Pubdate: Thu, 18 Jun 2015
Source: Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Copyright: 2015 Sun-Sentinel Company
Contact: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-letters-to-the-editor-htmlstory.html
Website: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/159

MINOR POT POSSESSION SHOULD BE INFRACTION

South Florida's elected officials have begun lining up behind a 
proposal to make minor marijuana possession a civil infraction rather 
than a criminal charge.

The pitch is the same: Hand out $100 fines rather than jail time. 
It's being made by a number of local lawmakers in different cities 
and counties. And there are plenty of good reasons why they're right.

Diverting those caught with a small amount of marijuana toward civil 
infractions would help alleviate criminal court backlogs and jail 
overcrowding. In 2010, more than 757,000 Americans sat in jail on pot 
charges, according to the ACLU; Nearly 58,000 in Florida alone. The 
move also would free up police to investigate more serious crimes and 
provide an alternative to ruining a person's life for a relatively 
harmless act.

Weed is illegal. Nobody is suggesting changing that. Nobody is 
talking about letting drug dealers off the hook one bit.

This is solely about people found holding a few joints.

Fines over arrests for people caught with a personal amount of weed 
is a law-enforcement trend that has swept the nation in recent years. 
Fourteen states have decriminalized minor pot possession. Now the 
notion is gaining steam across South Florida.

If police catch someone with a bag of pot weighing less than 20 
grams, they will face a $100 fine rather than a criminal charge under 
a new proposal by Hallandale Beach Commissioner Keith London. Police 
Chief Dwayne Flournoy calls it a "worthwhile discussion."

Broward County Commissioner Marty Kiar wants to follow suit, calling 
for Florida's second-largest county to make possession of 20 grams or 
less of pot a civil infraction. Rather than a criminal charge, 
suspects face a $100 fine - and a second chance.

"I think it's the right thing to do," Kiar told the Sun Sentinel. "I 
believe there are lots of good people who may make a slight mistake 
or have, say, a joint on them. Now all officers are allowed to do is 
arrest these folks. These people get their lives ruined. It's hard to 
become a teacher, police officer or to get into the military." Kiar 
is right. Pot, like any controlled substance, may be bad for your 
health. But getting caught with pot by cops ruins lives, too.

Those arrested for marijuana possession can lose jobs, college 
careers and, in some cases, custody of their children.

It's hard to bounce back from such losses. And why should someone 
have to for simply getting caught in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Let's stop pretending there isn't a disparity when it comes to who 
gets handcuffed for holding pot - and who doesn't. Blacks are nearly 
four times more likely to get arrested for minor marijuana possession 
than whites in Broward County, reports the ACLU. The numbers are 
worse in Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties.

London and Kiar's propositions follow similar pushes being considered 
by elected officials in several South Florida communities. A 
Miami-Dade County Commission committee will weigh similar legislation 
later this month.

Each proposal leaves intact officer discretion. A cop makes the final 
call whether someone is arrested or cited. That's how it should be.

The lawn area at this week's Lana Del Rey concert at the Coral Sky 
Amphitheater in Palm Beach County was filled with young people, 
mostly white, in their teens and 20s. More than a few drank beer and 
smoked pot openly. The smell in the air was as unmistakable and 
inescapable as the night's humidity.

Nobody would suggest police swarm the area and arrest young kids 
having a harmless, good time. That would unnecessarily ruin a lot of lives.

So why do we let such minor pot arrests happen outside a concert arena?

Pot is illegal. Anyone caught with a small amount should expect to be 
punished. But fining them makes more sense than arresting them, and 
South Florida elected officials should be lauded for finally seeing the light.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom