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. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom