that would allow ill residents to possess as much as 35 grams of marijuana with a physician’s approval. The ordinance would also lessen the penalty for marijuana possession to a $25 fine on the first offense. Johnson has had an interest in marijuana legislation since his freshman year at MU, when he saw students arrested and hassled for smoking marijuana in a residence hall.He decided to take action after reading an article in the Nov. 8, 2001, issue of Vox magazine. The article showed how the Higher Education Act denies financial aid to students with a state or federal drug conviction.The proposed ordinance would make minor possession of marijuana a misdemeanor offense, which would not endanger financial aid eligibility.“We don’t take away financial aid for illegal activities such as speeding, rape and even murder,” Johnson said. “It doesn’t make sense to take away education opportunities from a younger person.”Because of the stigma associated with marijuana, Johnson is concerned about being taken seriously. He is almost always seen in a suit.“Because of the media, I’ve got to sport the tie,” he said. “I don’t want to be stereotyped. The coalition of this issue is definitely not a bunch of hippies.”Johnson’s mother, Tongyam Johnson, said she is proud of her son’s activism, which she learned about after someone at her dentist’s office mentioned seeing her son on the news.“People probably think he’s smoking and all, but he’s not that kind of a person,” she said. “He just believes in what he believes in. I don’t question him because I trust him.” Johnson’s interest in politics began when he was young and led him to become president of the student government at his high school in Lexington, Mo. He followed that interest by majoring in political science at MU instead of playing college football elsewhere.Johnson is the president of MU’s American Civil Liberties Union chapter and has helped defend Joseph Amrine, who, after three inmates testified against him, was sentenced to death row for murder. Those inmates later said they had lied on the stand.Johnson and others began a clemency petition that gave them the opportunity to ask the state Supreme Court for a new trial.“He’s going into law for all the right reasons, because he wants to improve society,” said Scott Wilson of the Hines Law Firm, where Johnson works. “It’s refreshing to see a young person who is dedicated to shining the light on places it has been shut out.”Johnson said that although he has always had an interest in public policy, he was too timid to take any action before law school.“Lawyers are looked up to and respected in the community,” he said. “It gave me the chance to work my views and not be seen as a dumb and naive kid.”As a law student, Johnson admits to being a serious person. But he said people would also describe him as intelligent and funny. His passion for issues such as civil rights, the death penalty and marijuana laws are even reflected in his choices of music. In addition to Phish and Eminem, he also listens to Michael Franti, a musician with an R&B feel who rails against the death penalty and marijuana laws throughout his album.It was a long road to getting the ordinance proposal on the ballot. For nine months, Johnson researched similar initiatives in Michigan, California and Wisconsin.The proposed ordinance includes penalties similar to the one adopted in Ann Arbor, Mich. He combined that with medical laws in California in writing the proposed ordinance.Johnson sought legal guidance from Dan Viets, a Columbia lawyer and active member of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.“We both had an interest in this issue,” Viets said. “I told him it would be a great idea. He did the hard work, and he did a lot of research.”Despite opinion that combining the medicinal marijuana provision with a new set of penalties for possession makes the proposal less likely to pass, Johnson believes he made the right decision.“I definitely wanted to do it as one thing because both issues are important, and separating them would require a lot more work,” Johnson said. “I personally do not feel that it is a direct contradiction to state law. It is not legalizing marijuana because they (police) can still issue tickets, and patients must demonstrate physician approval.”He also networked with people from the Libertarian and Green parties as well as groups including NORML and Students for a Sensible Drug Policy.When school started in August, the organizations circulated their petition on campus and downtown. By December, enough signatures had been gathered for the proposal to be certified, and the City Council voted Jan. 23 to put the ordinance on the April 8 ballot.As the vote nears, Johnson expects the results to be close, and he said student turnout is essential for it to pass.“Students complain about how one person can’t make a difference,” he said. “This is the chance for students to be heard. I hope that people realize one person or group of people can create change or make a difference.“Even if the initiative fails on the ballot, it won’t be the last you hear of me.” Source: Columbia Missourian (MO)Author: Sana SyedPublished: February 10, 2003 Copyright: 2003 Columbia MissourianContact: editor digmo.com Website: http://www.digmo.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:SSDPhttp://www.ssdp.org/ NORML http://www.norml.org/Proposal To Ease Marijuana Penalties On Ballothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15273.shtmlCouncil Sets Pot Revision for Electionhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15253.shtmlCity Council To Vote on Pot-Possession Penaltieshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15227.shtml
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