cannabisnews.com: DA Says State Panel's Marijuana Proposal Bad Idea





DA Says State Panel's Marijuana Proposal Bad Idea
Posted by FoM on December 12, 2000 at 08:25:04 PT
By Mike Henderson
Source: Reno Gazette-Journal 
A Nevada Supreme Court commission is recommending that possession of small amounts of marijuana be reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor citation. But Washoe District Attorney Dick Gammick said Monday that he opposes the recommendation, calling marijuana the “gateway to other drugs” and a first step toward other crimes.Possession of even a marijuana seed or a single marijuana cigarette is a felony in Nevada, making its drug laws among the toughest in the nation.
The Supreme Court’s Judicial Assessment Commission, appointed and chaired by Chief Justice Bob Rose, has urged that possession of less than an ounce of marijuana be a misdemeanor and handled by issuing a citation. Possession of one to four ounces would be a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail. If more than four ounces of marijuana were involved, the charge would remain a felony punishable by one to six years in prison.Also, unless another offense involving a greater penalty was involved, those under the influence of an illegal drug would be charged with a misdemeanor. But the proposal gives judges the power to order that person into a treatment program.District judges around the state have said in the past that more than half their cases involve some form of substance abuse. Police and prosecutors claim many other crimes, such as burglaries and thefts, are committed to support drug habits.A bill that would have reduced penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana was defeated in the 1999 Legislature, but another version is being drafted for the 2001 session.Washoe County’s district attorney said he’d like to know what impact decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana has had in California.Gammick said prosecutors in Washoe County already have the authority to reduce charges of possession or use of small amounts of marijuana to a misdemeanor, but each case is thoroughly and individually evaluated.In addition to changes in marijuana penalties, the Supreme Court’s commission also urged a major change in the law to get the mentally ill out of Nevada’s jails. They proposed a state law “requiring the state Mental Health System to take custody of all (mentally ill) persons arrested for committing a crime other than a felony crime of violence.”The commission also recommended that the state executive branch “re-establish an appropriate and comprehensive mental health program and adequately fund it” and give judges the authority to divert nonviolent offenders with mental illness into treatment.The commission report further calls for major changes in how judges are selected and in the structure of Nevada’s courts.The biggest change would be to impose a version of the Missouri Plan in Nevada, where judges would be appointed on merit, then face an election with no opponent after two years on the bench to determine whether the people wanted to retain the judge. If not, another judge would be appointed.Source: Reno Gazette-Journal (NV)Author: Mike HendersonPublished: December 12, 2000Contact: rgjmail nevadanet.comWebsite: http://www.rgj.com/index.htmlRelated Article:Nevada Panel Recommends Treatment, Not Prisonhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7972.shtml
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Comment #3 posted by nl5x on December 12, 2000 at 17:32:15 PT
just change the name
Washoe District Attorney Dick Gammick said Monday that he opposes the recommendation, calling marijuana the “gateway to other drugs” and a first step toward other crimes.Perhaps another reason for cognitive dissonance is the fact that(Washoe District Attorney Dick Gammick )McCloskey/ makes his living from a system that depends on the drug war. Remove marijuana prosecutions as alcohol prosecutions were removed in 1933, and the (Washoe District Attorney office) Department of Justice/ would be closing down 75 percent of its offices and letting go of 75 percent of its employees. The drug war is a major vested interest. In California, the largest contributor to political campaigns is the prison guards’ union. This huge flow of federal drug war dollars is the most addictive substance of all. It makes all those charts and paid expert reports seem to make sense even when obvious facts contradict them. Supply follows demand, legal or not. If you want to control something, you don’t turn it over to gangsters. By funding the criminals, the law has turned the world into a vast 1920s Chicago. http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread7199.shtml
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Comment #2 posted by Smokeless in Seattle on December 12, 2000 at 12:16:41 PT
hey schmeff u got that right buddy
Of course, it's to keep his job. I bet he grows it in his basment.SiS
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Comment #1 posted by schmeff on December 12, 2000 at 09:31:29 PT:
What's a gate weigh?
Ah, yes.......the gateway theory being espoused by Mister Washoe District Attorney Vested Interest Dick Gammick peaceful drug "criminals" are my bread-and-butter lifetime job security slap-on-the-back good 'ol boy...What a surprisingly convincing argument! You've changed my mind. I'm switching sides. Prohibition works!
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