cannabisnews.com: Lawmakers Aiming To Soften Pot Penalties










  Lawmakers Aiming To Soften Pot Penalties

Posted by CN Staff on January 27, 2009 at 06:41:27 PT
By Mary E. O’Leary, Register Topics Editor 
Source: New Haven Register  

Connecticut -- Taking a cue from Massachusetts, top state legislators are pushing a bill to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana as a way to save law enforcement and court costs.The proposal by state Senate Majority Leader Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, and state Sen. Toni N. Harp, D-New Haven, chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, would change the penalty for possession of an ounce or less of pot to an infraction, rather than an unclassified misdemeanor.
In a referendum in November, Massachusetts voted 65 percent to 35 percent in favor of levying a $100 fine, rather than a bringing a criminal charge, for possession of an ounce or less, something that is analogous to a motor vehicle ticket.Harp said her committee is looking at the costs of certain laws in tough budget years. The state is facing a $900 million deficit this year, and close to $8 billion in the next two years.“This involves a relatively minor risk to society, but at a high cost” to the criminal justice system, said Harp.A study conducted by Harvard University found Massachusetts spent $30 million annually on police arresting people with these small amounts of marijuana, a figure that didn’t include court and penal system costs.The Connecticut Office of Legislative Research, in an August 2008 report, said there were no statistics for the number of people in Connecticut prosecuted for small amounts of marijuana.But of the 10,006 residents prosecuted in 2007 for possession of a controlled substance, including less than four ounces of marijuana, 35 percent were convicted, with first-time offenders facing up to a year in prison and as much as a $1,000 fine. Additional convictions in Connecticut can result in five years in prison and fines as high as $3,000.“It’s a significant cost to the criminal justice system,” said Looney, particularly since anyone charged with a criminal misdemeanor has the right to a public defender.State Rep. Michael P. Lawlor, D-East Haven, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said the state has been passing legislation for some time now that shifts penalties for nonviolent crimes to rehabilitation.Lawlor said if the goal is “to stop kids from ruining their lives on drugs,” then the last 30 years of criminal penalties does not appear to have worked.“The remote possibility of going to jail doesn’t seem to have had an impact,” said Lawlor, who favors rehab, paired with some kind of meaningful sanction, such as the loss of a license, to curb drug use.The Judiciary Committee chairman views the marijuana bill as going in the right direction, although more symbolic, than substantive.He hoped it would open up a discussion of laws that continue to “load up the prisons,” versus other options in a state that spends about as much on incarceration — some $650 million annually — as it does on higher education.Anthony Salvatore, legislative liaison for the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association, said he is opposed to the marijuana bill on several levels.“I don’t like the message it sends to our officers. Are they expected to carry scales with them?” he asked of measuring an ounce of marijuana, versus 2 ounces.He said if the issue is really about legalizing marijuana, then lawmakers should have a discussion about that. Lawmakers have said that is not the intent.Salvatore, police chief in Cromwell, said the prosecution of people with small amounts of marijuana “in some cases has led to solving other kinds of major crimes.”Source: New Haven Register (CT)Author: Mary E. O’Leary, Register Topics EditorPublished: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 Copyright: 2009 New Haven RegisterContact: letters nhregister.comWebsite: http://www.nhregister.comURL: http://drugsense.org/url/w62ar8iqRelated Article:State Budget Deficit May Aid MJ Reform Efforthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24443.shtmlCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 

