cannabisnews.com: Philly To Change Some Marijuana Penalties

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  Philly To Change Some Marijuana Penalties

Posted by CN Staff on April 05, 2010 at 13:25:23 PT
By UPI 
Source: United Press International 

Philadelphia, PA -- People caught with small amounts of marijuana for personal use in Philadelphia soon will face a fine, not a criminal record, officials said.Under the policy effective later in April, people arrested with up to 30 grams (slightly more than an ounce) of marijuana would be charged with a misdemeanor in an effort to clear the courts' crowded dockets, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Monday.
"We have to be smart on crime," said District Attorney Seth Williams. "We can't declare a war on drugs by going after the kid who's smoking a joint on 55th Street. We have to go after the large traffickers."The goal of the change, worked on by Williams and two members of the state Supreme Court, Chief Justice Ronald Castille and Justice Seamus McCaffery, is to clear about 3,000 small-time marijuana cases annually from the docket, the Inquirer said. The diverted cases represent about 5 percent of the criminal court's caseload.Police, who have been briefed on the policy, said they weren't going to change their procedures."We're not going stop locking people up" Lt. Frank Vanore said, noting that marijuana possession still was illegal. "We're going to stop people for it. ... Our officers are trained to do that."What happens beyond that is up to prosecutors, Vanore said."We can't control that," he said. "Until they legalize it, we're not going to stop."Still being researched is whether prosecutors can simply switch all the small marijuana arrests into summary charges of disorderly conduct, the newspaper said. The shift might require a change in state law or in a city ordinance, the prosecutor's office said.Source: United Press International (Wire)Published: April 5, 2010Copyright 2010 United Press InternationalWebsite: http://www.upi.com/Contact: nationaldesk upi.comURL: http://drugsense.org/url/XvYaP3jQCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml

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Comment #12 posted by The GCW on April 06, 2010 at 19:25:29 PT

charmed quark 
Without TV I don't know much about any tea party other than what My daughter has with the stuffed animals...But from what I gather, Palin should consider speaking out about cannabis and do it for no charge.If Palin were to be so honest, everything would change. Speaking out about the booze interests is way revealing.Perhaps the tea party crowd is a bunch of alcoholics.
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on April 06, 2010 at 15:24:56 PT

charmed quark 
You said: Because Sarah Palin and Tea Partiers are not hypocrites, right?Well, I don't want to be mean but they do speak with a fork tongue all the time so she will probably stick with the alcohol lobby I would think. I hope I'm wrong.
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on April 06, 2010 at 15:21:50 PT

charmed quark
Thank you. I have been hoping for years that we would get a medical marijuana law. For some reason the organizations just don't seem to get it off the ground. We have a Democrat as Governor and we turned blue   in 2008 and voted for Obama. I don't know why it would be hard to do right now.
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Comment #9 posted by charmed quark on April 06, 2010 at 15:19:15 PT

Palin and marijuana
Isn't Palin a darling of the Tea Party? And don't Tea Partiers go on and on about Federal interference in everything? So wouldn't they naturally support the Feds getting out of the marijuana criminalization business? So, of course, Sarah Palin will say yes and accept $25K to speak about how the Feds should leave the decision about marijuana to the States, respectively, or to the People.Because Sarah Palin and Tea Partiers are not hypocrites, right?
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Comment #8 posted by charmed quark on April 06, 2010 at 15:06:27 PT

FoM - hope this is the year
That Ohio passes a MM law
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Comment #7 posted by runruff on April 06, 2010 at 06:35:37 PT

"Until they legalize it, we're not going to stop.&
Power is a drug!
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Comment #6 posted by The GCW on April 06, 2010 at 06:31:28 PT

dumb and dumber
"We have to be smart on crime," Is that to say they know they have been dumb? I think it is.Lt. Frank Vanore... -pathetic-it's what their trained to do??? You can train a dog to shit on newspaper... train 'em to shit in the yard... and train 'em to shit in someone else' yard. Police officers are trained too.
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on April 06, 2010 at 05:46:08 PT

josephlacerenza 
Thank you for the link. I have an opinion why MPP is trying this but I just keep my thoughts to myself. As far as Nevada goes nothing will happen again. I don't know why they keep trying. It's not my money so it doesn't matter to me though.
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Comment #4 posted by josephlacerenza on April 06, 2010 at 05:34:39 PT

FoM, I found this...
At the Huff Po. Sarah Palin!!! Need I say more!!
Sarah Palin, Marijuana Reformer?!
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on April 06, 2010 at 04:34:01 PT

Ohio: Bill Proposes Legalizing Medical Marijuana
April 6, 2010Legislation to legalize dispensing, growing and using marijuana for medical purposes has been introduced in the Ohio House. Passage is unlikely, but if that happens, Ohio would become the 15th state to make medical marijuana legal.URL: http://drugsense.org/url/5n7IBSGF
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on April 05, 2010 at 16:34:20 PT

Maine House Approves 8 MMJ Dispensaries
April 5, 2010Maine lawmakers have placed their own stamp on a citizen initiative that will provide medical marijuana users with greater access to their drug of choice. The House voted 128-17 to approve the measure that allows for eight non-profit medical marijuana dispensaries throughout the state. But although there is broad support for the bill, civil liberties lawyers claim the legislative changes don't go far enough to safeguard patient privacy. 
Related Media Maine House Approves 8 Medical Marijuana Dispensary Duration: 3:15 
 
URL: http://www.mpbn.net/Home/tabid/36/ctl/ViewItem/mid/3478/ItemId/11654/Default.aspx
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Comment #1 posted by dongenero on April 05, 2010 at 13:53:03 PT

Lt. Vanore
click...whir....We are non-thinking automatons, incapable of discretion or judgment. Thought does not compute ... buzz.. buzz...whir.Ok, how do you decide to let someone go when speeding 2mph over the speed limit vs 10mph over the speed limit?How do you let jaywalkers go without making an arrest?There are many trivial laws or trivial infractions of laws that his force uses their discretion to either enforce or not enforce, every single day. More BS from the same people who say "if you don't like the law change it."Now the story seems to be "you didn't change it enough", or "it's not official enough change".
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