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."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom