cannabisnews.com: Daley Backs Plan for Pot Tickets 










  Daley Backs Plan for Pot Tickets 

Posted by CN Staff on September 22, 2004 at 07:47:25 PT
By Frank Main and Fran Spielman, Staff Reporters 
Source: Chicago Sun-Times  

Mayor Daley on Tuesday embraced a police sergeant's scheme to raise money for the city budget by ticketing people caught with small amounts of marijuana, but opponents are already taking shots at the controversial plan.Daley emphasized that most charges involving small amounts of pot are thrown out in the state court system in Chicago.
"If 99 percent of the cases are all thrown out and you have a police officer going, why? Why do we arrest the individual, seize the marijuana, [go] to court and they're all thrown out? It costs you a lot of money for police officers to go to court."It's decriminalized now," the mayor added. "Sometimes a fine is worse than being thrown out of court."Afterward, a mayoral spokesman would only say the proposal by Wentworth District Sgt. Tom Donegan is "under review."Fraternal Order of Police president Mark Donahue acknowledged too many cases involving small quantities of marijuana are "pitched at the initial hearing." But FOP members stand to lose thousands of dollars in court overtime if the city starts ticketing marijuana users instead of jailing them, he said.Also, "it's an issue of moral or societal acceptance whether to do that," Donahue said.The Drug Policy Alliance, which calls for an end to criminalizing marijuana possession and is backed by billionaire financier-philanthropist George Soros, was not ready to endorse the proposal either."If they charge the same as a parking ticket, I think that's OK," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the alliance.But fines could create an incentive for officers to become more aggressive in busting pot smokers, which happened in Australia when fines were substituted for potential jail time, Nadelmann said.And fines ranging from $250 for 10 grams of pot to $1,000 for 20 to 30 grams -- which Donegan recommended in his proposal to top Chicago Police brass last week -- would place a huge burden on the young and poor likely to get hit with most of the tickets, Nadelmann added.States and cities have taken widely different approaches to dealing with marijuana possession. Ohio has one of the more lenient laws: a $100 fine with no jail time for possession of up to 100 grams of pot. That law was enacted in the 1980s.In September 2003, 58 percent of Seattle voters approved an initiative relaxing enforcement against adults possessing 40 grams of marijuana or less for personal use. The initiative instructed police to make pot arrests their lowest law-enforcement priority. Marijuana prosecutions have plummeted, officials say.But in New York, arrests for petty pot possession have soared in the last decade, part of a crackdown on quality-of-life offenses. Arrests jumped from a few thousand a year in the early 1990s under Mayor David Dinkins to tens of thousands a year under current Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Nadelmann said.In Chicago, Donegan said he came up with his proposal to fine people caught with less than 30 grams of pot because he was frustrated at seeing his cases get dismissed.He reviewed court records from last year that showed 94 percent of the 6,954 marijuana cases involving less than 2.5 grams were dismissed; 81 percent of the 6,945 cases involving 2.5 grams to 10 grams, and 52 percent of the 1,261 cases involving 10 to 30 grams.A city can adopt its own ordinance setting out fines for marijuana possession, like Darien does in DuPage County. In Darien, officers can either write a ticket or make a misdemeanor arrest under state law.Donegan estimated Chicago could have collected at least $5 million in fines last year under his proposal."I have had a lot of positive response from other officers because they are tired of the revolving door at the courts and would like to see more done with their arrests."Prosecutors who have worked in misdemeanor courts in Cook County said marijuana cases most often fall apart because an officer does not show up at the initial appearance or a state police lab technician does not show up at trial."Most misdemeanor assistant state's attorneys have a difficult time justifying requiring a police officer and a lab tech to appear in court for the better part of an afternoon for $12 worth of weed. It just doesn't make sense," said one former misdemeanor prosecutor. Sidebar: Most Misdemeanor Cases Dismissed The feds, State Police, Chicago Police and other law-enforcement agencies can make misdemeanor arrests for small amounts of pot in Chicago.If a Chicago cop makes a bust for less than 30 grams of marijuana -- a misdemeanor under state law -- the case is usually prosecuted by an assistant state's attorney. The suspect must first appear in one of the five misdemeanor courts attached to Chicago's five area headquarters.Most of the cases are dismissed because an officer does not appear in court to testify about the arrest or a lab technician fails to show up to verify that the seized grassy substance was, in fact, marijuana, sources say.Federal prosecutors rarely take such cases to court in Chicago. Sentencing guidelines carry a misdemeanor sentence of up to six months in prison, or probation, for possession of less than 250 grams of marijuana. But prosecutors rarely take a case involving less than 100 kilograms -- 100,000 grams -- of marijuana. Possession of 100 kilos of cocaine, a felony, carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison.Frank MainSource: Chicago Sun-Times (IL)Author:  Fran Spielman, City Hall Reporter Published: September 22, 2004Copyright: 2004 The Sun-Times Co.Contact: letters suntimes.comWebsite: http://www.suntimes.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Drug Policy Alliancehttp://www.drugpolicy.org/Daley: Just Ticket Marijuana Users http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19525.shtmlSome Marijuana Arrests May Mean Just a Tickethttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19521.shtmlCop Wants To Fine -- Not Jail -- Potheads http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19516.shtml 

