Pot Debate

[bird1]

County might let pot smokers off easy :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Politics


In our county of Cook (I mean Crook) County the Sheriffs want to issue tickets for small amounts (10 grams or less) of cannabis possession. Here in Chicago we still arrest for any amount of "weed" but at the same time we have discretion. 99.99% of the time small amounts (10 grams or less ) of cannabis cases get thrown out in court, so it's a big waste of time. Give someone a ticket go to quasi court pay your fine everyone's happy So I kinda like the idea of tickets for possession of 10 grams or less. What do you think?

[Five-0]

I had to vote no due to the way you worded the poll. I'm all for issuing citations for small amounts. At my agency we have to put anything we recover into the evidence lockers. That is at best a twenty minute drive for me one way. Add in the paper work associated with it and there is no time savings. Giving out non traffic citations is not decriminalizing marijuana. Also in my state after the first conviction of possession of marijuana if you are caught again it is a felony charge.

[pgg]

Take a look see around my area and you'll see why its a bad idea

[JSO85360]

If it's under a certain amount and they qualify, we do an NTA (notice to appear) and do not arrest, but they have to make a court date and go see a judge. They will pay court costs and usually get community service. We still have to put in the property room, but we usually wait until we have an arrest and additional property before we take the ride. We can do a property entry in 5 minutes. It's 30+ to do a docket and take someone to jail. Longer if it's busy or a shift change at the sallyport. I'd rather spend my time on the street looking for the bad guys than running back and forth everytime I find a joint or two. We have way too much real violence going on to worry about some adult who wants to smoke a joint. The crack and meth and drunk drivers and shooters and really bad people need to take priority.

[TXCharlie]

I voted no, too... I think tickets need to be issued at a minimum, but there always needs to be the option of making the arrest in case you need to hold them while proving control of a larger amount or involvement in other crime.

Plus, if they're dickweeds, they should be inconvenienced at the very least.

[CTR man]

I'm voting no as well. Pot, in my opinion, should never be decriminalized even in small amounts. Once there is a limit set on what you guys can give a ticket for, there will always be someone who will want to raise that limit and keep raising it until voila. MJ in it's entirety is now decriminalized. I don't think we want that to happen.

[TXCharlie]

Yep, it's like raising the speed limit to decriminalize speeders doing 70 - But then those people who were doing 70 will now do 80. Raise it to 80 and a certain percentage will then go 90 MPH. There is no end to it until they die.