cannabisnews.com: Pot Policy Wouldn’t Change, Police Say





Pot Policy Wouldn’t Change, Police Say
Posted by CN Staff on April 06, 2003 at 09:40:38 PT
By Stefanie Von Brochowski
Source: Columbia Missourian 
Regardless of how Proposition 1 fares at the polls Tuesday, officials with three law-enforcement agencies that operate in Columbia said their handling of marijuana possession would not change.Proposition 1 would force Columbia Police to send all possession cases of 35 grams or less to municipal court, where fines could be imposed starting at $25 for a first offense.
However, the Boone County Sheriff’s Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol would continue sending all possession cases to state court. State law states that possession of 35 grams or less of marijuana is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.“We do not enforce municipal ordinances — we go by state law,” said Maj. O.J. Stone of the Boone County Sheriff’s Department. “All of our arrests are handled according to state law, and the city ordinance change, if it in fact occurs, will not affect our operation at all.”Lt. Tim Hull of the Missouri State Highway Patrol said his agency wouldn’t be affected by the proposed ordinance either, and it would still use state law for possession cases involving 35 grams or less.The other law enforcement agency operating in Columbia city limits, the MU Police Department, has the authority to enforce either city or state law. In practice, MU police generally use the existing city law to send simple possession cases to municipal court. MU Police Chief Fred Otto said that wouldn’t change under Proposition 1.“We generally send under 35 grams to the city court. Over, we send to the state court because that’s what the prosecutors have advised us to do,” Otto said. “Until we hear otherwise from the prosecutors, we’re going to follow what we’re doing right now.”Proposition 1 is modeled after the city law in Ann Arbor, Mich. Ann Arbor police enforce a municipal law enacted in 1972 that softened penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana.“If we arrest someone, we issue them a ticket,” said Lt. Michael Logghi of the Ann Arbor Police Department.Normally, the ticketed individual ends up with a $25 fine plus court costs. Because smoking marijuana is a civil infraction, the ticket doesn’t remain on the person’s record.Proponents of Proposition 1 have also used Ann Arbor to make their case that reducing penalties for marijuana possession does not contribute to more use of the drug.MU law student Anthony Johnson, who drafted the proposed Columbia ordinance, cited a survey of undergraduate students conducted in 2001 by the Student Abuse Research Center at the University of Michigan.“The study shows that 33 percent of students reported using marijuana the past year, and 1.9 percent reported using cocaine,” Johnson said. “These rates are lower than the rates nationally across college campuses, illustrating that Ann Arbor’s marijuana-enforcement policy doesn’t have a detrimental effect upon drug use.” The national rates are 34 percent for marijuana and 4.8 percent for cocaine, Johnson said.Logghi doesn’t believe that the city law in Ann Arbor has lead to more marijuana use.“We’re an extremely liberal community here,” Logghi said, “but I don’t think people come to Ann Arbor just so they can smoke a joint.”However, Logghi does not agree with another argument made by proponents of Proposition 1 that reducing penalties for possession would let police focus on more serious crime.“I personally would disagree with that,” Logghi said. “That argument is fundamentally flawed. I don’t know what Columbia is like, but I’m sure it’s not a hotbed of criminal activity, such as our community is not. And I think that any law that’s on the book you have to enforce as it is. But to say that it’s going to free up more time for officers, I think that’s a ludicrous argument.” Note: Possession cases would go to the same court, enforcement agencies say. Source: Columbia Missourian (MO)Author: Stefanie Von BrochowskiPublished: April 6, 2003 Copyright: 2003 Columbia MissourianWebsite: http://www.columbiamissourian.com/Contact: http://www.columbiamissourian.com/feedback/Related Articles:Federal Official Issues Pot Warning http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15868.shtmlPot Initiative Draws Federal Attention http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15864.shtml Marijuana Proposition Worries Law Enforcementhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15845.shtml
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Comment #5 posted by The GCW on April 08, 2003 at 05:14:36 PT
It's 4:8:3 Election day in Columbia, MO
On the other side of the issue, Sen. Ken Jacob, D-Columbia, Warren Welliver - - a former Missouri Supreme Court judge - and Welliveris daughter, Christy Welliver, have endorsed Proposition 1, according to a news release from the Columbia group supporting the proposition. Christy Welliver has multiple sclerosis. Her father served on the stateis highest court from 1979 to 1989. Jacob was elected to the Missouri Senate in 1996 and previously served on the Columbia Board of Education. US MO: Groups, People Take Sides On Prop 1
 http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n501/a09.html?397 
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Comment #4 posted by freedom fighter on April 06, 2003 at 12:46:29 PT
Things that Johnny does not want to see or hear
MU law student Anthony Johnson, who drafted the proposed Columbia ordinance, cited a survey of undergraduate students conducted in 2001 by the Student Abuse Research Center at the University of Michigan.“The study shows that 33 percent of students reported using marijuana the past year, and 1.9 percent reported using cocaine,” Johnson said. “These rates are lower than the rates nationally across college campuses, illustrating that Ann Arbor’s marijuana-enforcement policy doesn’t have a detrimental effect upon drug use.” The national rates are 34 percent for marijuana and 4.8 percent for cocaine, Johnson said.Hey, Joyce and Johnny, Remember the Ann Arbor? I'll gamble and bet there were statements like this, "If Ann Arbor changes the marijewwanna-enforcement policy will cause increase in marijewwanna among the young. It will send wrong meeeesssaaagggeee..." Sounds familar does'nt it. Hey, Joyce and Johnnny, do'nt go away yet, the study was conducted in this country. Paid for by the taxpayers and it shows very clearly you are mistaken.Remember Ann Arbor!!!The battlecry should be this!!!! Remember Ann Arbor!pazff
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Comment #3 posted by BGreen on April 06, 2003 at 11:57:43 PT
We don't give a &$^* what the voters want
We ARE the law.Welcome to misery.
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Comment #2 posted by MikeEEEEE on April 06, 2003 at 11:12:13 PT
addiction to stupidy
The police are addicted to prohibition. Sometimes to justify their existence, and to get off their lazy asses, they have arrest somebody with a joint. These simple, EASY non-violent arrests create over-time $$$$$, booking, court time, etc., something they don't want to lose, even they have to hurt the life of somebody by giving them a criminal record. We need to get mean-spiritedness out of government.
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Comment #1 posted by Nasarius on April 06, 2003 at 10:46:10 PT
Gotta love it...
Police breaking the law.
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