This policy is starting today in Harris county which includes more cities than just Houston, the metro area of Harris county is very large. The administration in the White House has stated they will try and crack down again on Marijuana, so I am interested to see how this policy will fly with that and also with the State Government here in Texas which is also against Marijuana. The policy is kind of strange, and allows people to carry up to 4 ounces before fear of jail, and if caught with less the suspect will be required to register for and take a $150 dollar class to be left alone legally. If they dont take the class, or have more than 4 ounces they will be subject to the current Marijuana law penalties. People In Houston Are No Longer Going To Jail For Marijuana Possession http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/houston-marijuana-no-jail_us_58b45b1ae4b060480e0a708c ---Beginning on Wednesday, people who are caught with small amounts of marijuana in Harris County, Texas, will no longer earn a trip to jail. Under the new cite-and-release policy, announced last month, police in Texas most populous county will instead offer four-hour drug education classes to anybody found with less than four ounces of marijuana. Harris County includes Houston, the fourth-most populous city in the U.S., with about 4.5 million residents. Authorities will still arrest and prosecute cases when they find marijuana in school zones or in conjunction with other criminal behavior, and juveniles are not eligible for the program. But most low-level marijuana offenders will now avoid a trip to police station, wont get booked into jail and wont get a criminal record, as long as they complete the drug education course. The classes cost $150, and financial aid will be available to people unable to pay. The county will pursue charges against those who fail to attend. ---Officials say the new approach will save $26 million annually by lifting costs related to law enforcement, incarceration and the court system. When you have 10,000 cases on a 100,000-plus case docket that are simple marijuana possession cases, you look for smart ways to resolve those so that you can dedicate your resources to the really serious crimes, Tom Berg, Harris Countys first assistant district attorney, told The Huffington Post.
The dummies on the juries could have simply found the people not guilty in the first place. That would have reduced the backlog of such cases.
The problem with Federal enforcement is that state officers are under no obligation to enforce Federal law, and when was the last time you saw Federal police walking around?
Thats if you have the resources, lots of people cannot go through the resets and the demands of the courts because they have a life that needs to be kept up with. Its hard to go 2 or 3 times a month just to appear on a weekday and have nothing happen with your case. Either way you go to the court over and over usually ending up taking a plea deal costing everyone a lot of money.
possession of a personal use quantity of weed should not be a crime. selling weed? especially to children? yes that should be a crime.
Once the DEA busts a few marijuana dispensaries for possession with intent to sell, the industry will dry up, regardless of state laws.
Support for legalization can be had for the price of assurances via sentence enhancement. Dime bag in your pocket? ...ok no big deal. Dime bag in your pocket while you rob a liquor store? ...40 years in prison. Getting high in your own home? ...ok no big deal. Driving around high? ...40 years in prison. Injure or kill yourself while you're high? ...meh, consequences. Injure or kill somebody else while you're high? ...life in prison or execution. We law & order types don't much care that people are safely smoking up.' We care that a culture that has no concept of personal or civil responsibility is asking for a mind altering drug to be legal. We want a social contract with marijuana users that says they will respect us as we respect them and we want that contract to be supported by harsh punishment. Its not too much to ask, its a fair compromise.
