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Posted on 05/20/2006 10:50:46 AM PDT by Wolfie
Activists Pushing To Relax Marijuana Enforcement
Oregon -- A marijuana advocacy group wants Portland police to get their priorities straight. Introduced by the Citizens for a Safer Portland in early February, a new citywide initiative is aimed at reducing adult marijuana-related offenses to be the “lowest law-enforcement priority.”
Chris Iverson, chief petitioner of the initiative and campaign manager for CSP, is confident Portland voters will approve the measure if it gets on the ballot.
About 56 percent of city voters endorsed the failed statewide medical marijuana expansion initiative two years ago, which he said was “under-funded and not well-organized.”
“Because of the high yes vote in Portland with Measure 33 in 2004, we feel that we have a good chance to win,” said Iverson.
Past low-priority proposals like Seattle’s Initiative 75, passed in 2003, and Oakland, Calif.’s Proposition Z, passed in 2004, seem to have spawned greater support for drug law reform. Other similar measures may be headed to the November ballot in several California cities as well as Missoula, Mont.
The Portland initiative defines marijuana-related offenses as any “in which possession, delivery or manufacture of marijuana is an element.” It declares that “law enforcement activities related to all offenses other than marijuana-related offenses shall be a higher priority than all law enforcement activities related to marijuana-related offenses.”
Sales, cultivation, distribution, and possession of pot by minors or adults on public property and use in connection with the operation of a vehicle aren’t covered by the initiative directive.
Supporters say the initiative is a good first step toward focusing law enforcement more on real threats to the community, like crimes against people and property.
Portland police officials reported 799 adult arrests last year for marijuana-related offenses. According to one study, the average cost of sending an offender through Multnomah County Drug Court is about $6,000, meaning that taxpayers spent about $4.8 million to prosecute adult pot possession offenses in 2005.
The initiative also contains restrictions on the Portland police department’s relationship with federal and state authorities as well, stating that local officials “shall not accept formal deputization or commissioning by a federal law enforcement agency to the extent that such deputization or commissioning will include investigating, citing, arresting, or seizing property from adults for marijuana- related offenses.”
Some supporters of the measure say this part of the initiative is important to keep local officials from joining with federal agents to bust medical marijuana collectives.
“This really strikes at the heart of the issue with regard to local law enforcement cooperating with the Drug Enforcement Administration against medical cannabis dispensaries,” said Nikos Leverenz, acting director of the California office of the Drug Policy Alliance.
Cutting off funds that contribute to law enforcement activities for marijuana-related offenses is a unique part of the Portland initiative; of the six proposals introduced this year and the two past successful ones, only the Portland and Missoula initiatives specify that city officials cannot “accept any funds from any source, organization or individual, including federal funds or state funds.” The present California initiatives only prohibit federal funds.
Of course, marijuana possession of any amount and for any purpose remains a federal crime. And advocates for the measures don’t expect the DEA to be particularly mellow about any effort seen as undermining the drug war. They anticipate a federally-backed “smear campaign” against the Portland initiative if it makes it to the ballot.
On May 6 CSP representatives attended the Million Marijuana March, hosted by Oregon NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), to gather signatures and raise support for the initiative with the 300 or so marchers in attendance.
However, signature-gathering for the measure has been a little lethargic thus far. With the signatures due on July 7, the CSP is only about half-way to the 26,691 they need to make the Nov. 7 ballot, according to the CSP website - http://www.makeportlandsafer.org
The group also claims it is short on campaign funds. Even after a grant from the Marijuana Policy Project for $120,000, local organizers say they need an additional $20,000 for advertising and campaigning.
Despite these hurdles, Iverson is optimistic that with more people out gathering signatures and more public events planned they will raise the support needed to move the initiative forward.
(YAWN)
So "LOL" and "YAWN" are what passes for reasoned rebuttal among you WODdies. Noted. (What about alcohol ... do you support banning that for married people and parents? If not, why not?)
Whoops! Come to think of it, that "mother" of four was a a "single mom." Well. That won't work. But it was a good idea.
Don't be ridiculous, you know the difference between a child and an adult, or now is it okay to let children do their own thing.
Straw man. Who said anything about legalizing any drug (including alcohol) for minors?
Have you not seen where women on meth said it felt so good they wanted their children to have the same experience.
No, I haven't. People have plied minors with the drug alcohol ... is that good enough reason to ban that drug?
Never, they don't have the coordination. Kidding aside, I would posit that the brain alterations that the different addictions produce leads to the different perceptions of reality that keep winos a little more grounded in the rational world where they won't risk as much to get their drug. In short they don't need it as bad. Probably not a provable assertion (certainly not provable by me), but observation seems to support it.
But a convenient assertion, so you'll assert it anyway. Got it.
but observation seems to support it.
What "observation"?
Actually I posit'ed it...A theory.
What "observation"?
My own of coarse.
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i HAVE WHILE NOT IN A DRUG INDUCED STATE!
LOL!
I'm nearly seventy...I think I've done ok so far.
"Portland police officials reported 799 adult arrests last year for marijuana-related offenses."
OK. How many of those would NOT have been arrested if the new law was in effect? Maybe 9?
Then you're against a child molester registry? Allowing them to reside near schools? Letting them have jobs that involve contact with children?
The lack of results in this generations long civil war(WOD) relegates all action taken by the government as significant only for the TERROR that it inflicts upon the citizenry in effort to control their appetites. (Not a Constitutionally mandated federal power!) The DEAmen are the Taliban of America. SEEK PEACE!!!!!
"drugs are called pharmi, as used in the bible it is sorcery"
I see now! You are a witch hunter? Prepared to burn them
all at the stake? Or, do you prefer the drownings?
Those tactics should have died centuries ago, as they were
well traunced in the era by
Francis Hutchinson's AN HISTORICAL ESSAY CONCERNING WITCHCRAFT. WITH OBSERVATIONS UPON MATTERS of FACT; Tending to clear the Texts of the Sacred Scriptures, and confute the vulgar Errors about that Point.
"look it up without hesitation, it may save someone's life one day."
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