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A marijuana advocacy group wants Portland police to get their priorities straight. Introduced by the Citizens for a Safer Portland in early February, a new citywide initiative is aimed at reducing adult marijuana-related offenses to be the “lowest law-enforcement priority.”
Chris Iverson, chief petitioner of the initiative and campaign manager for CSP, is confident Portland voters will approve the measure if it gets on the ballot.
About 56 percent of city voters endorsed the failed statewide medical marijuana expansion initiative two years ago, which he said was “under-funded and not well-organized.”
“Because of the high yes vote in Portland with Measure 33 in 2004, we feel that we have a good chance to win,” said Iverson.
Past low-priority proposals like Seattle’s Initiative 75, passed in 2003, and Oakland, Calif.’s Proposition Z, passed in 2004, seem to have spawned greater support for drug law reform. Other similar measures may be headed to the November ballot in several California cities as well as Missoula, Mont.
The Portland initiative defines marijuana-related offenses as any “in which possession, delivery or manufacture of marijuana is an element.” It declares that “law enforcement activities related to all offenses other than marijuana-related offenses shall be a higher priority than all law enforcement activities related to marijuana-related offenses.”
Sales, cultivation, distribution, and possession of pot by minors or adults on public property and use in connection with the operation of a vehicle aren’t covered by the initiative directive.
Supporters say the initiative is a good first step toward focusing law enforcement more on real threats to the community, like crimes against people and property.
Portland police officials reported 799 adult arrests last year for marijuana-related offenses. According to one study, the average cost of sending an offender through Multnomah County Drug Court is about $6,000, meaning that taxpayers spent about $4.8 million to prosecute adult pot possession offenses in 2005.
The initiative also contains restrictions on the Portland police department’s relationship with federal and state authorities as well, stating that local officials “shall not accept formal deputization or commissioning by a federal law enforcement agency to the extent that such deputization or commissioning will include investigating, citing, arresting, or seizing property from adults for marijuana- related offenses.”
Some supporters of the measure say this part of the initiative is important to keep local officials from joining with federal agents to bust medical marijuana collectives.
“This really strikes at the heart of the issue with regard to local law enforcement cooperating with the Drug Enforcement Administration against medical cannabis dispensaries,” said Nikos Leverenz, acting director of the California office of the Drug Policy Alliance.
Cutting off funds that contribute to law enforcement activities for marijuana-related offenses is a unique part of the Portland initiative; of the six proposals introduced this year and the two past successful ones, only the Portland and Missoula initiatives specify that city officials cannot “accept any funds from any source, organization or individual, including federal funds or state funds.” The present California initiatives only prohibit federal funds.
Of course, marijuana possession of any amount and for any purpose remains a federal crime. And advocates for the measures don’t expect the DEA to be particularly mellow about any effort seen as undermining the drug war. They anticipate a federally-backed “smear campaign” against the Portland initiative if it makes it to the ballot.
On May 6 CSP representatives attended the Million Marijuana March, hosted by Oregon NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), to gather signatures and raise support for the initiative with the 300 or so marchers in attendance.
However, signature-gathering for the measure has been a little lethargic thus far. With the signatures due on July 7, the CSP is only about half-way to the 26,691 they need to make the Nov. 7 ballot, according to the CSP website - MakePortlandSafer.org | Citizens for a Safer Portland
The group also claims it is short on campaign funds. Even after a grant from the Marijuana Policy Project for $120,000, local organizers say they need an additional $20,000 for advertising and campaigning.
Despite these hurdles, Iverson is optimistic that with more people out gathering signatures and more public events planned they will raise the support needed to move the initiative forward.
Note: Portland initiative would direct cops to stop wasting resources arresting people for pot possession.
News Hawk: DankCloset -420 Magazine
Source: Northwest Meridian (OR)
Author: Chris Dart, Contributing Writer
Published: May 18, 2006
Copyright: 2006 NW Meridian, Inc.
Chris Iverson, chief petitioner of the initiative and campaign manager for CSP, is confident Portland voters will approve the measure if it gets on the ballot.
About 56 percent of city voters endorsed the failed statewide medical marijuana expansion initiative two years ago, which he said was “under-funded and not well-organized.”
“Because of the high yes vote in Portland with Measure 33 in 2004, we feel that we have a good chance to win,” said Iverson.
Past low-priority proposals like Seattle’s Initiative 75, passed in 2003, and Oakland, Calif.’s Proposition Z, passed in 2004, seem to have spawned greater support for drug law reform. Other similar measures may be headed to the November ballot in several California cities as well as Missoula, Mont.
The Portland initiative defines marijuana-related offenses as any “in which possession, delivery or manufacture of marijuana is an element.” It declares that “law enforcement activities related to all offenses other than marijuana-related offenses shall be a higher priority than all law enforcement activities related to marijuana-related offenses.”
Sales, cultivation, distribution, and possession of pot by minors or adults on public property and use in connection with the operation of a vehicle aren’t covered by the initiative directive.
Supporters say the initiative is a good first step toward focusing law enforcement more on real threats to the community, like crimes against people and property.
Portland police officials reported 799 adult arrests last year for marijuana-related offenses. According to one study, the average cost of sending an offender through Multnomah County Drug Court is about $6,000, meaning that taxpayers spent about $4.8 million to prosecute adult pot possession offenses in 2005.
The initiative also contains restrictions on the Portland police department’s relationship with federal and state authorities as well, stating that local officials “shall not accept formal deputization or commissioning by a federal law enforcement agency to the extent that such deputization or commissioning will include investigating, citing, arresting, or seizing property from adults for marijuana- related offenses.”
Some supporters of the measure say this part of the initiative is important to keep local officials from joining with federal agents to bust medical marijuana collectives.
“This really strikes at the heart of the issue with regard to local law enforcement cooperating with the Drug Enforcement Administration against medical cannabis dispensaries,” said Nikos Leverenz, acting director of the California office of the Drug Policy Alliance.
Cutting off funds that contribute to law enforcement activities for marijuana-related offenses is a unique part of the Portland initiative; of the six proposals introduced this year and the two past successful ones, only the Portland and Missoula initiatives specify that city officials cannot “accept any funds from any source, organization or individual, including federal funds or state funds.” The present California initiatives only prohibit federal funds.
Of course, marijuana possession of any amount and for any purpose remains a federal crime. And advocates for the measures don’t expect the DEA to be particularly mellow about any effort seen as undermining the drug war. They anticipate a federally-backed “smear campaign” against the Portland initiative if it makes it to the ballot.
On May 6 CSP representatives attended the Million Marijuana March, hosted by Oregon NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), to gather signatures and raise support for the initiative with the 300 or so marchers in attendance.
However, signature-gathering for the measure has been a little lethargic thus far. With the signatures due on July 7, the CSP is only about half-way to the 26,691 they need to make the Nov. 7 ballot, according to the CSP website - MakePortlandSafer.org | Citizens for a Safer Portland
The group also claims it is short on campaign funds. Even after a grant from the Marijuana Policy Project for $120,000, local organizers say they need an additional $20,000 for advertising and campaigning.
Despite these hurdles, Iverson is optimistic that with more people out gathering signatures and more public events planned they will raise the support needed to move the initiative forward.
Note: Portland initiative would direct cops to stop wasting resources arresting people for pot possession.
News Hawk: DankCloset -420 Magazine
Source: Northwest Meridian (OR)
Author: Chris Dart, Contributing Writer
Published: May 18, 2006
Copyright: 2006 NW Meridian, Inc.
