cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Decriminalization Bill In Jeopardy
function share_this(num) {
 tit=encodeURIComponent('Marijuana Decriminalization Bill In Jeopardy');
 url=encodeURIComponent('http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/26/thread26553.shtml');
 site = new Array(5);
 site[0]='http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u='+url+'&title='+tit;
 site[1]='http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit.php?url='+url+'&title='+tit;
 site[2]='http://digg.com/submit?topic=political_opinion&media=video&url='+url+'&title='+tit;
 site[3]='http://reddit.com/submit?url='+url+'&title='+tit;
 site[4]='http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&noui&jump=close&url='+url+'&title='+tit;
 window.open(site[num],'sharer','toolbar=0,status=0,width=620,height=500');
 return false;
}






Marijuana Decriminalization Bill In Jeopardy
Posted by CN Staff on May 14, 2011 at 06:32:08 PT
By Daniela Altimari, The Hartford Courant 
Source: Hartford Courant
Connecticut -- The drive to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana appears to be coming up short in the legislature this year. Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney, D-New Haven, conceded Friday that a bill to soften the penalty for possession of a half-ounce of pot or less does not currently have enough support in the chamber."We did have a caucus last week and we were somewhat short of the number to pass it with purely Democratic votes,'' Looney said. "We may circle back around to that issue again.''
"You can't do everything in one year,'' he said.The bill would make the penalty for possession of a half-ounce of marijuana or less akin to receiving a speeding ticket. The punishment would be a fine rather than criminal penalties. Currently, possession of less than 4 ounces of marijuana is punishable by up to one year in prison and a $1,000 fine.Looney and other supporters say decriminalizing pot would free up criminal-justice resources to investigate unsolved crimes and focus on violent criminals. Thirteen states, including Massachusetts and New York, have decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.Opponents say the cost savings are overblown. Senate Republican leader John McKinney of Fairfield said that the bill is "tantamount to the legalization of marijuana" and that he does not believe any Senate Republicans back it."For me personally, it is one of — if not the — worst bill that I've seen in my 13 years in the legislature,'' McKinney said. "It will only increase drug use, it will only increase addiction. It's a bad road to go down."While the chances of passing the decriminalization bill are greatly diminished, a bill legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes appears to have more support, Looney said.If that bill were to pass, the state could not prosecute people for possession of marijuana if they had written certification from their physician allowing them to use it. A patient would need to be certified as having a debilitating condition, such as cancer, glaucoma, AIDS, Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis. The bill would allow the possession of up to 1 ounce of marijuana, and up to four marijuana plants, provided they were no more than 4 feet high.Lawmakers passed a medical marijuana bill in 2007, but Gov. M. Jodi Rell vetoed it. This year, the measure has the support of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.Source: Hartford Courant (CT)Author: Daniela Altimari, The Hartford Courant Published: May 14, 2011Copyright: 2011 The Hartford CourantContact: letters courant.comWebsite: http://www.courant.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/Ou5b2K9HCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help 
     
     
     
     




Comment #11 posted by Hope on May 15, 2011 at 23:54:55 PT
Comment 3 Runruff
That's wonderful, Runruff. Congratulations!The cover is beautiful.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #10 posted by runruff on May 15, 2011 at 18:25:40 PT
Hi ekim.
That is a very curious question. The answer is, I don't really know. My story in not about judgment though, it is more about contrast.It is very good to here from you. I hope you are well and doing fine.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #9 posted by ekim on May 15, 2011 at 18:00:45 PT
thanks runruff
did the Native Americans tell us immgrants how to make maple syrup
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #8 posted by John Tyler on May 15, 2011 at 17:40:22 PT
Congratulations
Congratulations on your book. That is a wonderful accomplishment.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by runruff on May 15, 2011 at 08:01:34 PT
Garry
My deepest, heartfelt Thanks!My Wife says to give you a great big bear hug.I wanted to contrast the land at that time with the state of things today.I want to show how their medicine, in many ways, was better then the poison-for-profit they offer us today.Granny Storm Crow is one of my heros.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by Garry Minor on May 15, 2011 at 07:05:32 PT
Good for you, runruff....
You deserve to be happy! Here is what it say's;Have you ever wondered what the American Continent was like before the Native Americans discovered that Columbus was lost? A time before alcohol, guns and other mechanized New World inventions. The horse came onto the scene with the arrival of the Spanish Explorers in the Sixteenth Century. Before the Natives were introduced to the horse, all travel was by walking.Though many Native tribes were highly sophisticated societies, technology was still very primitive. This story takes the reader to a time of scant historical traces left by a people who believed it was honorable to leave no footprints upon the Mother during one’s lifetime.The story itself is an obscure legend that has had reality interwoven with folklore so as to duplicate as closely as possibly the life and times of these people whose culture was wonderfully rich and colorful.This story tells of how the ancient peoples upon the Continent lived before recorded history. What they ate. What they believed in. How they survived. Their politics and social life. My goal is to create a feeling in my readers of having traveled to this interesting and intriguing time and place. To have met the characters in their own environment where they are dealing with their personal concerns and survival.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by FoM on May 15, 2011 at 06:06:45 PT
runruff
I'm very happy for you.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by Canis420 on May 15, 2011 at 00:36:48 PT:
Amazon
Way to go Runruff!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by runruff on May 14, 2011 at 19:52:53 PT
 "Moonflower, Medicine Woman" went E-Book!
Today is a very big day for us. I am also at Amazon under my name, Jerry D. Sisson or book title.Oh happy Day!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by Celaya on May 14, 2011 at 16:19:53 PT
????
Wow. We just HAD to have a sponsor whose last name is "Looney!" If I were a politician, I'd have to change that name. Either that or start a music publishing company, and call it.......  "Looney Tunes." 8^)
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by Sam Adams on May 14, 2011 at 08:43:26 PT
not buying it
sounds like wimpy apologism to me. Do your job and vote on the bill. Then we'll see who REALLY supports it who doesn't it - you know, the old "democracy" thing?
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment