Puff, Puff…Pay
I’m glad to hear Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel supporting a measure that would allow police officers to issue a fine for possession of small amounts of marijuana as opposed to the current policy: facing a misdemeanor charge punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,500 fine. This is a step in the right direction for America’s drug policy.
Our current president wrote a bestselling book that mentions he was a recreational pot user in his youth. Reruns of “That 70’s Show”, with its recurring references to marijuana use, are on a network called “ABC Family“. Does anyone really think it is a worthwhile use of police and legal resources to arrest and prosecute people with an amount of pot that is clearly intended for individual use? This isn’t a matter of decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana (a conversation for another time), but rather of having the punishment fit the crime.
I don’t entirely understand why this is a “controversial” measure. Even if we were to limit the conversation to marijuana-related offenses, there are significantly higher priorities, like dealing pot or driving under the influence. Offenses that directly put others in harm’s way. Being caught with a joint on you is like underage drinking or jaywalking. Should it be encouraged? No. Should you lose months of freedom over it? Well, maybe that’s a bit of an overreaction. Let’s see what Chicago does with this proposal at the end of June.
“Chicago Mayor: Tickets, not jail, for pot users” http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/20/12317350-chicago-mayor-tickets-not-jail-for-pot-users?lite
And in response... 
Love the title of this post! Awesome write-up; short and to the point!
It’s been more or less legal in NYC for a few years now unless you have it in bulk (which I think is over 10 grams or something – intent to distribute). In fact, I just heard that because so many minority youths are being charged with possession, NYC may do away with “intent” at a few grams and raise it to a few ounces, lol.
I don’t know enough about marijuana to have an opinion about what weight clearly indicates an intent to distribute, but seems like the big cities are moving in the right direction. When you say “more or less legal”, do you mean a fine with no jail time or sanction-free?
It’s a fine I believe.