Marijuana Initiatives Also Thrive on the Municipal Level

Six cities scale down their drug wars

Washington's and Colorado's ballot initiatives are rightfully dominating the drug war news cycle at the moment, but there were some smaller municipal battles, mostly in Michigan, to ease up on enforcement.

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) has the basics on six successful marijuana-related initiatives in American cities:

Detroit, MI: Decriminalization of adult marijuana possession - Passed!
Flint, MI: Decriminalization of adult marijuana possession - Passed!
Ypsilanti, MI: Marijuana to be lowest law enforcement priority - Passed!
Grand Rapids, MI: Decriminalization of adult marijuana possession - Passed!
Kalamazoo, MI: Three medical marijuana dispensaries permitted in city - Passed! 
Burlington, VT: Recommendation that marijuana should be legalized - Passed!

You can read their comments on the significant successes at the polls last night here.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

The decriminalization of adult marijuana possession is probably a little more meaningful for the common stoner since I don't think the feds are going to go apeshit if some douchebag is caught with a little maryjane and released. Medical marijuana, on the other hand, we all know is unacceptable on an epic scale.

[Episiarch]

Is there profit involved?

[Pro Libertate]

I bet the administration changes course on this, and, in fact, uses its new powers to mandate pot use. A stoned population may miss the continued failures of the government and all of the economic problems.

[Fist of Etiquette]

You run the risk of Reavers.

[Pro Libertate]

And that's a problem how?

[Ken Shultz]

Don't worry, I'm sure Obama's giving his thugs in the DEA instructions on what to do in Michigan as we speak.

[R C Dean]

I doubt the DEA has the balls to go into Detroit without a heavily armed escort, anyway.

[Rich]

Oh, I'm sure Holder can arrange for these guys to help.

[MP]

Robocop?

[Geoff Nathan]

The Michigan Attorney General (Bill Schuette) has single-handedly been trying to invalidate the already passed Medical Marijuana law here in Michigan, doing everything he can to make it impossible to get any, even with a card and a doctor's note. And some of the local municipalities have been piling on too. So I expect he'll find some way to interfere with this one too.
Still, it's been heartening in a small way for this particular issue.

[Dunphy (the real one)]

seattle also...

http://seattletimes.com/html/l.....st18m.html

im surprised LEAP missed this. realistically speaking, even prior to legalization (FUCK YEA!!! LEGALIZATION!!!) you had to work pretty hard to get jail time, or even a decent sized fine for mj possession in the city of seattle. to a large extent, it was effectively decrim'd/legalized.

cops routinely "nolle pros" iow issue a verbal warning for simple MJ possession in seattle

of course NOW, it is LEGALIZED, and it's not even a matter of discretion

this is a great day for the state of WA. a day to celebrate freedom

[Ken Shultz]

Congratulations Dunphy.

[Dunphy (the real one)]

thanks.

i hope people are celebrating today.

[MP]

I want:

1) A great big field of MJ in WA.
2) A Federal drone with a herbicide.
3) A WA State militiaman with a heat seeker.

Then we'll see who's who.

[Corning]

A WA State militiaman

Pretty sure such a thing does not exist.

[Ken Shultz]

That's where the Order was from.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Order_(group)

I think Washington, politically, is like Canada in the west and like Alabama in the east.

[Concerned Citizen]

The more accurate term is re-legalize. Otherwise it's assumed that gov't has always protected us from ourselves.

[tagtann]

The kangaroo courts are a joke. Seriously. Unreal.
http://www.post-anon.tk

[mad libertarian guy]

And yet I guarantee that people will continue to be arrested for weed in every single one of those municipalities. Including Seattle, Dunf.

[jdgalt]

As with the two state initiatives, it will be up to state and local law enforcement whether these initiatives have any real effect or not.

My guess is "not" -- because state and local law enforcement agencies are all hooked on the revenue the feds give them (with strings attached) for drug enforcement, and even more, on the proceeds of the forfeiture racket. So they will all continue business as usual.

This doesn't mean it can't be done: the next round of initiatives simply need to include orders to the state and local police to stop accepting these poisoned funds.