New York governor in bid to decriminalize small-quantity marijuana possession

[mikeyank]

On another thread on the forum, a member had brought up that he likes to "toke" and jerk to the Broke Straight Boys scenes. It was also brought up that "drugs" are still illegal. I take objection when marijuana is lumped in with hard drugs that are so addictive, with potential lasting negative effects on one's mind and body.

I certainly understand that pot, (such a dated expression) smoking is not the healthiest thing that one can do, but I equate it with drinking liquor. I am very pleased that New York governor Andrew Cuomo recognizes that it is archaic to arrest, particularly young minority kids who are stopped and frisked and small quantities of weed are found on their person.


New York governor in bid to decriminalize small-quantity marijuana possession

Published June 04, 2012

NewsCore

ALBANY, N.Y. – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will ask state lawmakers Monday to decriminalize the possession of small quantities of cannabis, according to The New York Times, in a bid to save young men from minorities who find themselves charged with a crime after being stopped and frisked.

Lawmakers representing minority neighborhoods in New York City urged the Democratic governor to take action, arguing that such young men are forced into the justice system unnecessarily and find their future job prospects hampered.

The governor inserting himself into the debate would be controversial and follows a dispute over hailing livery cabs from the street and fingerprinting of food stamp applicants. On the stop-and-frisk issue, Cuomo would find himself at odds with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

His expected push follows a directive last September from police chief Raymond Kelly for officers to overlook such drug discoveries -- which resulted in only a small decrease in such charges.

Many such discoveries are made as youths are stopped and searched for other reasons -- but the drug find means they get a criminal record.

"For individuals who have any kind of a record, even a minuscule one, the obstacles are enormous to employment and to education," New York Civil Liberties Union executive director Donna Lieberman said.

"When it's really a huge number of kids in the community who go through this, and all have the same story, the impact is just devastating."

A Queens College investigation found there were 50,684 arrests in 2011 for small quality marijuana possession -- more than for any other offense and one seventh of all arrests.

"This proposal will bring long overdue consistency and fairness to New York State's Penal Law and save thousands of New Yorkers, particularly minority youth, from the unnecessary and life-altering trauma of a criminal arrest and, in some cases, prosecution," a Cuomo administration official told the Times in an email.



Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...-quantity-marijuana-possession/#ixzz1wpdVTh4U

 

[another1]

it's time to decriminalize small-quantity marijuana possession.

 

[rrhill]

Cigarettes and alcohol are hard drugs. Marijuana is a soft drug.

 

[joninliverton]

The question is where do you draw the line and what constitutes a small quantity ? The state has to be clear but I fear a little of something sweet will develope into wanting more. I see where rrhill is coming from because the Netherlands has a soft approach to so called soft drugs. In the UK they have 3 classes of drugs A, B and C and marijuana is a Class C drug - however, you can still be prosecuted in possession and being caught dealing is a stiffer sentence.

If I was an American gay man or woman then I would prefer the authorities to concentrate on recognise gay rights rather than a soft alternative way of getting votes.

 

[another1]

here's an article from the ny times on the subject.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/04/n...&_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120604

 

[another1]

The question is where do you draw the line and what constitutes a small quantity ? The state has to be clear but I fear a little of something sweet will develope into wanting more. I see where rrhill is coming from because the Netherlands has a soft approach to so called soft drugs. In the UK they have 3 classes of drugs A, B and C and marijuana is a Class C drug - however, you can still be prosecuted in possession and being caught dealing is a stiffer sentence.

If I was an American gay man or woman then I would prefer the authorities to concentrate on recognise gay rights rather than a soft alternative way of getting votes.

jon, if only these issues could separated so easily.

in this case, in new york city young men of color are stopped and searched, at will. this alone raises civil liberty issues. then you add the fact that many of the young men have less than 23 grams of pot on them. possession of a seed is a misdemeanor. under the governor's proposal it would be a crime to openly display pot and to smoke it in public.

while gay rights is important, no civil liberty issue stands alone. many of the progressive legislators support what i think of as sensible state action.
same sex equality and sensible public policy go hand in hand.

 

[joninliverton]

same sex equality and sensible public policy go hand in hand.

But they obviously do not...

 

[another1]

same sex equality and sensible public policy go hand in hand.

But they obviously do not...

in california, the state took steps toward same-sex civil union and making that union as much like marriage i was practicable.
now a federal review court has said that a same-sex marriage ban under the conditions in the state violates the constitutions of both the state and the federal government. i don't know what more we in this state can do for sexual equality when it comes to marriage.
in the state, we have laws to decriminalize possession of pot. under 28 grams is considered a violation, like a traffic violation. it's not a misdemeanor or a felony.
we have deversions programs for first time offenders. no jail time, just something like traffic school.
we have laws protecting the growing and possession of weed for medical purposes.
i believe these public policies are connected.
fewer people are giving records and sent to jail and prison. that has long term social and civil liberty results. this is true when those being sentenced were mostly people of color.
equality and equity should go hand in hand and in this state i believe we have come a long ways toward making that the case.

 

[joninliverton]

same sex equality and sensible public policy go hand in hand.



in california, the state took steps toward same-sex civil union and making that union as much like marriage i was practicable.
now a federal review court has said that a same-sex marriage ban under the conditions in the state violates the constitutions of both the state and the federal government. i don't know what more we in this state can do for sexual equality when it comes to marriage.
in the state, we have laws to decriminalize possession of pot. under 28 grams is considered a violation, like a traffic violation. it's not a misdemeanor or a felony.
we have deversions programs for first time offenders. no jail time, just something like traffic school.
we have laws protecting the growing and possession of weed for medical purposes.
i believe these public policies are connected.
fewer people are giving records and sent to jail and prison. that has long term social and civil liberty results. this is true when those being sentenced were mostly people of color.
equality and equity should go hand in hand and in this state i believe we have come a long ways toward making that the case.

CA seems to have come up with some good policies and actions. I like the law protecting the growing and possession of weed for medical purposes, which we do not have over here. Mind you, it would have to be strictly policed, as many people would use it as a vehicle to produce it for "other" purposes.

It has always been difficult for me to imagine living in a country where laws differ from state to state. But we have signs of that happening over here as Scotland has laws that differ slightly than England and Wales but not too much where you would end up in jail in one country and not the other.

 

[joninliverton]

Speaking of California, I read this on the BBC news business website today.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18295974

Just in case you cannot get to the link -

In May 2008, too much borrowing and too much spending tipped Vallejo over the edge and it became the largest California city ever to file for bankruptcy.

However, the budget problems of Vallejo are dwarfed by those of California as a whole.

It is a giant economy - if it stood alone, it would be the eighth-biggest economy in the world.

In Vallejo, the situation was blamed on exorbitant salaries and benefits for fire fighters and police officers, which accounted for 80% of the city's budget.

A police lieutenant earns about $200,000 (£130,000) a year before benefits, whereas the average wage for an FBI agent, who typically has to have a law degree, is about 30% less.

At the time, Mayor Osby Davis told Business Daily: "When somebody has their foot on your neck, you don't ask, 'Will I get up.' You get up and do what you can to keep it from happening again. And our city is going to get up and it is going to thrive."

The city emerged from bankruptcy in November 2011 after restructuring its debts. City councillor Marti Brown explains how the authorities have tackled some of the problems they had.

"We have cut our staffing levels and some of the services we provide," she says. "And we also introduced a 1% sales tax after it was passed in a referendum."

Balancing act
California's governor Jerry Brown recently revealed that the state deficit is almost twice as big as first thought and is currently standing at $16bn (£10.3bn).

States do not have the option to file for bankruptcy as Vallejo did, so he says he is going to cut the budget and hopefully raise taxes.

"The tax, and some pretty drastic cuts, will be subject to voter approval in November," he says.

He proposes $8.3bn of cuts in public services in California to help close the deficit.

"The public sector needs more than it is currently getting. You can't squeeze blood out of a turnip and I am going to make this budget balance," he asserts.

His plan is to put the measures to a referendum in order to bypass the assembly, where he has met stiff opposition and has been unable to get them through.

The governor says the new proposal for the coming fiscal year, which begins on 1 July, seeks to end the state's deficit and balance the state's budget for the next few years without borrowing money.

Voters to decide
Professor John Ellwood at the University of California, Berkeley says California's main problem is that people do not want to pay higher taxes.

"The reason California taxes are so low is mostly because to raise them through the legislative process requires a two-thirds vote in both houses of the legislature and then the governor signing it," he says.

The Republican members of the legislature refuse to vote for higher taxes, while Democrats account for 60% of the members, well short of the necessary two-thirds majority.

But California has what is called the direct initiative, where citizens can create constitutional amendments and pass laws.

"On the November ballot, there will be two measures to raise taxes," Dr Ellwood explains, "and it only takes a simple majority for them to be accepted."

