Question 2: Into Effect Midnight Thursday

[Ganjarden]

Question Two, the law decriminalizing marijuana possession, goes into effect after midnight Thursday.

Although the question passed with about 65% of voters in approval, controversy still surrounds this piece of legislation.

Advocates of Question Two are fighting towns that have recently enacted by-laws or ordinances allowing police to treat possession of marijuana as a misdemeanor offense.

Question Two replaces criminal charges for small amounts of pot with a $100 fine.

Residents who voted for the law say the time for arguing the measure has passed.

Ray Gorman of Wilbraham said, "My feeling is there are a lot worse issues that we need to get people in jail for."

Gary Maceyka of Holyoke tells 22News, "We went to the voting booth and said what we wanted to. Obviously, Massachusetts, including myself, believes it should not be as criminalized as it was."


News Hawk- Ganjarden 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: WWLP-TV
Author: Kristen Baran
Contact: WWLP-TV
Copyright: 2009 WWLP-TV
Website: Question 2: Into Effect Midnight Thursday

 

[wordsworm]

"Advocates of Question Two are fighting towns that have recently enacted by-laws or ordinances allowing police to treat possession of marijuana as a misdemeanor offense."

If the state is willing to allow, even encourage municipal bylaws against MJ, how about a municipality that tries to legalize MJ altogether?

 

[Erk202]

why not just make a law, if its found outside ur residence, or selling u get fined/locked up

 

[wordsworm]

"why not just make a law, if its found outside ur residence, or selling u get fined/locked up"

That's what we've got right now. And why should people who sell it get locked up? They're just supplying a demand. Why shouldn't people be allowed to smoke in a cafe or club if the owner allows it?

 

[Erk202]

no what i meant is, make it legal to smoke and have inside "our residence".

 

[Keith Lake]

If the state is willing to allow, even encourage municipal bylaws against MJ, how about a municipality that tries to legalize MJ altogether?

The most notable example of this is Denver; who legalized by a vote of 54/46: see next post

I think a few smaller cities have also tried (Fayetteville?)

It would be interesting to hear from some of the Denver people how much this is being respected by LEO. I can imagine the city police saying they have to follow state law to try to ignore it.

 

[Jim Finnel]

Denver Residents Legalize Marijuana Possession

DENVER — Residents of the Mile High City have voted to allow adults to possess up to an ounce of marijuana. Authorities, though, said state possession laws will be applied instead.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting early Wednesday, 54 percent, or 56,001 voters, cast ballots for the ordinance, while 46 percent, or 48,632 voters, voted against it.

Under the measure, residents over 21 years old could possess up to an ounce of marijuana.

"We educated voters about the facts that marijuana is less harmful to the user and society than alcohol," said Mason Tvert, campaign organizer for SAFER, or Safer Alternatives For Enjoyable Recreation (search). "To prohibit adults from making the rational, safer choice to use marijuana is bad public policy."

Bruce Mirken of the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project (search) said he hoped the approval will launch a national trend toward legalizing a drug whose enforcement he said causes more problems than it cures.

Seattle, Oakland, Calif., and a few college towns already have laws making possession the lowest law enforcement priority.

The Denver (search) proposal seemed to draw at least as much attention for supporters' campaign tactics as it did for the question of legalizing the drug.

Tvert argued that legalizing marijuana would reduce consumption of alcohol, which he said leads to higher rates of car accidents, domestic and street violence and crime.

The group criticized Mayor John Hickenlooper (search) for opposing the proposal, noting his ownership of a popular brewpub. It also said recent violent crimes -- including the shootings of four people last weekend -- as a reason to legalize marijuana to steer people away from alcohol use.

Those tactics angered local officials and some voters. Opponents also said it made no sense to prevent prosecution by Denver authorities while marijuana charges are most often filed under state and federal law.

The measure would not affect the medical marijuana law voters approved in 2000. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court (search) ruled that medical marijuana laws in Colorado and nine other states would not protect licensed users from federal prosecution.

Also Tuesday, voters in the ski resort town of Telluride rejected a proposal to make possession of an ounce or less of marijuana by people 18 or older the town's lowest law enforcement priority. The measure was rejected on a vote of 308-332.


Source

 

[Jim Finnel]

....I think a few smaller cities have also tried (Fayetteville?)....

these spring to mind and i'm sure there are more. i know about these because i'm in that general area.

Fayetteville, Ark.
Hot Springs, Ark.
Joplin, Mo.
Columbia, Mo.

 

[Keith Lake]

these spring to mind and i'm sure there are more. i know about these because i'm in that general area.

Fayetteville, Ark.
Hot Springs, Ark.
Joplin, Mo.
Columbia, Mo.

Did the cops change their behavior with the new law?

Oh, and sorry for the rouge link, I'll learn the rules yet ;-)

 

[Jim Finnel]

Did the cops change their behavior with the new law?

i don't get out much so i'm not sure about LEO reactions.

Fayetteville, Ark.
Fayetteville Voters High On Less Enforcement
Marijuana Initiative Makes The Ballot In Fayetteville
Students, Officials React To Lowest Priority Marijuana Initiative
Eueka Springs, Ark.(not hot springs,my mistake)
Eureka Springs did it in 2006.
"When any law enforcement officer suspects any adult of possession of a misdemeanor amount of marijuana and/or possession of marijuana paraphernalia, that person shall not be required to post bond, suffer arrest, suffer incarceration, suffer prosecution, be taken into custody for any purpose nor detained for any reason other than the issuance of a citation. There shall be a strong presumption that the proper disposition of any such case is to suspend the imposition of sentence and/or require community service work and/or drug counseling and education." The ballot language continues by pointing out that: "The message of this ordinance is that people should not use marijuana, but should also not lose opportunities for education and employment because of such use. The limited resources of law enforcement should be directed primarily toward crimes of violence or property loss. The enforcement of laws against marijuana shall be the lowest law enforcement priority." source
Joplin, Mo.
failed to get enough signatures to get on the ballot. this norml chapter is working hard.
Rain Snuffs Pot Group's Signature Surge
Columbia, Mo.
In Columbia, Missouri, voters backed a pair of measures seeking to liberalize local pot laws. Approximately 70 percent of voters approved The Missouri Medical Marijuana Initiative (Proposition 1), which amends the Columbia city criminal code so that "adults who obtain and use marijuana and/or marijuana paraphernalia for medical purposes pursuant to the recommendation of a physician shall not be subject to any arrest, prosecution, punishment, or sanction."

Six out of ten Columbia voters also approved The Missouri Smart Sentencing Initiative (Proposition 2), which amends the city criminal code to depenalize the possession of marijuana and/or paraphernalia to a fine-only offense. Source

 

[Keith Lake]

^^

Thanks for all that research, I'd +rep, but I'm blocked