Right Time is Now - It's A Plant, Not A Sin

  For years DC politricksters chanted their mantra that "the time is not now" and "Congress will block it" when asked anything about lowering penalties for marijuana. I give Zuckerberg and his run for City Council, the credit for getting us to the right time.
  Now to pressure the City Council to make the fine as low as possible so that there is no point in enforcing the statute.

D.C. mayor backs decriminalizing marijuana, replacing criminal charges with civil fines

By Aaron C. Davis, Published: October 23

D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) on Wednesday offered his first unequivocal support for decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, adding momentum to a legislative proposal that has the support of a supermajority on the D.C. Council and could make the District one of the nation’s most lenient jurisdictions on marijuana possession.
Under a measure proposed by council member Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6), possession of less than an ounce of marijuana in the District would no longer be punishable by six months in jail and a penalty of $1,000.
Instead, those caught with amounts of the drug deemed for personal use would risk only a civil charge and a ticket of $100 — the equivalent of parking in a no-parking area in the District at rush hour.
Wells, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for mayor, and civil liberties groups have urged passage of the measure. They say the District’s marijuana laws have disproportionately affected African Americans and have saddled some residents with criminal records, making it hard for them to find gainful employment.
Wells and council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) have scheduled a two-part hearing on the bill, beginning Wednesday night in Southeast Washington and continuing Thursday at the John A. Wilson Building.
Gray said that his surrogates would testify Thursday in favor of decriminalizing marijuana.
“I support decriminalization. Legalization is another issue. I’m not there on that issue, yet,” the mayor said, alluding to laws such as those in Colorado and Washington state.
This past summer, D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier urged a “robust discussion” of the legislation, calling it a significant issue and saying she has concerns about the risks marijuana poses for children, as well as the potential conflict with federal law.
Staff members in Gray’s and Wells’s offices said neither Lanier nor anyone else from the police department was scheduled to testify Thursday.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-mayor-backs-decriminalizing-marijuana-replacing-criminal-charges-with-civil-fines/2013/10/23/b70d1f3c-3c2d-11e3-a94f-b58017bfee6c_story.html

Disproportionate Marijuana Arrests In DC

ACLU: D.C. pot possession arrest data show differences from national trends

By Annys Shin, Wednesday, June 12, 2:36 PM

Following the report last week from the ACLU that marijuana possession arrests had surged across the country over a 10-year period, the civil liberties group’s local chapter has now drilled down into the data to produce what it says is a more detailed look at how that trend has played out in the District.
The national report attributed much of the uptick to an increase in pot possession arrests of African Americans. According to the local ACLU report released Wednesday, the District had higher pot possession arrest rates and greater racial disparity among those arrestedthan almost any other state or county in the country.
D.C. is often compared to other states, which include non-urban areas, but counties can be more comparable jurisdictions. The report said that the District outstripped places such as Miami-Dade and Philadelphia counties in pot possession arrest rates.
In 2010, based on Metropolitan Police Department numbers, D.C. police made a daily average of nearly 15 such arrests. Arrest rates, the ACLU report said, were highest in gentrifying neighborhoods.
The report is part of the ACLU’s efforts to decriminalize marijuana.
Police Chief Cathy Lanier last week took issue with the national report’s findings and said that under her watch, MPD has been focused on pushing down violent crime rates, not going after pot users.
While the ACLU attributes the rise in marijuana arrest rates to post-crack drug war policies, academic experts who have studied the issue are not sure precisely what the cause is.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/aclu-dc-pot-possession-arrest-data-shows-differences-from-national-trends/2013/06/12/3f845fe6-d389-11e2-a73e-826d299ff459_story.html