Pubdate: Tue, 07 Oct 2008 Source: Leader-Telegram (Eau Claire, WI) Copyright: 2008 Eau Claire Press Contact: http://www.cvol.net/contacteditor.htm#editorform Website: http://www.leadertelegram.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/236 Author: Ron Rowlett RECONSIDER DRUG LAWS Before reading any further, please understand I do not encourage the misuse of drugs, nor am I trying to make an excuse for the behavior of those who do. I am simply trying to awaken a discussion in our community to help solve the issue of what to do about our county jail. It is obvious that something needs to be done about the numbers of individuals in our jail. It is also clear that our City Council wants to be progressive. The council made this clear with the smoke-free ordinance. So, to solve our problem, perhaps our City Council should study the possibility of decriminalizing marijuana to help free up jail space. This may sound radical to some, but to others it is progressive. Keep in mind that 12 states allow possession without having to serve jail time. For example, in Alaska you can have 28 grams in your residence legally. In Ohio, you can possess up to 100 grams before serving jail time. Denver passed the Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization Initiative in November 2005, allowing for the possession of up to 1 ounce of marijuana for people 21 years of age or older. Even in Minnesota, you can possess 42.5 grams before you have to serve jail time. Wisconsin law states that possession of any amount is a misdemeanor, and a second offense could land you a felony, thus putting people in jail for drug possession. Keep in mind, more than 50 percent of Americans admit to having tried marijuana, and poll after poll shows 75 percent of Americans think possession of marijuana should be punishable by fines, not jail time. With the majority of our jail and prison population incarcerated because of drug-related offenses, maybe we should start to re-evaluate our drug laws in Eau Claire and Wisconsin. Ron Rowlett Eau Claire - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin