MedicalNeed
New Member
BOISE - A group of protesters smoked marijuana in downtown Boise Saturday afternoon as part of a protest called "Global Smoke Out" that was planned in various cities.
Boise Police said they found out about the event on MySpace, so they knew the time and place it would happen. Even though police knew that information, no one was charged with a crime.
Police said possessing marijuana or smoking in public is certainly illegal, but there are certain circumstances that have to be in place for them to make arrests or issue charges. They said they were keeping an eye on the event, but they did not personally witness anything illegal happening.
Participants said they were demonstrating a point when lighting up. They said smoking marijuana does not hurt other people, so it should be legalized.
"I think that we need to legalize marijuana across the board," participant Tim Teater (who chose not to smoke in public) said. "I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be [legalized]. But in particular, medicinal cannabis, as it should be called, is really an important thing that should be legalized, should be made available to all kinds of people that could benefit from it."
'Civil disobedience'
Marijuana is classified as an illegal drug in Idaho; possessing or using it is a crime. Organizers said they knew that and understood they could be arrested.
"It's a very serious thing," organizer Theresa Knox said. "It's not a joke, but that's exactly why we're out here because if we forever hide this, then we will be forever be hiding this. Somebody's got to step up and say, 'Hey, look! I'm smoking a 'J' and it's not hurting anyone!'"
Knox is part of the groups Moms for Marijuana and Compassionate Idaho. She called the demonstration an act of civil disobedience.
"The key word here is civil," Knox said. "None of us have brought paraphernalia. None of us have brought weapons of any sort. None of us have brought our children. This is civil disobedience to let the government know we will not comply with cannabis prohibition."
Police need to see it, or get official complaint
Boise Police Sergeant Clair Walker said officers were directed to keep an eye on the situation but not be too aggressive with their monitoring as protesters were likely looking to cause a scene.
During the demonstration, Boise Police patrol cars drove by several times. Two officers walked through the group asking people to stay out of the street. Walker said they try to patrol all protests for public safety.
When KTVB asked officers why no one was arrested for smoking marijuana on a downtown street, they told us they either need a formal citizen complaint or must actually see someone smoking the drug. Officers said they did not see anyone smoking marijuana when they were there.
Some participants opt out of public smoking
Some participants, like Teater, opted to avoid any legal trouble and passed on the smoking portion of the protest. Instead, he and some others just carried signs.
"I'm not sure that getting arrested at this point is really going to particularly do anything good for the cause," Teater said. "I've got my buttons, and I've got my signs and I'm just going to try and make my voice heard again."
Possession of marijuana in Idaho is a misdemeanor in Idaho in most cases. If someone is caught possessing a large amount, it could be a felony. There are also laws against being under the influence of marijuana in public, though Walker said those charges are rare.
NewsHawk: MedicalNeed: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: ktvb.com
Author: Jamie Grey
Contact: Idaho News from KTVB.COM | Boise news, Idaho weather, sports, traffic & events | Contact KTVB
Copyright:2009-2010 King Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of Belo Corp.
Website:Protesters gather in Boise to publicly smoke marijuana | KTVB.COM | KTVB.COM | Boise, Idaho news
Boise Police said they found out about the event on MySpace, so they knew the time and place it would happen. Even though police knew that information, no one was charged with a crime.
Police said possessing marijuana or smoking in public is certainly illegal, but there are certain circumstances that have to be in place for them to make arrests or issue charges. They said they were keeping an eye on the event, but they did not personally witness anything illegal happening.
Participants said they were demonstrating a point when lighting up. They said smoking marijuana does not hurt other people, so it should be legalized.
"I think that we need to legalize marijuana across the board," participant Tim Teater (who chose not to smoke in public) said. "I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be [legalized]. But in particular, medicinal cannabis, as it should be called, is really an important thing that should be legalized, should be made available to all kinds of people that could benefit from it."
'Civil disobedience'
Marijuana is classified as an illegal drug in Idaho; possessing or using it is a crime. Organizers said they knew that and understood they could be arrested.
"It's a very serious thing," organizer Theresa Knox said. "It's not a joke, but that's exactly why we're out here because if we forever hide this, then we will be forever be hiding this. Somebody's got to step up and say, 'Hey, look! I'm smoking a 'J' and it's not hurting anyone!'"
Knox is part of the groups Moms for Marijuana and Compassionate Idaho. She called the demonstration an act of civil disobedience.
"The key word here is civil," Knox said. "None of us have brought paraphernalia. None of us have brought weapons of any sort. None of us have brought our children. This is civil disobedience to let the government know we will not comply with cannabis prohibition."
Police need to see it, or get official complaint
Boise Police Sergeant Clair Walker said officers were directed to keep an eye on the situation but not be too aggressive with their monitoring as protesters were likely looking to cause a scene.
During the demonstration, Boise Police patrol cars drove by several times. Two officers walked through the group asking people to stay out of the street. Walker said they try to patrol all protests for public safety.
When KTVB asked officers why no one was arrested for smoking marijuana on a downtown street, they told us they either need a formal citizen complaint or must actually see someone smoking the drug. Officers said they did not see anyone smoking marijuana when they were there.
Some participants opt out of public smoking
Some participants, like Teater, opted to avoid any legal trouble and passed on the smoking portion of the protest. Instead, he and some others just carried signs.
"I'm not sure that getting arrested at this point is really going to particularly do anything good for the cause," Teater said. "I've got my buttons, and I've got my signs and I'm just going to try and make my voice heard again."
Possession of marijuana in Idaho is a misdemeanor in Idaho in most cases. If someone is caught possessing a large amount, it could be a felony. There are also laws against being under the influence of marijuana in public, though Walker said those charges are rare.
NewsHawk: MedicalNeed: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: ktvb.com
Author: Jamie Grey
Contact: Idaho News from KTVB.COM | Boise news, Idaho weather, sports, traffic & events | Contact KTVB
Copyright:2009-2010 King Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of Belo Corp.
Website:Protesters gather in Boise to publicly smoke marijuana | KTVB.COM | KTVB.COM | Boise, Idaho news
