Pubdate: Thu, 26 May 2011 Source: Sacramento Bee (CA) Copyright: 2011 The Sacramento Bee Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/0n4cG7L1 Website: http://www.sacbee.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/376 Author: Dale Gieringer END PRISON FOR DRUG OFFENDERS Re "State must slash prison population" (Page A1, May 24): With California under court order to reduce the prison population by 33,000 prisoners, it is noteworthy that the state incarcerates 25,000 prisoners for nonviolent drug offenses. Prison overcrowding can thus be largely attributed to the drug laws. Fortunately, there are signs that the high tide of drug prohibition may be waning. Drug offenders have declined from 28 percent to 15 percent of all inmates since California voters approved Proposition 36, which mandated treatment instead of prison for minor possession offenders. A bill to reduce the number of marijuana prisoners, Assembly Bill 1017 by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, would reduce cultivation penalties from a mandatory felony to a "wobbler," or alternate misdemeanor. Let us hope that our legislators have the wisdom to eliminate felony penalties for inherently nonviolent drug offenses. Dale Gieringer, director, California NORML, San Francisco - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom