The Law stays the way it is...
Stricter marijuana law renewed
Cincinnati's stricter law for marijuana possession will stay in effect.
The ordinance - which makes having even a small amount of pot punishable by a $250 fine and up to 30 days in jail - was set to expire this week. But City Council members renewed it Wednesday.
More than 20 people testified Tuesday and Wednesday in favor of letting the one-year ordinance die. They said it only contributed to the crowding at the Hamilton County Jail and that police officers should be spending their time fighting serious crime.
But Police Chief Tom Streicher said the ordinance led officers to find 62 guns between April 2006 and the end of February.
Councilmen David Crowley and Jim Tarbell voted against the renewal. Tarbell suggested putting another one-year cap on the ordinance, but that would have required Councilman Cecil Thomas, who put the ordinance forward, to allow an amendment. Thomas did not.
Better git that roach outa yer ashtray!
I'm in favor of the ordinance. It's not to punish people for having marijuana so much as it gives me a bigger net to cast so that I can find bigger stuff.
I don't really give a shit that you have hippy lettuce on you (unless its a large amount), but I do care that you probably have a few other things on you besides the MJ.
Bottom line is until the law is changed, it's still illegal.
Let's discuss this, LawDawg.
I don't smoke it, and don't care one way or another. Persoanly I think it should be legalized and sold in a State store. But why are you and the other officers spending time on small time pot busts when people are being murdered in this city right and left?
And since I have your attention, why are the cops allowed to run down Colerain at 65 MPH (no lights, no sirens) when I could get a ticket at 45?
Inquiring minds and all that...
Well, I'll try to explain it this way gae....
As a beat cop, I deal with the demand side of the dope trade and the street crimes that affect citizens everyday (panhandling, assaults, robberies, etc).
It's not my responsibility to find the murderers, rapists, etc....now I can catch them if I see them but I don't actively look for them. There are other departments within CPD that have those responsibilities.
I, personally, have been trying to develop my own "org chart" of players in the beat I run but was told by other officers that my job is to make it as expensive as possible for the demand side (ie users) and to let others deal with the supply.
We have a long list of what I call "fuck you" ordinances that let me essentially stop you for the most minor ticky tack infraction as my PC and then I conduct my investigation from there.
The pot ordinance is one of those. The current mindset is to make it as incovenient and expensive for the user as we possibly can. If your $20 rock ends up costing you $200-300 dollars, or a physical arrest and a trip to jail, you might think twice about coming to my hood to buy it.
Is that thinking correct? I'm sure an argument on either side could be made but I have a saying....it is what it is. I work with the tools I currently have.
As for cops driving fast....there are two possible reasons and I, myself am guilty of this. 1: There is a run the officer is on that doesn't quite meet the standards of a "lights & sirens" call but the officer needs to get there as quickly as possible. 2: They just like to drive fast. No excuse.
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ April 02, 2007 02:37 PM: Message edited by: Law Dawg ]</font>
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Pot comes in rocks now? I really need to get out more! Back in the day, it came in nickles and dimes.The pot ordinance is one of those. The current mindset is to make it as incovenient and expensive for the user as we possibly can. If your $20 rock ends up costing you $200-300 dollars, or a physical arrest and a trip to jail, you might think twice about coming to my hood to buy it.
I think you might be confusing pot with crack, which is part of my point. People who smoke pot simply help the economy buy buying muchnies [img]smile.gif[/img] (and before you look at me, the few times I've tried it, I'm asleep before I can get hungry) and just generally get stupid and play Risk.
The crackheads/whores I've seen looked like they would sell their children for a hit of rock.
I know it's your job, and I respect it -- would not ever want to do it -- but even though both are illegal substances, don't you think you're barking up the wrong tree?
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I'll make sure I tell that to the guy I go to court on this week who was shot in his car for a pot deal gone bad.People who smoke pot simply help the economy buy buying muchnies (and before you look at me, the few times I've tried it, I'm asleep before I can get hungry) and just generally get stupid and play Risk.
However,
Pot, Crack, it really doesn't matter. For purposes of my argument, they are interchangable.
If you come to my hood to by a dime bag/$20 rock/hooker, and I catch you, it used to be a ticket. Now it's a physical arrest and a trip to jail. Fair? That's not for me to decide. My hands are tied. Personally I think it's a bit harsh but it ain't up to me.
The point is the same: Make it as expensive and as inconvenient as possible for the buyer. When your dime bag/$20 rock/blow job costs you $200, a night in jail, and a drug/solicitation record, I say again, it becomes too expensive for some....not all but some. That is what we're trying to do.
Hey Law Dawg, what do you think of this one?
New teen driving law starts today
THE ENQUIRER
A new Ohio law that restricts teen driving takes effect today. Here is a breakdown of the law?s key points:
TIME RESTRICTIONS
? Teens under 18 who have their learner's permits can't drive between midnight and 6 a.m.
? Teens under 17 who have their probationary licenses can't drive between midnight and 6 a.m., unless with a parent or guardian.
? Teens with probationary licenses between 17 and 18 can't drive between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., unless they are accompanied by a parent or guardian.
PASSENGER RESTRICTIONS
? Teens under 17 who have a probationary license cannot have more than one person who is not a family member in their car unless the driver's parent or guardian is along.
PENALTIES
? Violations are minor misdemeanors. Lawbreakers face up to $150 in fines.
BTW, reguardless of how anyone feels about the severity of the marijuana law, you have to remember that it's still illegal to posses, smoke or sell it so they are breaking the law in doing so and there has to be some form of punishment that will at least cause them to think twice about doing it again.
They way a lot (not all) of the teens I see drive, makes me wish they couldn't get a license until they were 18....and THEN only if they could prove they weren't total anc complete jackballs.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">If it was legal this would not have happened.Originally posted by Law Dawg:
I'll make sure I tell that to the guy I go to court on this week who was shot in his car for a pot deal gone bad.
The dude who got shot had 175 grams of pot in his car.....should that amount be considered legal?
Personal use marijuanna I can get behind legalizing; not sure I can get behind that amount.
You're always preaching about a slippery slope when it comes to government infringing on our rights. Turn that around and say the government does legalize MJ. Isn't that also a slippery slope: First MJ...next what? Coke, Heroin, Meth???
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