Leaders Vote To 'Leave The Pot Smokers Alone'

[DankCloset]

City leaders adopted a resolution Monday night calling on sheriff's deputies not to target certain adult marijuana users.

The City Council backed the resolution 4-0, said city spokeswoman Tamara White. Councilman Jeffrey Prang, who also serves as an assistant to Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, abstained from voting, she said.

The resolution directs the Sheriff's Department, which contracts with this left-leaning city, not to "target adult marijuana users who consume this drug in private and pose no danger to the community."

Minors and drug dealers would still be subject to arrest, and smoking in public would still be prohibited, the resolution says.

The resolution is not legally enforceable, but sends a message that law enforcement officers should "leave the pot smokers alone" and go after more serious crimes, said Councilman John Duran, the resolution's sponsor.

"Marijuana, you know, a joint or two is just so far down on the scale it doesn't seem worthwhile to allocate any sources to the enforcement of the marijuana laws," said Duran, who also works as an attorney.

Baca had no immediate comment because he hadn't reviewed the motion, said sheriff's spokeswoman Kerri Webb.

Duran initially wanted an ordinance, which would be enforceable, but instead opted for a resolution to avoid conflicts with state and federal laws that prohibit marijuana possession.

"We cannot do anything that contradicts state law, but what we can do is direct our local law enforcement in terms of what we want them to prioritize," he said.

Though the resolution isn't binding, Duran said he expects deputies to comply.

"I think, deep down, they really feel the same way we do," he said.

The city has a large gay population, some of whom have HIV, and Duran said some patients use medical marijuana to relieve the side effects from AIDS medication.

The City Council "was unanimous earlier on in supporting medicinal use of marijuana," he said. "This goes a step further."

"We cannot do anything that contradicts state law, but what we can do is direct our local law enforcement in terms of what we want them to prioritize," he said.




Newshawk: DankCloset - 420 Magazine
Source: Associated Press (Wire)
Published: June 19, 2006
Copyright: 2006 Associated Press
Website: City of West Hollywood

[PhisherMan420]

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