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Comment #21 posted by John Tyler on September 22, 2004 at 21:36:31 PT
Who will be getting the tickets?
I have a feeling the usual underclass minority group will be getting the tickets. What will the ticket cost, $10 or $1,000, or more? This could really screw some people. But hey, that's the purpose of it anyway isn't it? This has the potential to turn into another police/court/gov. racket.
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Comment #20 posted by mayan on September 22, 2004 at 17:35:14 PT
No Jail =Lost Overtime
Thanks,kap'n, for pointing this out in an earlier thread...Fraternal Order of Police president Mark Donahue acknowledged too many cases involving small quantities of marijuana are "pitched at the initial hearing." But FOP members stand to lose thousands of dollars in court overtime if the city starts ticketing marijuana users instead of jailing them, he said.Oh, so that's why they've been jailing the "potheads"! The pigs just admitted that they would put someone in a cage just to rake in the taxpayer's dime! Scumbags!!!
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Comment #19 posted by siege on September 22, 2004 at 17:01:48 PT
           ticketing
people have been ticketing.. for small amounts of marijuana and to go to court. the person tells the court they don't have the money for the fines is the court, going to jail them or thrown it out like they have been doing. ticket can be thrown
out allso. who wining who losing it is not a win win thing.
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Comment #18 posted by siege on September 22, 2004 at 16:32:10 PT
off topic  Appellate court 
 The Appellate court struck a hard blow for liberty by holding liable these out-of-control, tyrannical feds, state, and LAPD cops," he said in a statement.http://www.sacbee.com/state_wire/story/10831623p-11749517c.html
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Comment #17 posted by sukoi on September 22, 2004 at 16:20:56 PT
BUDSNAXZ (Comment #13)
I have given to NORML in the past through the CFC (I loved the fact that the feds were giving money directly to NORML) and last year I contacted them to ask why they were no longer listed. They basically said that their income was too high last year to qualify them to be listed on the CFC; maybe it’s the same case this year and in a way, that’s not really a bad thing!
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Comment #16 posted by goneposthole on September 22, 2004 at 16:07:13 PT
thousand dollar fine
I suppose. Looks like the city of Chicago wants a piece of the action. It wants to horn in on the trade. It is going to be less troublesome to have taxed legal sales of cannabis. The revenue from taxes will be far and away greater than any amount of fines collected. It is money in the bank. Time to legalize. It's not that tough to do. The world won't fall apart. I have my doubts that sales of cannabis, legal or illegal, are going to decrease. There is more cannabis than ever. Desire for the commodity creates its market. Figure it out. 
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Comment #15 posted by global_warming on September 22, 2004 at 15:50:07 PT
Crawl then walk
This may sound like a bad idea to some and with good reasons.
I think that this ticketing thing is a step in the correct direction, hopefully eliminating the judicial quagmire and stigma so often associated with an arrest for drugs.Let's hope for some small steps to the end of this insane war on people........Get ready to vote.......
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Comment #14 posted by siege on September 22, 2004 at 15:49:46 PT
BIOPHEX 2004 
September 22, 2004 12:00 PM US Eastern TimezoneBIOPHEX2004 Presents Provocative Keynote Panels: 'Cannabis- and Cannabinoid-based Medicines: The Next Big Thing in Biotech?' and 'The Future of DNA: New Technologies for Accelerating Drug Development'   	BIOPHEX2004
BIOWIRE2KSAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 22, 2004--BIOPHEX2004 announces two provocative keynote panels: "Cannabis- and Cannabinoid-based Medicines: The Next Big Thing in Biotech?" and "The Future of DNA: New Technologies for Accelerating Drug Development", presented by our nation's trail-blazing researchers and most outspoken advocates. Senior-level biotech and pharmaceutical managers, product development leaders, regulatory specialists, marketing and sales executives, scientists, and engineers will learn to successfully navigate the road to commercialization at the BIOPHEX2004 Conference and Exhibition. BIOPHEX2004 will be held at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco from September 28-30, 2004. For more information and to register, log onto www.biophex.com/CLPR or call toll-free 888-320-8090. keynote panels: "Cannabis- and Cannabinoid-based Medicines: The Next Big Thing in Biotech?" and "The Future of DNA: New Technologies for Accelerating Drug Development", presented by our nation's trail-blazing researchers and most outspoken advocates. Senior-level biotech and pharmaceutical managers, product development leaders, regulatory specialists, marketing and sales executives, scientists, and engineers will learn to successfully navigate the road to commercialization at the BIOPHEX2004 Conference and Exhibition. BIOPHEX2004 will be held at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco from September 28-30, 2004. For more information and to register, log onto www.biophex.com/CLPR or call toll-free 888-320-8090. http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040922005435&newsLang=enRCGP Cannabis Training Day for GPs, UK
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=13828
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Comment #13 posted by BUDSNAXZ on September 22, 2004 at 15:46:25 PT
My LTR to NORML
Hello,
I'm unfortunately writing to inform you that your organization failed to be listed in the 
2004 Southwest New Mexico Combined Federal Campaign booklet again this 
year.
I called last year and informed your staff of this (probably intentional) oversight.
I would think this would make you as angry as it has me. I know it hurts your cause 
immensely. 
Last year I tried to donate to your CFC number anyway and it was returned 
because you were not listed.
I don't know if you could file a lawsuit because of this, but I would be jumping in 
their Sh*t one way or or another about it.
Please let me know what you intend to do about it just for my curiosity.
Thanks and keep up the great work!!!!
Mac
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Comment #12 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on September 22, 2004 at 15:28:43 PT
Re: Poll
I didn't take the poll, because I couldn't find a choice for "NONE OF THE ABOVE". Wonder how that would have fared?
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on September 22, 2004 at 14:47:48 PT
VitaminT
I don't have the one from that particular web site but from the article they mentioned.http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread19459.shtml
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Comment #10 posted by VitaminT on September 22, 2004 at 14:31:42 PT
FoM
Have you seen any stories on New Jersey?
Unlikely Allies Work on N.J. Medical Marijuana Bill
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Comment #9 posted by kaptinemo on September 22, 2004 at 12:48:12 PT:
At first, E_J made me laugh
But then I got to thinking...Her comment about 'kidnapping not paying off' is really an expression of an economic theory about there being a point at which further effort into building something actually makes matters worse. 'The Law of Diminshing Returns'.We began to see the shift when the 'lock 'em up and throw away the key!' attitude of the more stringent DrugWarriors began to give way (courtesy of the impossible-to-hide fact the prisons are full to bursting and illicit drugs are cheaper and more prevalent than ever) to the softer, fluffier talk of 'treatment'.The 'kidnapped' fill the prisons, and we can't afford to keep them, much less build others. So now? Now, we'll have 'mugger' cops on the make like many departments were before civilian oversight boards and internal affairs groups were created. The kind who'd shake you down for the change in your pocket.The kind you find in many Third World countries. Is this how we want to go?
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on September 22, 2004 at 10:36:52 PT
Sam Adams 
I have never seen anyone screw up words like he does. If we don't understand what he means how can anyone? I'm totally baffled by it all.
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on September 22, 2004 at 09:33:33 PT

