Joplin Group Announces Initiative to Decriminalize Marijuana
By Alison Gonzalez
Published on September 25, 2007
A group of supporters, including the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), Students for Sensible Drug Policy, and Alliance for Drug Reform Policy, introduced the Sensible Sentencing Initiative, which aims to legalize small amounts of marijuana in an attempt to free up police resources for more important crimes.
Under the petition, which may appear on next year's ballot, adults arrested for marijuana possession would not be jailed. People who are found guilty would be subject to a maximum fine of $250.
According to current laws, those arrested for possession are subject to a maximum of 100 days in jail and/or a $500 fine.
Kelly Maddy from NORML said the city's current marijuana laws have proven to be failed strategies. Maddy said more than 200 people were arrested for marijuana in 2005, a waste of both police resources and taxpayer dollars.
Some residents think otherwise, saying that once approved, there will be no end to how far initiatives like this will extend.
Similar initiatives were passed in Eureka Springs, Arkansas last year and in Columbia in 2004.
Supporters must collect approximately 5,000 signatures in order for the petition to make its way onto the 2008 ballot.
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