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Comment #35 posted by runruff on February 02, 2009 at 06:12:26 PT
Vincent,
I knew that, I was just being playful.Old cops never pass away, they are shipped off to the local Hormel meat packing plant.Have a good day and peace to you and yours.
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Comment #34 posted by vincent on February 01, 2009 at 11:33:23 PT:
response to runruff
When I said, oh so cleverly, that Anthony "Lock 'em up and throw away the key" Salvatore was (probably still is) a pi-...I didn't mean 3.14 (as in circumference of a circle), I meant (still do!) that he is a PIG--as in the correct name for COPS. I call them PIGS (proudly, I might add), because it is very descriptive of their function 
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Comment #33 posted by runruff on January 30, 2009 at 08:00:51 PT
"He's a pi"
You mean pi as in 3.14?
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Comment #32 posted by Vincent on January 30, 2009 at 07:41:51 PT:
Connecticut decriminalization program
So Anthony Salvatore, head of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association, is against Herb decriminalization, eh? What do you expect? He's a pi--I mean cop. 
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Comment #31 posted by FoM on January 28, 2009 at 20:48:03 PT
dankhank 
I don't mind snow but we had snow then ice then snow. It's so slippery. Trees that are weakened by the ice could snap and we could lose power at anytime. Sometimes you think the trouble is over and then down come trees on the electric wires. We have a friend delivering freight in Tulsa today and he said it was bad the whole way out there.
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Comment #30 posted by dankhank on January 28, 2009 at 20:26:16 PT
snow
we got a little, mostly sleet, though, on Mon night.Tomorrow will be the third day of school outage ...Obama would mock us, too ...bunch of kitties round here ...FoM, Hope ... hope y'all keep y'alls 'lectric
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Comment #29 posted by FoM on January 28, 2009 at 19:24:12 PT
Just a Picture
This is a picture of the ice storm. We haven't lost power so far but the trees are really stressed with all the ice.http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/Snow.jpg
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Comment #28 posted by Hope on January 28, 2009 at 13:36:23 PT
Fight_4_Freedom
I read that sad story about that poor old man. It's a shame. I can go to the woods and gather fallen wood if it comes down to it. I've got a car I can get somewhere else in, too. It's not likely to happen this time. We're doing ok in this area. It's February and March I worry more about. Maybe I can round up some wood before then.
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Comment #27 posted by fight_4_freedom on January 28, 2009 at 10:58:57 PT
You might have seen it before
Here is a debate that aired on CNBC before marijuana inc was shown the other night.Aaron Houston of MPP debates Asa Hutchinson. Aaron of course did not get enough time to speak and really defend his points.http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1010175323
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Comment #26 posted by FoM on January 28, 2009 at 10:47:49 PT
fight_4_freedom
I'd like to see it. Maybe I did but I don't remember. Oh to have a young mind! LOL!
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Comment #25 posted by fight_4_freedom on January 28, 2009 at 10:43:04 PT
I do remember seeing that picture FoM
And that is quite an adorable one if I might add. I posted a picture of "Tonka" here on C-News sometime back. I'll have to look for it again.
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Comment #24 posted by fight_4_freedom on January 28, 2009 at 10:37:38 PT
I HOPE and pray that your electricity stays on
Hope. We don't want you to freeze like an Older gentleman just did here in my city. Such a sad story. I wrote a LTE to the local newspaper after I became enraged. Here's the story for those of you who have a strong stomach. http://tinyurl.com/cd78gwSnipCity manager says utility followed policy on limiting man's electricityA pathologist said a 93-year-old Bay City man froze to death inside his home - his body found days after city workers said they limited electricity flowing to the house.Marvin E. Schur suffered "a slow, painful death" inside his home at 1600 S. Chilson St. on Bay City's southwest side, said Dr. Kanu Virani, who performed an autopsy on the body."Hypothermia shuts the whole system down, slowly," Virani said. "It's not easy to die from hypothermia without first realizing your fingers and toes feel like they're burning."Funeral services for Schur, a retired pattern-maker who lived alone, are at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Gephart Funeral Home, 201 W. Midland St. Schur's wife, retired elementary-school teacher Marian I. (Meisel) Schur, died several years ago, and the couple had no children.Virani, Oakland County's deputy chief medical examiner, performs autopsies for Bay County and numerous other Michigan counties. Of about 15,000 autopsies Virani has conducted, he said Marvin Schur's autopsy "is the first one I can remember doing on someone who froze to death indoors."Virani said the temperature inside Schur's home was less than 32 degrees when neighbors George A. Pauwels Jr. and his wife, Shannon, found Schur's body Jan. 17.George Pauwels Jr. said Schur owed almost $1,100 in electricity bills to the city of Bay City, though Pauwels said he noticed money clipped to those bills on Schur's kitchen table the day he found Schur's body.Bay City Manager Robert V. Belleman said a worker with Bay City Electric Light & Power placed a "limiter" device outside Schur's home, between Schur's electricity meter and electrical service, on Jan. 13.
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Comment #23 posted by FoM on January 28, 2009 at 10:33:49 PT
fight_4_freedom
You have a Rott too! I don't know if you saw this picture of Kaptin. He liked chewing on the dry wall bucket lids when we were remodeling and building on the house. They have a nice fenced in yard and I know why you miss it.http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/kaptin.jpg
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Comment #22 posted by fight_4_freedom on January 28, 2009 at 10:29:14 PT
We just missed getting hit with that storm FoM
I woke up to about 2-3 inches of the fluffy white stuff. Makes for a little more hassle while driving but it's nothing we can't handle. I hope the storm doesn't get too bad for you guys. Stay bundled up and stay inside unless you absolutely have to leave.My year and a half old rot loves the winter weather. As soon as he gets a look at the snow on the ground that tail goes into complete wagging mode. I think I may take him down to a fenced in park where he has tons of room to run a little later.That's another thing I miss about living in the country. Our backyard is too small here in the city to allow him adequate space to run.
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Comment #21 posted by FoM on January 28, 2009 at 10:19:11 PT
Hope 
Oh my. The last time we lost power was because of a high wind storm. I missed coffee the most so this time we made a big pot of coffee turned it off and are letting it sit incase it happens again. I can heat it up on the stove if I have too. Can you get a little wood?
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Comment #20 posted by Hope on January 28, 2009 at 10:13:44 PT
It's below freezing here.
For some reason, the Republican didn't want to fool with wood this year so if we lose power we're in big trouble. We heat with electricity and only electricity when we don't have wood. Republicans.I'm pretty mad at him right now. 
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Comment #19 posted by FoM on January 28, 2009 at 09:24:46 PT
More Off Topic
The snow has hit and it's beautiful but we can't see the barn or anything. It's a white out. I can't imagine with the wind and snow and ice that we won't lose power. I'll keep looking for articles as long as I can. Stay safe for those who are in this storm.
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on January 28, 2009 at 07:48:20 PT