Chicago Tribune Poll
Should police ticket instead of bust people for pot possession?Current Results: 92.9% -- Yes -- (2260 responses) 7.1%      -- No -- (172 responses) 2432 total responses(Poll results not scientific)http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0409220236sep22,1,6063739.story
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on September 22, 2004 at 08:23:29 PT

dongenero
Yes he did! I thought of you when I was setting up the article! Keep up the good work!
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Comment #5 posted by Sam Adams on September 22, 2004 at 08:16:09 PT

one more
FOM this is an AP release, so I hope it's OK to post - Isn't this lying? Can't we impeach him now? Why wasn't "I didn't have sex with that woman" just a "misstatement"?Ok, I'll stop now -Bush confuses terrorists' names againBy Associated Press  |  September 21, 2004WASHINGTON -- President Bush might say it was a slip of the tongue when he confused the names of two terrorists in a campaign speech yesterday in New Hampshire. Still, he's made the same misstatement at least 10 times before.During remarks in Derry, N.H., Bush said the late terrorist Abu Nidal killed Leon Klinghoffer, a 69-year-old Jewish American who was tossed, along with his wheelchair, off the hijacked cruise liner Achille Lauro in 1985."Do you remember Abu Nidal?" Bush asked the crowd. "He's the guy that killed Leon Klinghoffer. Leon Klinghoffer was murdered because of his religion. Abu Nidal was in Baghdad, as was his organization."He repeated the mistake last evening at a campaign event in New York City: "Abu Nidal was a cold-blooded terrorist killer who killed Leon Klinghoffer."Actually, it was Abul Abbas, the leader of a violent Palestinian group, who killed Klinghoffer. The White House had no comment on the mix-up. 
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Comment #4 posted by E_Johnson on September 22, 2004 at 08:14:48 PT

Not only oppressed but exploited
They played Bob Marley during the closing ceremony of the Olympics.
Bob Marley, so I hear, still pulls in $10,000 per day in record sales in America.The man is still working to make other people rich after he is dead.So they would give him the honor now of only being robbed instead of taken hostage?
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Comment #3 posted by Sam Adams on September 22, 2004 at 08:11:55 PT

Nice one EJ!
Random comment: did everyone see that we (the US of A) actually diverted a plane to Maine at 3 to stop Cat Stevens from entering our fine country?  Getting crazier every day. Will this crap actually stop if Kerry becomes prez? Remember how Clinton campaigned strongly on gays-in-the-military and then backed down completely to the military establishment? I doubt that Kerry would be able to do much to stop our progression to a police state.http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2004/09/22/singers_plane_is_diverted_to_maine/Remember when Ross Regliabati was not allowed to enter the US to watch the Olympics because he had publicly admitted smoking marijuana? What a great country!
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Comment #2 posted by dongenero on September 22, 2004 at 08:09:05 PT

the author kept his word at least
I wrote to this author following his previous article. Among the points I made, were the civil penalties for possession and cultivation in Ohio.
(Thanks FoM).
He didn't really make my points about prohibition, harm reduction, cultivation vs. the black market effect on marijuana value but......he did mention the Ohio law and apparantly did some further research to include the new Seattle marijuana policy. We have to keep hammering at these people. Just as prohibitionists have kept hammering their propoganda home until it becomes ingrained....we need to keep hammering home the REAL truth about our nations drug policies...until people begin to question the status quo and think for themselves.
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Comment #1 posted by E_Johnson on September 22, 2004 at 07:52:39 PT

Listen to the thieves talk
Kidnapping isn't paying off like it used to, lads, so we'd better switch to mugging.
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