The motions will be for a higher personal tax and a temporary rise in the sales tax.

"If those pass, California will begin to raise its fiscal base," he says.

"If they don't pass, then we will have continued cuts," he adds.

However, he thinks that many Americans believe there is so much waste, fraud and abuse in the public sector that there is no need to raise taxes, so it will be interesting to see how the citizens of California respond."

Interesting times eh !!

 

[another1]

May you live in interesting times!
I long for the good ol' days when things were dull.
How lucky you are to have only one government to distrust.
I have two sovereigns, one on the state level and the other on the federal level.
The fiction is that each state is sovereign within its jurisdiction.
Roughly the state is like an individual and the federal government is like a club. The individual is free the act within bounds and the club acts for the collective.
At one person's home you may eat with your hands and at another one's home you must use a fork or be ask to leave for eating with your hands. Analogies fail.

 

[rrhill]

"In the UK they have 3 classes of drugs A, B and C and marijuana is a Class C drug - however, you can still be prosecuted in possession and being caught dealing is a stiffer sentence."

What class of drugs are Alcohol and Cigarettes?

 

[joninliverton]

"In the UK they have 3 classes of drugs A, B and C and marijuana is a Class C drug - however, you can still be prosecuted in possession and being caught dealing is a stiffer sentence."

What class of drugs are Alcohol and Cigarettes?

I don't think I need answer the question. I don't make the laws dude. In fact the UK govt has had a no smoking ban in public places for some years now. When I was in Amsterdam there was a ban but only if the proprietors wanted to. I went to a bar and everyone was smoking cigarettes.

 

[another1]

CA seems to have come up with some good policies and actions. I like the law protecting the growing and possession of weed for medical purposes, which we do not have over here. Mind you, it would have to be strictly policed, as many people would use it as a vehicle to produce it for "other" purposes.

It has always been difficult for me to imagine living in a country where laws differ from state to state. But we have signs of that happening over here as Scotland has laws that differ slightly than England and Wales but not too much where you would end up in jail in one country and not the other.

i find this excharge refreshing.
living in california, i find interest in the laws of the neighboring states (arizona & oregon) to be about the same as the interest in the weather in europe. nice to know, but unlikely to have any personal impact.
that's to say, the state in very big. how one state deals with its domestic affairs is generally nothing more than an academic excercise for me.
then there is the federal part of federal republic of united states.
the question is why should my activities in san diego be subject to laws made 3000 miles away when i have a fine government just 450 miles away doing a good job?
how is the weather in your part of the world? it's sunny and warm here.
have a great day!

 

[rrhill]

'Global war on drugs has failed,' key panel says

Commission criticizes US approach and argues that governments should end the criminalization of drug use

NEW YORK — The global war on drugs has failed and governments should explore legalizing marijuana and other controlled substances, according to a commission that includes former heads of state, a former U.N. secretary-general and a business mogul.
A new report by the Global Commission on Drug Policy argues that the decades-old worldwide "war on drugs has failed, with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world." The 24-page paper was released Thursday.
"Political leaders and public figures should have the courage to articulate publicly what many of them acknowledge privately: that the evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that repressive strategies will not solve the drug problem, and that the war on drugs has not, and cannot, be won," the report said.
The 19-member commission includes former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and former U.S. official George P. Schultz, who held cabinet posts under U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon(...)
Read the full article at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4324807...drugs-has-failed-key-panel-says/#.T85CosUXdDY

 

[another1]

george schultz is someone i respect. he is impressive.
if he is willing to articulate the commission's findings, then he is someone who will be heard.
i am just not sure which substance choice should be criminal.
i wonder aloud whether this is not a case of an enforcement/corrections system feeding itself?
i wonder whether there is a common goal to create choosers and criminals between the enforcement/corrections system and suppliers.
i wonder if i think too much or too little?

 

[rrhill]

Drugs use and or abuse is a medical problem. Not a crime. In Holland we legalized only softdrugs - to be sold in coffee shops. So... our teenagers would no longer come in contact with harddrugs, like cocaine, heroine, speed, amphetamines etc. by some vague street dealer.

The benefit for the Dutch population is that now not only the numbers of people addicted to harddrugs are low, but even the number of softdrug users is low.
The negative side effects drug use and dealing had on society, were reduced dramatically.

Drug addicts get help. Are not chased by the police. Teenagers get education about the dangers of drugs on school.