Pubdate: Thu, 02 May 2013 Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press (TN) Copyright: 2013 Chattanooga Publishing Company, Inc. Contact: http://www.timesfreepress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/992 Note: Paper does not publish LTE's outside its circulation area Authors: Bobbie Patray, Morgan Fox, Neill Franklin Right Side Round Table QUESTION OF THE WEEK In its list of recommendations for ways improve the local criminal justice system, the Hamilton County Grand Jury encouraged the state legislature to consider legalizing the possession of a small amount of marijuana in order to reduce the burden on courts and jails. Do you believe decriminalizing marijuana for personal use would be a wise policy decision? BOBBIE PATRAY President of the Tennessee Eagle Forum It seems that someone on the Hamilton County grand jury thinks that one way to improve the county's criminal justice system would be to "legalize the possession of a small amount of marijuana which is not packaged for resale." First of all, I would wonder what is the definition of "a small amount" and then I would wonder how does one determine whether or not the marijuana is "packaged for resale"? These are all very subjective elements left to whom to decide? Should the state start down this slippery slope to legalize the possession of a drug that is widely believed to be a "gateway" drug? Once this bar is lowered, what will be the next target? Do we make legal decisions based on convenience or on what is good public policy? I suspect that getting this passed through the Legislature would prove difficult. And remember, whatever we legalize, we get more of! MORGAN FOX Communications Manager at the Marijuana Policy Project The Hamilton County grand jury was right to suggest removing criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana, and the legislature should consider doing so as soon as possible. Marijuana is objectively safer than alcohol, both to the consumer and society. Yet, alcohol use is heavily promoted and accepted. Meanwhile, marijuana use is punished with arrest, fines, jail and a criminal record that can make it impossible to find a job or get a student loan. We need to stop squandering limited law enforcement resources going after people who choose to use the safer substance. If Tennessee decriminalizes small amounts of marijuana, police would be able to stop wasting their valuable time and could concentrate on more serious violent crimes. Marijuana prohibition, like alcohol prohibition in the early 1900s, has caused far more harm than good and has failed at decreasing the availability or use of the substance. It is time to try a different approach. MAJOR NEILL FRANKLIN Executive Director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition As a 34-year veteran police officer, I can tell you that decriminalizing marijuana for personal use would make a tremendous difference to the smooth operation of Tennessee's criminal justice system. There were more than 19,000 arrests for marijuana possession in the state in 2007. That's 19,000 people who have to be booked, charged, given a hearing, perhaps held in jail for a time. This is a tremendous waste of resources, especially when we know the prohibition of marijuana has done little to reduce its use. If the legislature follows the recommendations of the grand jury, cops and courts will be better able to focus on the serious crimes plaguing our communities and can begin to rebuild the trust of the populace which has been so damaged by prosecuting adults for a consensual "crime." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom