Florida - Voters won't face an initiative to decriminalize marijuana in Atlantic Beach and Jacksonville Beach when they go to the polls in November.
The Jacksonville chapter of the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy didn't get enough signatures to meet the May 6 deadline for the November ballot, said Beth Fleet, Duval County Elections Office candidate administrator.
But marijuana decriminalization advocates could gain some traction as they plan another Jacksonville Beach Hemp Fest, which is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 21 at the SeaWalk Pavilion on First Street North in Jacksonville Beach.
The committee has been collecting signatures to put an amendment on the ballot that would make possession of 20 grams or less of marijuana a civil infraction rather than a misdemeanor crime. Presently, someone charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana faces up to a year in jail and $1,000 in fines.
Ford Banister, Jacksonville chairman of the Marijuana Policy committee, said he isn't giving up. Under state law, the signatures are good for up to four years.
"We are confident that based on the rate of petitioning and the positive feedback we have received from the citizens of both Beaches cities, that the Sensible Marijuana Policy Amendment will be presented to the voters no later than the 2012 general election," Banner said.
Since the petition drive began last summer, committee members have held several protests and signature-gathering events outside Jacksonville Beach City Hall and knocked on doors to urge residents to sign the petition.
The committee collected about 400 signatures in Jacksonville Beach and 100 signatures in Atlantic Beach, Banister said.
Both numbers fell far short of the 1,442 signatures needed for the amendment to be placed on the Jacksonville Beach ballot and the 972 required for the ballot in Atlantic Beach, Fleet said.
Jacksonville Beach Mayor Fland Sharp scoffed at the proposal several months ago and predicted it would never happen in his city. Sharp was on vacation this week and couldn't be reached for comment.
Councilman Rick Knight said he wasn't surprised the effort failed to get enough support.
"It's difficult to get people to sign that," Knight said, noting the signatures become public record. "Culturally, it's just not the right thing to do."
Last summer, marijuana advocates chose Jacksonville Beach as the first city in Florida to decriminalize marijuana, in large part due to legal conflicts that Hempfest coordinators had with Jacksonville Beach in the previous dozen years.
The committee launched the Atlantic Beach effort after advocates saw that many people who wanted to sign a Jacksonville Beach petition lived a few miles to the north, Banister said.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Jacksonville.com
Author: Caren Burmeister
Contact: Jacksonville.com
Copyright: 2010 Jacksonville.com
Website: Bid to decriminalize pot in Beaches cities falls short of signatures
The Jacksonville chapter of the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy didn't get enough signatures to meet the May 6 deadline for the November ballot, said Beth Fleet, Duval County Elections Office candidate administrator.
But marijuana decriminalization advocates could gain some traction as they plan another Jacksonville Beach Hemp Fest, which is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 21 at the SeaWalk Pavilion on First Street North in Jacksonville Beach.
The committee has been collecting signatures to put an amendment on the ballot that would make possession of 20 grams or less of marijuana a civil infraction rather than a misdemeanor crime. Presently, someone charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana faces up to a year in jail and $1,000 in fines.
Ford Banister, Jacksonville chairman of the Marijuana Policy committee, said he isn't giving up. Under state law, the signatures are good for up to four years.
"We are confident that based on the rate of petitioning and the positive feedback we have received from the citizens of both Beaches cities, that the Sensible Marijuana Policy Amendment will be presented to the voters no later than the 2012 general election," Banner said.
Since the petition drive began last summer, committee members have held several protests and signature-gathering events outside Jacksonville Beach City Hall and knocked on doors to urge residents to sign the petition.
The committee collected about 400 signatures in Jacksonville Beach and 100 signatures in Atlantic Beach, Banister said.
Both numbers fell far short of the 1,442 signatures needed for the amendment to be placed on the Jacksonville Beach ballot and the 972 required for the ballot in Atlantic Beach, Fleet said.
Jacksonville Beach Mayor Fland Sharp scoffed at the proposal several months ago and predicted it would never happen in his city. Sharp was on vacation this week and couldn't be reached for comment.
Councilman Rick Knight said he wasn't surprised the effort failed to get enough support.
"It's difficult to get people to sign that," Knight said, noting the signatures become public record. "Culturally, it's just not the right thing to do."
Last summer, marijuana advocates chose Jacksonville Beach as the first city in Florida to decriminalize marijuana, in large part due to legal conflicts that Hempfest coordinators had with Jacksonville Beach in the previous dozen years.
The committee launched the Atlantic Beach effort after advocates saw that many people who wanted to sign a Jacksonville Beach petition lived a few miles to the north, Banister said.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Jacksonville.com
Author: Caren Burmeister
Contact: Jacksonville.com
Copyright: 2010 Jacksonville.com
Website: Bid to decriminalize pot in Beaches cities falls short of signatures
