Stroger Hints He'll Veto Pot Decriminalization

[Jim Finnel]

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger indicated this morning that he may veto legislation passed Tuesday by the County Board to decriminalize carrying small amounts of marijuana.

"I don't know how this popped up, and I haven't done a lot of research," he told WGN-AM 720 host Greg Jarrett.

"Off the top of my head, I don't think it's such a great idea. I'm not really an advocate of trying to decriminalize the drug that people start before they move on to the higher stuff."
In a surprise move, the County Board Tuesday voted to decriminalize possession of less than 10 grams of pot in unincorporated areas of Cook County. Those are the areas in which the county's sheriff's police have jurisdiction.

The measure gives sheriff's police and deputies the latitude to arrest a suspect on a misdemeanor charge or, under the new legislation, issue a $200 ticket if 10 grams or less is being carried.

A spokesman for County Sheriff Tom Dart said Tuesday that the move caught the department by surprise.

The measure was pushed by Commissioner Earlean Collins, a Chicago Democrat, who said her grandson was busted for carrying a small amount of pot. She said arrests like that clog the jails.


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Source: chicagobreakingnews.com
Copyright: 2009 Chicago Tribune
Contact: Chicago Breaking News
Website: Stroger hints he'll veto pot decriminalization - Chicago Breaking News

 

[Pythaglio]

Yeah, if pot didn't exist there wouldn't be anyone interested in 'the harder stuff'.

Blame it on cannabis...it's the American way.

 

[flank]

I really wish that people who have the power to make a change actually RESEARCH the damn topic. Even here he admits that he doesn't know much about it, but from what he has been told in the past he thinks that its dangerous.

Thats called a stygma, Todd Stroger. Please, open your mind.

 

[tonystarks]

what a dick........Shit, we need to smoke weed to resist the urge to kick him in the pooper He can't give us a break, not even after raising our sales tax to the highest in the nation at over 10%.

 

[GRIMMCREEPER]

I really wish that people who have the power to make a change actually RESEARCH the damn topic. Even here he admits that he doesn't know much about it, but from what he has been told in the past he thinks that its dangerous.

Thats called a stygma, Todd Stroger. Please, open your mind.

This was my exact thought while reading this article, veto something
that you actually admit to not doing any research on. Just another
typical politician from CROOK COUNTY.

I gotta feeling though he wont be re-elected considering he had his hands
in raising CROOK COUNTY sales taxes to one of the highest in the nation.