Stoner4Life
New Member
The California Assembly rejected a bill that would have downgraded possession of one ounce or less of marijuana from a misdemeanor to an infraction while raising the fine from $100 to $250. The bill, SB 797 by Sen. Gloria Romero, failed 31-40.
Ironically, the bill was perceived as a decriminalization measure by legislators, but was opposed by most drug reform groups, including California NORML, on account of the increased fines. NORML had supported an earlier version of the bill, first introduced in 2001 by Sen. Bruce McPherson & Judge Quentin Kopp, that would have simply downgraded possession to an infraction. This would have spared minor pot offenders the necessity of a court appearance* and the stain of a criminal record. That bill and a successor by Sen. Sher in 2004 were defeated in the Assembly due to opposition from law enforcement and legislators fearful of appearing soft on crime. In order to attract support from the district attorneys, this year's bill was modified to increase the fine from $100 to $250. This caused drug reformers to turn against the bill. Nonetheless, the bill continued to enjoy support from reform-leaning legislators, including Assembly Public Safety Committee Chairman Mark Leno. In the end, the 31 votes for the bill came from the the pro-reform wing of the Assembly - all Democrats - while the 40 nays came from opponents.
To those of us who opposed it, the defeat of SB 797 was like winning the game when your opponent mistakenly scores the ball in your own goal. Unfortunatelly, the Assembly's vote shows how difficult it is to overcome Sacramento's resistance to reducing penalties for drugs. This is also seen by the absence of any discussion of sentencing reduction legislation to address California's prison overcrowding crises.
This is not the first time when drug reformers have been at odds with their friends in the legislature on MJ legislation. Most medical marijuana activists opposed Sen. Vasconcellos' bill SB 420 after it was modified to include the six-plant limit; however the bill was viewed as a pro-MMJ measure in the legislature and was opposed only by enemies of Prop. 215.
Cal NORML is relieved that this botched piece of pseudo-reform legislation was defeated, and will continue to press for stronger measures that truly reduce penalties for victimless marijuana offenses.
For info and vote on SB 797 see https://info.sen.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postq...e=B&site =sen
- D. Gieringer, Cal NORML Release 09-01-06
*(While some counties do allow misdemeanor pot fines to be paid by mail, others do not. This can be both costly and inconvenient; for example, yesterday we heard about a Berkeley student who is being required to drive 300 miles to the remote north end of the state to put in a court appearance for a pot ticket in Del Norte county.)
Newshawk: Stoner4Life - 420Times.com
Source: Cal NORML
Pubdate: Fri, Sep. 1 2006
Copyright: 2006 NORML
Contact: Dale Gieringer, canorml@igc.org
Website: California NORML
Ironically, the bill was perceived as a decriminalization measure by legislators, but was opposed by most drug reform groups, including California NORML, on account of the increased fines. NORML had supported an earlier version of the bill, first introduced in 2001 by Sen. Bruce McPherson & Judge Quentin Kopp, that would have simply downgraded possession to an infraction. This would have spared minor pot offenders the necessity of a court appearance* and the stain of a criminal record. That bill and a successor by Sen. Sher in 2004 were defeated in the Assembly due to opposition from law enforcement and legislators fearful of appearing soft on crime. In order to attract support from the district attorneys, this year's bill was modified to increase the fine from $100 to $250. This caused drug reformers to turn against the bill. Nonetheless, the bill continued to enjoy support from reform-leaning legislators, including Assembly Public Safety Committee Chairman Mark Leno. In the end, the 31 votes for the bill came from the the pro-reform wing of the Assembly - all Democrats - while the 40 nays came from opponents.
To those of us who opposed it, the defeat of SB 797 was like winning the game when your opponent mistakenly scores the ball in your own goal. Unfortunatelly, the Assembly's vote shows how difficult it is to overcome Sacramento's resistance to reducing penalties for drugs. This is also seen by the absence of any discussion of sentencing reduction legislation to address California's prison overcrowding crises.
This is not the first time when drug reformers have been at odds with their friends in the legislature on MJ legislation. Most medical marijuana activists opposed Sen. Vasconcellos' bill SB 420 after it was modified to include the six-plant limit; however the bill was viewed as a pro-MMJ measure in the legislature and was opposed only by enemies of Prop. 215.
Cal NORML is relieved that this botched piece of pseudo-reform legislation was defeated, and will continue to press for stronger measures that truly reduce penalties for victimless marijuana offenses.
For info and vote on SB 797 see https://info.sen.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postq...e=B&site =sen
- D. Gieringer, Cal NORML Release 09-01-06
*(While some counties do allow misdemeanor pot fines to be paid by mail, others do not. This can be both costly and inconvenient; for example, yesterday we heard about a Berkeley student who is being required to drive 300 miles to the remote north end of the state to put in a court appearance for a pot ticket in Del Norte county.)
Newshawk: Stoner4Life - 420Times.com
Source: Cal NORML
Pubdate: Fri, Sep. 1 2006
Copyright: 2006 NORML
Contact: Dale Gieringer, canorml@igc.org
Website: California NORML
