cannabisnews.com: State Senate Passes Marijuana Bill





State Senate Passes Marijuana Bill
Posted by CN Staff on February 14, 2008 at 13:00:31 PT
By Daniel Barlow, Vermont Press Bureau 
Source: Rutland Herald
Montpelier, VT -- The Vermont Senate easily passed a bill lowering criminal penalties for small amounts of marijuana Wednesday as lawmakers called for a sweeping review of how the state penalizes illegal drug users.The bill stripping jail penalties away for most people arrested with 2 ounces or less of marijuana passed the body in a 22-7 vote Wednesday afternoon. The bill is expected to receive final approval from the body today before going to the Vermont House.
Sen. Richard Sears, D-Bennington, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told lawmakers the bill puts into law the current practice of Vermont prosecutors sending most, if not all, marijuana possession cases to the court diversion program.His committee rejected full decriminalization of small amounts of the plant because the federal government still classifies it alongside harder drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Even issuing a civil ticket in Vermont for marijuana possession would result in a criminal record, Sears said."It remains a crime whether you are 16 or 92," Sears said, trying to calm fears from some senators that the bill sends a message to youth that the plant is safe to use. "What we are doing is allowing first and second offenses the opportunity to not have a record by going through the diversion program."The proposed new law removes jail time as penalties for those caught the first or second time with two ounces or less of marijuana. Offenders would have the choice of paying a fine ranging from $500 to $750 or successfully completing the diversion program.The law now in place calls for six months in jail or a $1,000 fine for first-time marijuana possession. The penalties for possessing more than two ounces of marijuana remain the same under the proposed bill.It also calls on the Vermont Sentencing Commission, a body of judges, prosecutors and other officials, to carry out a wide review on Vermont's drug possession laws. Sears said the commission was "more than willing to take up the issue" to bring some clarity to the drug debate."I've heard some audible snickering in the room today," said Sen. Richard McCormack, D-Windsor, a supporter of the bill. "And that's probably because we know that our neighbors and friends are pot smokers. And this hypocrisy weakens the laws and the dignity of the state."The proposal was not without opposition, however.Sen. George Coppenrath, R-Caledonia, warned that the measure "sends a message" and that "young children will be listening to that message."In voicing his opposition to the bill, Sen. Hull Maynard Jr., R-Rutland, noted Rutland City's drug problems, which culminated this month in a fatal shooting over an alleged marijuana deal. Vermont towns are having a "tough time" with drugs, he said, and this is the wrong time to lower criminal penalties."This is the wrong time to take a tiny step in what I believe is the wrong direction," Maynard said. "We would be better off passing nothing at this time."Even Sen. Kevin Mullin, R-Rutland, who voted for the bill, worried about its repercussions. Responding to the handful of jokes that scattered across the Senate floor that afternoon about pot, he warned that "kids will now think this is no big deal.""It's not something we should be laughing about," he said.Sears agreed that drug addiction is a serious problem. But he confronted "message" concerns by reading a statement from Windsor County prosecutor Robert Sand, whose calls for drug policy reform resulted in the legislation.Sand's statement read in part, "The only people sending the wrong message are the ones suggesting that changing the offenses amounts to condoning its use."Sen. Edward Flanagan, D-Chittenden, agreed with many of his fellow senators that marijuana use usually does not lead to harder drugs. In college, he and his friends always "scoffed at the parallel tracks for marijuana and cocaine" in the federal government's eyes, he said."A lot of people, including some of us here, did plenty of marijuana," Flanagan said. "I for one was never even tempted to try cocaine or heroin."The Senate is also expected to hear testimony later this year on strengthening the state's laws against driving under the influence of drugs and increasing penalties against people who sell cocaine and heroin. Source: Rutland Herald (VT)Author: Daniel Barlow, Vermont Press Bureau Published: February 14, 2008 Copyright: 2008 Rutland HeraldContact: letters rutlandherald.comWebsite: http://www.rutlandherald.comRelated Articles:Pot and Politicshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23667.shtmlBill: No Jail for Minor Pot Offendershttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23665.shtmlSenate Judiciary Committee Passes Pot Billhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23662.shtml
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on February 19, 2008 at 11:48:27 PT
afterburner
I don't trust Prozac. I took it for a while years ago and it really made me feel strange. 
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Comment #9 posted by afterburner on February 19, 2008 at 11:34:59 PT
Youth SSRI-Drugging & Another School Shooting
Illinois Shooter was Treated with Psych Meds Prior to Shooting Rampage. 
Sunday, February 17, 2008 by: Mike Adams
http://www.naturalnews.com/022656.htmlI heard his girlfriend say on the news that Stephen Kazmierczak had been taking Prozac. 
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Comment #8 posted by Hope on February 15, 2008 at 06:58:15 PT
They got the message prohibs send....
"scoffed at the parallel tracks for marijuana and cocaine"The so called "messengers"... have lying lips and add to that that they're all puffed up and delusional with how proud they are of themselves and the belief that they are "above" others in every way and severely deluded as to how a lot of people, including young people, receive their lying messages. That's the big message I get from them.The message I get is that they are wrong, wrong, wrong in so many ways.
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Comment #7 posted by Hope on February 15, 2008 at 06:43:23 PT
Paint with light
Exactly!(And welcome to our soap box, Paint with light.)
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Comment #6 posted by Paint with light on February 14, 2008 at 23:17:06 PT
wrong message?
"We don't want to send the wrong message to our youth."Then we need to tell them that lying by the goverment is not right.Young children are listening to the message.So stop saying lying is okay.Pot is safer than aspirin.
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Comment #5 posted by John Tyler on February 14, 2008 at 21:13:45 PT
fearful steps forward
VT is slowly turning in the correct direction but only slowly. This comment here shows the legislators know what’s what but are too fearful to move too much at this time.
 “Sen. Edward Flanagan, D-Chittenden, agreed with many of his fellow senators that marijuana use usually does not lead to harder drugs. In college, he and his friends always "scoffed at the parallel tracks for marijuana and cocaine" in the federal government's eyes, he said. 
"A lot of people, including some of us here, did plenty of marijuana," Flanagan said. "I for one was never even tempted to try cocaine or heroin."”
Maybe if this gets enacted and the fearful ones see that the nation will not crash down, they can do more next time.
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Comment #4 posted by Sam Adams on February 14, 2008 at 18:17:11 PT
paul
you're right of course, the correct question to ask is "is this better than doing nothing"? Bottom line: this looks like an improvement.I think VT still has the buzzkill Republican governor, right? Maybe this is a dry run for after he leaves and they can really get moving on this stuff
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Comment #3 posted by paulpeterson on February 14, 2008 at 17:33:14 PT
Any even "symbolic" change is good
Hard to get excited? Any legislative debate is good, especially where SOME change, even symbolic change occurs-this encourages people to believe that CHANGE IS POSSIBLE, and NO MATTER WHAT THE "BABY STEPS" are, that merely makes the next debate more likely.A good example is one small town in North suburban Illinois, a few years ago. Wilmette had already taken a "decrim." approach with a 10 gram threshhold. I spoke with a chief in Northfield, and he told me based upon my letter (I called myself "North Shore Harm Reduction"), he had NOT BEEN ABLE TO STOP THINKING ABOUT THIS, he had asked his "Corporation Counsel" for his response and he had RECOMMENDED A LOCAL ORDINANCE (TO SUBSTITUTE STATE LAW WITH).He told me I would be "mad" at him, because he chose a very LOW THRESHHOLD, like 2.5 grams. I responded, NO, I WASN'T MAD AT ALL, because the MERE THOUGHT THAT HE THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT THE THRESHHOLD WOULD BE, meant he was thinking! That meant they at least joined the "Rebel held zone", BY 2006 AT LEAST 16 TOWNS HAD JOINED.Whatever the threshhold, that meant a change in attitude was occurring, among leaders and officers (and they could always "bump the amount down" SO THEY COULD MERELY ISSUE THE CITATION.Of course, I would expect they would then later increase the threshhold, and the change might have already hit 100 towns, once cops talked to other cops, and that's that. 
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Comment #2 posted by RevRayGreen on February 14, 2008 at 16:04:07 PT
fine ranging from $500 to $750 or 
 successfully completing the diversion program ? so if you pay the fine like the old Oregon law no classes. is this and or,both (:confused)
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Comment #1 posted by Sam Adams on February 14, 2008 at 14:46:21 PT
hard to get excited about this
So in addition to the taxpayers paying the police and courts to arrest and prosecute you for the criminal offense of touching the cannabis plant, now we get to pay the treatment industry IN ADDITION to the cops and courts. Am I missing something? This doesn't seem like improvement at all. Also, Richard Sears is a LIAR. If Vermont decriminalized, people caught with MJ would NOT get a criminal record because of federal prohibition, unless they were arrested by the DEA, which is less than 1% of MJ arrests. VT is not decriminalizing because Sears is a coward, not because of the feds.
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