Decriminazlization of marijuana declined

       Lacrosse Mayor, Matt Harter, really blew it! He had the chance to really do something for the people, and he didn't. The common council wanted to put in place an ordinance to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. Last Tuesday, Mayor Harter vetoed this ordinance. I disagree with this decision. This ordinance is already in place in Onalaska and Lacrosse County. Right now a conviction of a misdemeanor first offense possession of THC, is a 1,000 dollar fine or six months in jail. If marijuana were decriminalized the citation would be a 263.00 fine for an adult and 169.000 for a juvenile.
   
      Mayor Harter was too concerned with "what the people would think". People need to remember, we're talking about decriminalizing small, personal, use of marijuana. A decriminalization ordinance doesn't mean that pot is all of a sudden legal, and that being charged with possession would be no big deal. It makes sense to decriminalize something the majority of the population supports. There was a poll in Sunday's Lacrosse Tribune where 50% of the people were in favor of decriminalization of marijuana.

    Right now at least 11 states have gone in this direction. California, for example, saw a decline in marijuana possession cases that involved law enforcement by 74%. Other positive points for passing this ordinance are:

1. Decriminalization will free up police resources to deal with more serious crimes. (Police arrest more Americans per year on marijuana charges than the total number of rapes, murders, and robbery)

2. More harm is done by prohibiting it, than by using it. (76 million Americans admit they tried marijuana, and the majority have not become regular users or have health problems.)

3. Decriminalization has not been proven to lead to greater marijuana use. (Studies have found that people who live under decriminalization laws consume less marijuana than in places where it's a criminal offense.)

4. Prohibiting marijuana possession does not stop marijuana use. (Usually the fear of arrest doesn't stop people's decision to use or not use.)

    In my opinion, full legalization of marijuana is just a matter of time. Wi. Governor Jim Doyle is in support of legalizing medical marijuana, and the American Medical Association is reviewing it as a controlled substance for research for marijuana based medicines. So, Mayor Harter, you had a chance to do something good. I do agree with retired Lacrosse County Circuit Judge, John Perlich who said, "We literally can destroy the futures of kids for a relatively stupid, minor offense. Keep low-risk offenses out of the criminal system."