Pubdate: Wed, 13 May 2015 Source: Tampa Tribune (FL) Copyright: 2015 The Tribune Co. Contact: http://tbo.com/list/news-opinion-letters/submit/ Website: http://tbo.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/446 Page: 8A NO PASS FOR POT OFFENDERS The proposal to give only civil citations to juveniles for possessing marijuana may sound reasonable, but Hillsborough County officials should be skeptical. Unless accompanied by rigorous safeguards, a civil citation program will likely result in more drug abuse and more crime. Don't be misled into thinking pot use is a frivolous crime. As Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee points out, drug use is the common denominator to most crime. Or as Mark Cox of the State Attorney's Office says: 'Most all the serious crime we see is related to drugs, and almost all the drug abuse started with marijuana. ... When you talk about stopping drug abuse, [having offenders] picking up cans is not going to help.' To discourage drug use, marijuana offenses should bring immediate consequences that convey to the young offenders that drugs are dangerous and illegal. This does not mean locking up the kids. But there must be accountability, which is provided in the county's program. Juvenile offenders are assigned to a drug court, where they must undergo supervised drug treatment, counseling and automatic drug tests. Charges are dropped if the youths successfully complete the program. This is hardly draconian. Gee says, 'We force kids to see reality. We take our best shot at getting them off drugs.' Even so, advocates of the civil citations say the juveniles still retain an arrest record, a legitimate objection, but one that could be easily remedied if the state would change the law to automatically seal the record when an individual successfully finishes the program. This approach treats juveniles fairly but also ensures, as Gee puts it, that they are not given a pass for an offense that too often leads to terrible future choices. It is notable that Hillsborough State Attorney Mark Ober, who recently drew attention for saying he was open to a civil citation program, essentially has the same view as Gee. Cox says Ober would consider a civil citation program only if it includes the drug evaluation, testing and treatment measures found in drug court. Nobody wants to see kids stuck with a criminal record that will damage their education and job prospects. But a simple change in the law, supported by Gee and Ober, would remedy that. Ensuring treatment and oversight after a pot arrest is better for the offenders and society than signaling juveniles that drug abuse is no big deal. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom