cannabisnews.com: West Hollywood Takes Aim at Marijuana Law





West Hollywood Takes Aim at Marijuana Law
Posted by CN Staff on June 22, 2006 at 15:35:38 PT
By Jacob Adelman, Associated Press Writer
Source: Associated Press
West Hollywood, Calif. -- This little city has some big political ideas. It was one of the first cities in the nation to ban indoor smoking in public places and to call for businesses to offer benefits to domestic partners of employees.Now the enclave of coffee shops, bookstores and nightclubs wedged between Hollywood and Beverly Hills has aimed its lance at marijuana law with a nonbinding resolution urging deputies that patrol the city to go easy on pot smokers.
"We didn't declare it legal, but declared the sheriff should spend more time pursuing people that do more serious crimes," said Hernan G. Molina, deputy to Councilman John J. Duran, who sponsored the resolution.The resolution is unlikely to have a major impact on its own. But taken with successful ballot measures in bigger cities like Denver and Seattle that limit punishment for possessing small amounts of marijuana, it reflects what could be a shifting attitude across the country."The municipalities are moving ahead of the feds," said Patrick Murphy, a drug policy expert at the Public Policy Institute of California in San Francisco."We're starting to see some folks that are saying the laws on the books are still on the books, but maybe we're going to treat them a little differently. And maybe that's a precursor to getting them off the books," Murphy said.The West Hollywood City Council on Monday unanimously declared that it's not city policy to target marijuana possession and consumption by adults in their homes. It did, however, urge the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which patrols the city, to keep pursuing dealers, young users and people who smoke pot in public.It was the latest in a series of moves that have put the city ahead of the political curve - and sometimes completely off the chart - since its incorporation in 1984.Known for its gay community, the city of 35,000 people was one of the first in the country to recognize domestic partnerships. It was a leader in supporting medical marijuana use and outlawing the sale of Saturday night specials - the small, cheap handguns that city leaders said contribute to violent crime.One city resolution urged Congress to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays in the military.The marijuana resolution was also meant to send a message."Marijuana should be legalized and regulated," Molina said. "In order for the federal government to get it, smaller communities have to start doing things to send the message upward."On the ground in West Hollywood, residents and authorities said little was likely to change as a result of the resolution.One reason is the city does not directly oversee the Sheriff's Department. Instead, it contracts with the agency rather than fielding its own police department.Another is the resolution won't supersede state and federal drug laws that don't require the arrest of people found with less than an ounce of the drug.Only 139 of the 6,900 drug offenses reported in the area from Jan. 1, 2005 to Jan. 31, 2006 resulted in marijuana citations, said sheriff's Capt. David J. Long, commander of the West Hollywood substation.Most came when deputies found marijuana on suspects in other crimes, he said."It has been a very low priority up to this point," Long said.Pharmacist Kimmy Runse has never seen anyone hassled for pot in the city, even though she has clients who use it as medicine.The City Council passed its resolution as the West Hollywood Civil Liberties Alliance, a marijuana smokers rights group, prepared a ballot measure calling for similar action.Council members wanted to save taxpayers the expense of a ballot measure and also saw an opportunity to take a stand on another big-picture issue."The message is that what you do in private is your own problem," Molina said.Complete Title: Known for Liberal Tilt, West Hollywood Takes Aim at Marijuana LawOn the Net:http://www.weho.org/Source: Associated Press (Wire)Author: Jacob Adelman, Associated Press WriterPublished: Thursday, June 22, 2006Copyright: 2006 Associated Press Related Articles:WeHo 'Decriminalizes' Marijuana Usehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21931.shtmlCalifornia City Lightens Up On Marijuana Users http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21930.shtmlWest Hollywood Wants To Legalize Pot Usehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21925.shtml
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Comment #6 posted by whig on June 24, 2006 at 11:10:39 PT
Toker00
Natural tobacco isn't even particularly addictive, in my experience. It's not always healthy, though. I know it was making my sinuses hurt and that was the major reason I quit. But since I was smoking American Spirit (unadulterated tobacco) it was not hard at all to go cold turkey.
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Comment #5 posted by Toker00 on June 24, 2006 at 05:14:34 PT
afterburner #4
I hadn't thought about that tobacco/cannabis/inside/outside thing, but that is exactly right. Maybe printing hard copies of important articles on the web should be encouraged. I do that constantly. Soon, I will have to get a larger file cabinet. It's a shame, afterburner. If tobacco had been left unadulterated, people could smoke without fear of disease, like the American Indians did. Natural tobacco does not have such an offensive smell as manufactured cigs. Ever notice that? Go to a good smoke shop and the aroma is intoxicating. Then open a pack of smokes and take a smell.I'm afraid now that they have began dissecting cannabis pharmaceutically, they will begin killing people with unnatural combinations of synthetic cannabinoids. Only that way can cannabis become a killer. Raw, whole cannabis is the only way to "prepare" it. Different strains for different pains.Toke. 
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Comment #4 posted by afterburner on June 23, 2006 at 23:18:31 PT
#2 Toker
It's ironic that in many parts of Canada and some parts of the USA, you can be fined for smoking tobacco inside, but outside smoking is encouraged or even demanded. Yet, in many of those same parts, you can be fined or caged for toking cannabis outside, but inside toking is encouraged or even demanded.It's the shame factor. Apparently, tobacco smokers are not considered viable and valuable members of inside society, and cannabis tokers are not considered viable and valuable members of outside society.Ontario even has a website for shaming tobacco smokers [ stupid.ca ]. And Anne MacLellan, once Minister of "Health" has called 'marijuana' 'smokers' "stupid." The search engines have Alzheimer's, they are forgetting many links and sites.
Innoculate yourself: MarijuanaNews.Com [Chronological Index], Freedom has nothing to fear from the truth
http://www.marijuananews.com/marijuananews/cowan/latest_news.htmI had to use CannabisLink.ca [ http://www.cannabislink.ca/ ] to get the following quote:
"The message, whether it's from me, whether it's from the minister of justice, the minister of health, is that marijuana continues to be illegal in this country, and you're pretty stupid, in most cases, if you smoke it," Ms. McLellan said. 
GROW-OPS POSE 'SERIOUS THREAT' TO PUBLIC SAFETY, MINISTER SAYS 
http://www.mapinc.org/newstcl/v04/n1565/a10.html
 Calling All Quacks: The Therapeutic Police State and the Politicization of Med
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Comment #3 posted by Hope on June 23, 2006 at 08:17:43 PT
"Little by Little"
That's the truth! It's been ten years since Prop. 215 was passed out in California. Ten years!What a long, slow, heavy haul. We'll get there, though.
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Comment #2 posted by Toker00 on June 23, 2006 at 04:34:49 PT
Easier is not always better.
"One reason is the city does not directly oversee the Sheriff's Department. Instead, it contracts with the agency rather than fielding its own police department."Out of CONVENIENCE, I'm sure. Ease has become a DIS ease. It's just so much easier to hire people to throw cannabists in jail, than to listen to and debate them about the issue of cannabis prohibition. After all, if you don't hear the trees falling in the woods, they aren't really falling, are they? I'm glad W. Hollywood did this, even though arrests for cannabis possession seemed to already be a low priority. What gets me though, is this: " It did, however, urge the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which patrols the city, to keep pursuing dealers, young users and people who smoke pot in public." Isn't that where MOST marijuana arrests come from? Most homes are invaded because of suspicion of manufacture and distribution, not that someone is smoking peacefully in their homes. Who then, exactly, does this resolution protect? Out of 6,900 drug arrests, how many were black? Of the 139 citations for cannabis, how many were white? The resolution has NO effect on the War on Drugs, that Racist, Fascist DIS ease that is consuming our civil liberties and destroying our trust of government.But don't get me wrong. I'm grateful for any nugget of sanity. Have a good day! :)Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW! 
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Comment #1 posted by mayan on June 22, 2006 at 18:12:55 PT
Little By Little
"Marijuana should be legalized and regulated," Molina said. "In order for the federal government to get it, smaller communities have to start doing things to send the message upward."I would have to agree. It seems that the feds are interested only in terrorizing people, not in helping them. Town by town,city by city,state by state, WE WILL WIN!THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...9/11 ATTACKS: Avoiding the hard questions:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/columnists/robert_steinback/13760721.htmU.S. Congressional Candidate Pursuing 9/11 Truth:
http://www.sendmeabuck.com/Green Candidate Seeks Democrats' Senate Nomination:
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=5061798&nav=menu183_15_19_1'Change' retells terror attacks' history:
http://www.alligator.org/pt2/060622column.phpGATHERING TO DEMAND THE TRUTH ABOUT 9/11:
http://www.911citizenswatch.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=894Flight of Capital: 
http://rigint.blogspot.com/2006/06/flight-of-capital.html9/11 & The Neo-Con Agenda: National Education & Research Conference, Los Angeles - June 24-25: 
http://www.americanscholarssymposium.org/media/press_release_061606.htm
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