cannabisnews.com: Fulton Leads Nation in Jailing Pot Users





Fulton Leads Nation in Jailing Pot Users
Posted by FoM on June 29, 2000 at 06:13:19 PT
By D.L. Bennett, Staff
Source: AccessAtlanta
Atlanta is one tough town for potheads. Smoking, carrying or selling that doobie is more likely to land you in jail in Fulton County than any other county in the nation, according to a study by a marijuana advocacy group. Are Atlanta's users getting caught because their brains are addled by drug use? Is pot smoking more prevalent here? 
Pro-pot forces say no. Cops are just tougher on any drug use here in the Bible Belt. Combine that with Atlanta's young, affluent population, in which drug use is more likely, and you skew use and arrest numbers to the high end of the scale, they say. "Marijuana arrests are an easy target," said Paul Cornwell, who organizes yearly pot legalization festivals in Atlanta. "The county spends a higher percentage of its efforts to make those kinds of arrests to boost crime stats." The study by the National Organization for the Repeal of Marijuana Laws looked at crime statistics local governments report to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It found a 1997 arrest rate in Fulton of 778 per 100,000 residents --- three times the national average for counties with at least 250,000 residents. Georgia's statewide rate was 337, ranking seventh. Fulton and Atlanta police say they aren't making any concerted efforts to crack down on marijuana users. Such arrests are often made after traffic stops, fights or other crimes. The vast majority are for minor possession, not sales of large amounts. But they make no apologies for slapping users in the slammer. "We are here to enforce the laws," said Atlanta police spokesman John Quigley. "If you are found to be in possession, you are going to be arrested." Published: Thursday, June 29, 2000© 2000 Cox Interactive Media Related Articles & Web Site:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/US Marijuana Arrestshttp://www.norml.org/facts/arrestreport/Report: Pot Laws Selectively Enforcedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6207.shtmlCannabisNews NORML Archives:http://cannabisnews.com/news/list/NORML.shtml 
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on June 29, 2000 at 07:41:53 PT
Related Article
Should Marijuana Be Legal?http://cannabinoid.com/wwwboard/politics/messages/27/27331.shtmlWednesday June 28 5:22 PM ET Copyright © 2000 Reuters Limited. 
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