cannabisnews.com: Hampden County D.A. To Drop Marijuana Charges Hampden County D.A. To Drop Marijuana Charges Posted by CN Staff on November 06, 2008 at 08:43:53 PT By Dan Ring Source: Republican Boston, MA -- A day after voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot question to decriminalize marijuana, Hampden District Attorney William M. Bennett said Wednesday that he will drop all pending charges of possessing an ounce or less of marijuana and will no longer prosecute new cases.Bennett said he wants to honor the spirit of the ballot initiative, which makes possession of an ounce or less of marijuana punishable with a civil fine of $100. The law will take effect in late December or early January, officials said. "I'm going to act as if the law were in effect now," said Bennett, who campaigned against the ballot question and said he hopes the results don't send the wrong message.Bennett said he didn't know how many pending marijuana possession charges would be dismissed, but said he didn't think it would be significant. In the future, he said, he wants to focus on arresting drug dealers.Voters approved the ballot question by about 65 percent to 35 percent.District attorneys, county sheriffs and police chiefs all opposed the question, saying marijuana leads to use of harder drugs and causes serious health and safety problems.Bennett said because of the strong support of the question he won't support any effort to repeal or amend the law. Prosecutors or police might eventually ask the state Legislature to alter the pending ballot law.Elizabeth D. Scheibel, the district attorney for Franklin and Hampshire counties, said prosecutors would likely talk about their next step and what, if any, action they would pursue on Beacon Hill in response to approval of the ballot question.The ballot question establishes a new system of civil penalties for possession, while retaining current criminal laws against cultivating, dealing and driving under the influence of marijuana.Bennett said he also plans to end a program in his office that provides counseling for first-time drug offenders. The so-called diversion program includes a lot of marijuana cases.Complete Article: http://drugsense.org/url/gJVl7VQqNewshawk: Sam AdamsSource: Republican, The (Springfield, MA)Author: Dan RingPublished: Wednesday, November 05, 2008Copyright: 2008 The RepublicanContact: letters repub.comWebsite: http://www.masslive.com/republican/Related Articles & Web Site:Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policyhttp://www.sensiblemarijuanapolicy.org/Officials Hurry To Hash Out New Marijuana Lawhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24288.shtmlInitiatives Provoke Ire, Joyhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24287.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #8 posted by Hope on November 08, 2008 at 12:32:56 PT "Hope I'm wrong." :0)There you go.A little hope can recreate a little of you that cynicism and hopeless can diminish. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Natasha on November 07, 2008 at 12:26:34 PT: hmm... Slowly but surely... http://www.momslom.com [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by observer on November 06, 2008 at 17:19:43 PT Hope I'm wrong. Hope I'm wrong. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Hope on November 06, 2008 at 12:11:15 PT "Not in America." Have hope, Observer. It's a new day. Have some hope.It may get blasted... but have it anyway... for a moment. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by observer on November 06, 2008 at 11:38:53 PT Prosecutors, Police Veto Decrim Bennett said he wants to honor the spirit of the ballot initiative... Bennett said because of the strong support of the question he won't support any effort to repeal or amend the law. This certainly is a refreshing sentiment. A nice thought. It would be great to see officials who are sworn to uphold the Constitution and Bill of Rights - actually respect the wishes of people to have returned to them traditional freedoms their grandparents once held. Bennett said he didn't know how many pending marijuana possession charges would be dismissed, but said he didn't think it would be significant.Ah - back to the "we hardly ever bust pot smokers" tact. Bennett said he also plans to end a program in his office that provides counseling for first-time drug offenders. The so-called diversion program includes a lot of marijuana cases.There we go: a confession that the "counseling for first-time drug offenders" programs - the so-called "drug courts" - are a sham. (Thank you very much for the admission.) The drug courts are of course aimed at cannabis users. Pot smokers are the cash cow for drug courts and cannabis users are their avenue of growth potential. Knock out cannabis from the equation: no forced "treatment" for cannabis, no jail for cannabis, no "court costs" for cannabis, no probation for cannabis, no drug testing for cannabis, and most of their prohibition sand castles will go right out with the tide. Prosecutors or police might eventually ask the state Legislature to alter the pending ballot law.Of course. We all know what cannabis prohibition is really all about: aggrandizing government and police power and revenues, at the expense of our freedom and health. Just because 2/3 of the people vote for their freedoms back, doesn't mean the police state will let it happen. Not in America. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by The GCW on November 06, 2008 at 10:54:54 PT Savin' moolah So this new law that hasn't gone into effect yet is already safing the tax payer money. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by potpal on November 06, 2008 at 10:28:46 PT Imagine that Then multiply it by 50. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by museman on November 06, 2008 at 09:31:59 PT drug dealers Great things are happening in America -as long as one doesn't attach the illusory 'need' for money to accomplish all things- but there is more work ahead than ever before.The prohibition phrase 'drug dealer' has just got to be put in proper place."In the future, he said, he wants to focus on arresting drug dealers."If that were true, kind of like the phrase 'go after the real criminals' then he and his fellow 'servers and protectors' would be going after the real drug dealers; Big Pharma, tha A.M.A., the C.I.A., a good portion of the members of the D.E.A., the F.D.A., and the political lobbies and puppets that 'push' the drugs on an innocent trusting public with devastating results;Our immunse systems have been severely compromised by over prescribing antibibotics for everything from a scratch to severe infections. The waters have been polluted with these and many other pharma related toxins. More than half of the drugs 'approved' by these affore-mentioned rich-people-run organizations have side affects worse than the original 'symptoms' they supposedly treat. Thousands of people have suffered and even died because of it -does that apply to the 'law' that wants to punish 'drug dealers' with the death penalty when someone dies as a result of their dealings? Seems to me that there are more criminals (at least in terms of the amount of damage) driving around in limos, than there are in prison.The WOD, and other legaleze snafus have re-written common terminology and word meanings to suit their agenda to appeal to ignorant, emotionally unstable people -who are kept in that virtually perpetual state by occupations that have only the reward and honor of barely surviviing, Roman style entertainment on TV to occupy their mostly empty mind on the days when they might have an opportunity to think, and by (false religious) moral codes that allow for corruption on high levels but keep the population in line. - to scrath the BS surface.The system as it has been has allowed for the worst, and empowers and entitles them to rise to positions of power -through socially acceptable ruthlessness- while good people are trampled on 'in the way to the top.'The quantitative judgements and separations of people by false comparative standards such as 'academia,' 'race,' 'economic solvency,' 'bloodlines,' and religious beliefs are coming to an end.It's been a long, dark, uphill battle, but the people are winning. There is no time to rest, or to celebrate, because we've only just now gotten to the point where we can actually begin to flex the muscles of our collective power as people intending to 'govern themselves' -instead of 'leaving it to our 'betters.''Time to push the usurpers, false auhtorities, would-be-conquerors, into the sea of oblivion, once and for all. Its a lot of work, but hey you're gonna work anyway, might as well make it count for something other than perpetuating the society of the rich and famous.Lets get rid of drug dealers. I agree. But lets get it straight just as to who the 'kingpins' really are first.FREE SWEET DREAMS FOR EVERYONE [ Post Comment ] Post Comment