josephlacerenza 
This is a very dangerous storm. We had snow on the ground and now it is coated in ice with an arctic blast coming in soon and will drop the temperatures and bring in snow. The dogs are in and comfortable. Our big old Rott if he slipped he could really hurt himself. He is slowly going blind so we take good care of them. Our little husky type dog is in heaven and loves the weather. She is probably dreaming of her ancestors sled dog days. LOL!I do think we will lose power.
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Comment #17 posted by josephlacerenza on January 28, 2009 at 07:37:54 PT

Ice, Ice Every Where
I have to say, that those ice storms sound horrible!!! I have never seen, or been in one. Today is in the 30's here in Bozeman, Montana. We get ice, but it is from when the snow melts just enough to harden at night. Keep warm and safe FoM!! Oh, and don't let the dogs freeze out there. lol
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on January 28, 2009 at 07:24:49 PT

runruff 
Too much! LOL!
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Comment #15 posted by runruff on January 28, 2009 at 07:17:14 PT

Good one!
That hat looks like something he picked up on Broke Back Mountian.I love Bobby though!
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on January 28, 2009 at 07:09:38 PT

runruff
Don't forget about Bob Dylan. LOL!http://www.jewishjournal.com/images/photos/COV_dylan_101405.jpg
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on January 28, 2009 at 07:06:08 PT

runruff
You really are funny. I got my tv satellite to work. I took a sprayer and shot warm water onto the frozen feedhorn out the window and it is working now. Neccessity is the mother of invention. 
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Comment #12 posted by runruff on January 28, 2009 at 06:53:18 PT

Shalom, ya'll !
I ask one of my best friends, who is jewish, in a conversation one day, "why arn't there any jewish cowboys?"He said ,"because they don't make a ten gallon yamaka? [yarmulke]" True story!
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on January 28, 2009 at 05:59:03 PT

Dankhank
Memories! LOL!We woke up to ice and more ice. I might lose power so if I disappear and miss an important article I'll catch up when I can. Our TV satellite is full of ice and won't work but at least so far my data card is working. Our dogs when we let them out couldn't walk. They wanted back in fast. We wouldn't even dare to go out and try to remove the ice it's too darn dangerous. The trees are beautiful but weighed down with ice. I hope everyone that has been hit with this storm is ok.
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Comment #10 posted by dankhank on January 27, 2009 at 20:42:19 PT

