Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
Rep. Adam Jarchow, R-Balsam Lake, made a great point last week about Wisconsin's twisted priorities in going after small amounts of marijuana.
If you're caught with a joint or two, you can be charged with a crime, fined up to $1,000 and sent to jail for six months, under state law.
That's excessive and costs the state millions of dollars for enforcement and incarceration — with little evidence of improved public safety.
Now suppose you're caught driving drunk on a state highway, risking the lives of innocent people. That's not even a crime in Wisconsin for a first offense. It's a traffic ticket.
"It seems to me to be pretty odd that possession of a couple joints could land you in jail or prison," Jarchow said May 30 at the state Capitol.
It's strange, indeed. That's why Jarchow is leading a bipartisan effort to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana so law enforcement has more time and resources to deal with serious and violent crimes.
Under a bill Jarchow and several Democrats introduced this week, possessing 10 grams or less of pot would come with a $100 fine — 10 times less than current law allows — and no incarceration or criminal charge.
Dane County and some of its municipalities have decriminalized small amounts of marijuana at the local level. And Jarchow said many constituents in his conservative northern Wisconsin district have urged him to reconsider the state's harsh approach to the drug.
State and federal authorities generally don't prosecute small amounts of pot unless it is connected to other, more significant crimes. Yet Jarchow noted that 80 people were imprisoned on possession charges last year in Wisconsin, costing taxpayers $32,000 per inmate.
Nearly half of all states have decriminalized small amounts of the drug, while eight states have legalized recreational use. This includes Colorado, which hasn't experienced safety or health problems.
Twenty-nine states allow medical marijuana, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. That's something else Wisconsin should do. Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican-run Legislature moved in that direction this spring by legalizing an oil extracted from marijuana that's used to treat seizures.
Congress is showing it doesn't have an appetite for cracking down on marijuana possession. It refused last month to give Attorney General Jeff Sessions funding to fight states that have legalized the drug.
Wisconsin must be tough but also smart on crime. Small amounts of pot shouldn't be a priority.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Penalties for pot possession are too severe | Opinion | wiscnews.com
Contact: Contact-us | wiscnews.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Baraboo News Republic | wiscnews.com
If you're caught with a joint or two, you can be charged with a crime, fined up to $1,000 and sent to jail for six months, under state law.
That's excessive and costs the state millions of dollars for enforcement and incarceration — with little evidence of improved public safety.
Now suppose you're caught driving drunk on a state highway, risking the lives of innocent people. That's not even a crime in Wisconsin for a first offense. It's a traffic ticket.
"It seems to me to be pretty odd that possession of a couple joints could land you in jail or prison," Jarchow said May 30 at the state Capitol.
It's strange, indeed. That's why Jarchow is leading a bipartisan effort to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana so law enforcement has more time and resources to deal with serious and violent crimes.
Under a bill Jarchow and several Democrats introduced this week, possessing 10 grams or less of pot would come with a $100 fine — 10 times less than current law allows — and no incarceration or criminal charge.
Dane County and some of its municipalities have decriminalized small amounts of marijuana at the local level. And Jarchow said many constituents in his conservative northern Wisconsin district have urged him to reconsider the state's harsh approach to the drug.
State and federal authorities generally don't prosecute small amounts of pot unless it is connected to other, more significant crimes. Yet Jarchow noted that 80 people were imprisoned on possession charges last year in Wisconsin, costing taxpayers $32,000 per inmate.
Nearly half of all states have decriminalized small amounts of the drug, while eight states have legalized recreational use. This includes Colorado, which hasn't experienced safety or health problems.
Twenty-nine states allow medical marijuana, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. That's something else Wisconsin should do. Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican-run Legislature moved in that direction this spring by legalizing an oil extracted from marijuana that's used to treat seizures.
Congress is showing it doesn't have an appetite for cracking down on marijuana possession. It refused last month to give Attorney General Jeff Sessions funding to fight states that have legalized the drug.
Wisconsin must be tough but also smart on crime. Small amounts of pot shouldn't be a priority.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Penalties for pot possession are too severe | Opinion | wiscnews.com
Contact: Contact-us | wiscnews.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Baraboo News Republic | wiscnews.com