County takes the first step
to decriminalize marijuana
BY TERRY SCHMIDA
In a move being closely watched by many in the legal, law enforcement, and drug prevention/treatment communities, the County Commission agreed at its June 15 meeting to have staffers consider the possibility of decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana.
The unanimous decision was taken after Commissioner George Neugent placed the item on the meeting agenda for discussion.
This is not an endorsement of marijuana,” he said. “It has nothing to do with legalization of pot. It has nothing to do with medicinal marijuana. I’m not going to try to explain it. I just put it on here for discussion.”
Neugent added that he had “gotten no real negative responses” to the idea, despite the naysaing of one member of the public who claimed at the meeting that her second husband had gone insane after smoking the herb.
Perhaps most importantly, the proposal received an unofficial vote of confidence from State Attorney Catherine Vogel, who took to the podium to caution the commission not to stray too far into the jurisdiction of juvenile justice, where her office already has plans in motion.
“I don’t really have any objections,” Vogel said. “I have had some concerns . . . if you do adopt this . . . that you do not include juveniles. We have a system in effect.”
However, grass enthusiasts shouldn’t break out the bong to celebrate just yet.
During the discussion that followed Vogel’s statement, commission members and other county staff discussed the idea of leaving the decision to arrest or fine up to the investigating officer. Public consumption of the weed would still be forbidden, and the process would still likely be administered through the court system.
“If we impose a civil fine, how can we collect?” Mayor Danny Kolhage wondered.
To this, County Attorney Bob Shillinger replied, “we can explore including [a collection court.] I don’t think we want to send [civil fine collection] to code enforcement.”
Commissioner Heather Carruthers then asked how the county deals with uncollected traffic tickets.
“Eventually they get sent to a collection agency, right?” she asked.
Shillinger replied that ticket scofflaws eventually can lose their driving privileges.
Commissioner Sylvia Murphy favored a trial period for the experiment, which could be rescinded in a year, “if it’s not working.
“I think it’s worth a try,” she added.
During a period from Jan. 1 through June 30, Vogel said, her office had processed some 53 misdemeanor marijuana cases, of which 37 were still pending in court.
“I will say that I believe most of the [anticipated cash] saving is not going to be on my end,” the state attorney said. “You’re going to find more savings on the police officers’ end.”
Eventually Shillinger said that he “would like an opportunity to meet with the stakeholders and come back.
“The compelling thing for me is not having police officers” spending time and money on minor pot cases, and instead on more pressing matters, he asserted.

 

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