Back in the early 70's ...
here in SW OK we had an outdoor postal station in the parking lot of a strip mall. It had a really nice electronic scale out there for all to use to measure packages ... of all kinds ...The scale measured more than 2 pounds ... and was used a lot in the evenings.
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on January 27, 2009 at 19:34:56 PT

The GCW
You gave me the idea to check what might be happening in my state and I found some positive news and I am posting it here.***Excerpt: Strickland's prisons director Terry Collins laid out a variety of money-saving options for state lawmakers in a recent memo, including equalizing crack cocaine sentences to match lesser ones for powdered cocaine, moving nonviolent prisoners into more community-based programs or putting them on GPS devices, and shaving time off people's sentences for betterment efforts they undertake such as earning a GED.Aging inmates who have been well-behaved, sometimes for decades, could also be moved into less expensive quarters to save money.Democrats like Strickland, a former prison psychologist, have an opportunity to take advantage of the economic downturn and the states' thirst for cash to push for such prison reforms.Doing so would ease prison overcrowding, save millions in taxpayer dollars, and reverse many of the tough-on-crime initiatives of the Republicans that Democrats opposed in the first place.http://www.ohio.com/news/38439124.html
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Comment #8 posted by The GCW on January 27, 2009 at 19:17:29 PT

Options & tintala,
Instead of making Mr. Friendly carry a scale, they could just go to the nearest post office...Once cannabis becomes re-legalized We will be also able to go to the local post office to ... do the same.-0-tintala,along with Mr. Friendly getting less gravy, the prison industry is going with out some too.Example: Colorado-Ritter recommends deep cuts to budget - http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20090127/NEWS/901279959/1055&title=Ritter%20recommends%20deep%20cuts%20to%20budgetGov. Bill Ritter recommended that the state close two prisons, ......Ritter recommended that the state close the Colorado Women’s Correctional Facility in Canon City and the Rifle Correctional Center in Rifle and move the 400 inmates to other prisons.
...

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Comment #7 posted by Hope on January 27, 2009 at 18:04:44 PT

"...meaningful sanction"?
There we go again. He must make a whole lot of money if he thinks a hundred dollars is so insignificant to most people as to be meaningless.He wants blood, and quite a bit of it, I suspect.
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Comment #6 posted by Hope on January 27, 2009 at 18:01:27 PT

What?
"I don't like the message it sends to our officers. Are they expected to carry scales with them," he asked of measuring an ounce of marijuana, versus 2 ounces."The "Message" here, sir, is get to work and do what you're supposed to do for the people you work for. Scales aren't as heavy and cumbersome as weapons, nightsticks, and radios and all your other paraphernalia. They aren't heavy or cumbersome. A key chain scale will do. What are you griping about? Chop. Chop.Wonder what he has against the "Message"?
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Comment #5 posted by afterburner on January 27, 2009 at 17:50:39 PT

Appalling
Connecticut - "a state that spends about as much on incarceration — some $650 million annually — as it does on higher education."Addicted to prohibition, they have been. At least the lawmakers are trying to change, as usual with police sirens sounding!Education and job training will do more for the state and for the nation than the lock 'em up and throw away the key policies of the last 20 years.
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Comment #4 posted by Sam Adams on January 27, 2009 at 15:32:59 PT

puh-leeze
“I don’t like the message it sends to our officers. Are they expected to carry scales with them?” he asked of measuring an ounce of marijuana, versus 2 ounces.Yeah, carrying a scale in your $60,000 squad car while you earn $90,000 per year, plus penion and health care until death, is real tough! My heart goes out to you! 
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Comment #3 posted by tintala on January 27, 2009 at 13:45:08 PT:

One good thing about the economy collapse
Is more and more law enforcement are loosing funding for minor drug offenses like possession or use. lol
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on January 27, 2009 at 10:33:42 PT

potpal 
Sometimes I think they say things in a certain way that they hope will appease the right leaning folks like the Governor.
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Comment #1 posted by potpal on January 27, 2009 at 10:19:28 PT

jeez
I'd like to see someone say that we are doing this for the people's sake, not for the cops, jails and courts.The crooked cops, those corrupted by prohibition and on the take, most likely carry scales anyway...
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