Citizens have said they want pot prosecutions to be law enforcement's lowest priority - but by one count, the Missoula Police Department recorded more marijuana-related "incidents" in 2008 than it did the year before.
"It seems we're doing just the opposite of what the voters want," City Councilwoman Pam Walzer said Wednesday.
Missoula Police Chief Mark Muir, though, said the bump can be linked to six weeks of a "zero tolerance" effort the police department ran in 2008 on behaviors such as underage drinking and violence downtown. He also said some culprits try to tell officers they can't get busted for pot anymore.
Muir's response? "Dude. You've been smoking too many bowls."
In 2006, Missoula voters approved a county initiative making marijuana arrests a low priority for law enforcement. On Wednesday, the Missoula City Council's Public Safety and Health Committee discussed how the measure applies to the city.
The stats on the increase in incidents came from John Masterson, who serves as chairman of the committee keeping tabs on the initiative. But he said he was only representing himself at the meeting.
An "incident" isn't necessarily an arrest or seizure or prosecution, Masterson said. Rather, law enforcement officers record "incidents" when they encounter marijuana.
In 2006, the count was at 283 in the whole county for the year. In 2007, it jumped to 302. Then in 2008, the figure hit 327, according to a report Masterson provided. It estimates police handle 80 percent of those cases.
Muir said he plans to send the council a letter disputing some of the data in the report, which gives an impression police aren't "going along with the program." He said the city saw a jump of roughly
8.5 percent from 2007 to 2008. The incidents, though, correspond to the period officers took a zero-tolerance approach to underage boozing and disorderly conduct - and then found pot, too.
"As a result of those, we had a significant number of arrests and there was a corresponding increase," Muir said.
Angela Goodhope, with Citizens for Responsible Crime Policy, said the marijuana measure isn't binding on the city, but the city and University of Montana sit within the county, and citizens should expect the recommendations to be applied evenly.
Several council members agreed. Councilman Ed Childers said he voted against Initiative 2 because he found its approach of making recommendations vague - but he would support a more direct statement that, say, Missoula allows people to grow and smoke.
"I'd vote for that," Childers said.
Councilman Jason Wiener said it's "insane" that someone caught with even 1 gram of marijuana can be deprived of a college education,
and Councilman Bob Jaffe agreed. He called the laws that cut off convicted citizens from student loans "Draconian" and "completely unfair."
On the other hand, Councilwoman Lyn Hellegaard asked if anyone had done research to see if the initiative itself had led to more marijuana use. Masterson said it's possible some people mistakenly believe the measure decriminalized pot.
Goodhope, though, said studies show that use decreases in communities that make pot prosecutions a low priority. She said she plans to bring a draft policy to the committee in the next couple months to get the city in line with the recommendations in the initiative.
At the meeting, Chief Muir said most of the time someone is caught with marijuana, that person already is being arrested for something else: "Their officers (in the county) and our officers are still obligated under state law to confiscate contraband and to deal with it in an appropriate fashion."
News Hawk- Ganjarden 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Missoulian
Author: KEILA SZPALLER
Contact: Missoulian
Copyright: 2009 Missoulian
Website: Pot Incidents In City Increased Last Year By One Count
"It seems we're doing just the opposite of what the voters want," City Councilwoman Pam Walzer said Wednesday.
Missoula Police Chief Mark Muir, though, said the bump can be linked to six weeks of a "zero tolerance" effort the police department ran in 2008 on behaviors such as underage drinking and violence downtown. He also said some culprits try to tell officers they can't get busted for pot anymore.
Muir's response? "Dude. You've been smoking too many bowls."
In 2006, Missoula voters approved a county initiative making marijuana arrests a low priority for law enforcement. On Wednesday, the Missoula City Council's Public Safety and Health Committee discussed how the measure applies to the city.
The stats on the increase in incidents came from John Masterson, who serves as chairman of the committee keeping tabs on the initiative. But he said he was only representing himself at the meeting.
An "incident" isn't necessarily an arrest or seizure or prosecution, Masterson said. Rather, law enforcement officers record "incidents" when they encounter marijuana.
In 2006, the count was at 283 in the whole county for the year. In 2007, it jumped to 302. Then in 2008, the figure hit 327, according to a report Masterson provided. It estimates police handle 80 percent of those cases.
Muir said he plans to send the council a letter disputing some of the data in the report, which gives an impression police aren't "going along with the program." He said the city saw a jump of roughly
8.5 percent from 2007 to 2008. The incidents, though, correspond to the period officers took a zero-tolerance approach to underage boozing and disorderly conduct - and then found pot, too.
"As a result of those, we had a significant number of arrests and there was a corresponding increase," Muir said.
Angela Goodhope, with Citizens for Responsible Crime Policy, said the marijuana measure isn't binding on the city, but the city and University of Montana sit within the county, and citizens should expect the recommendations to be applied evenly.
Several council members agreed. Councilman Ed Childers said he voted against Initiative 2 because he found its approach of making recommendations vague - but he would support a more direct statement that, say, Missoula allows people to grow and smoke.
"I'd vote for that," Childers said.
Councilman Jason Wiener said it's "insane" that someone caught with even 1 gram of marijuana can be deprived of a college education,
and Councilman Bob Jaffe agreed. He called the laws that cut off convicted citizens from student loans "Draconian" and "completely unfair."
On the other hand, Councilwoman Lyn Hellegaard asked if anyone had done research to see if the initiative itself had led to more marijuana use. Masterson said it's possible some people mistakenly believe the measure decriminalized pot.
Goodhope, though, said studies show that use decreases in communities that make pot prosecutions a low priority. She said she plans to bring a draft policy to the committee in the next couple months to get the city in line with the recommendations in the initiative.
At the meeting, Chief Muir said most of the time someone is caught with marijuana, that person already is being arrested for something else: "Their officers (in the county) and our officers are still obligated under state law to confiscate contraband and to deal with it in an appropriate fashion."
News Hawk- Ganjarden 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Missoulian
Author: KEILA SZPALLER
Contact: Missoulian
Copyright: 2009 Missoulian
Website: Pot Incidents In City Increased Last Year By One Count
