Pubdate: Fri, 03 Aug 2012
Source: Springfield News-Leader (MO)
Copyright: 2012 The Springfield News-Leader
Contact: http://getpublished.news-leader.com/Forms/LettersToEditor.php
Website: http://www.news-leader.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1129
Author: Michael Gulledge

PETITION TO DECRIMINALIZE MARIJUANA TO MOVE FORWARD IN SPRINGFIELD

A petition to decriminalize marijuana has been certified by the city
clerk's office and will move forward to City Council.

Springfield City Clerk Brenda Cirtin said the petition was certified
late Thursday afternoon with 2,132 certified signatures. The office
stopped the process soon after it passed the 2,101 signatures needed
for certification.

"I'm so excited," said petition organizer Maranda Reynolds.

Reynolds and the Show-Me Cannabis group was notified a little over a
week ago that an estimated 649 additional signatures were needed for
certification. The group had until Aug. 7 to submit additional
signatures but needed to turn them in earlier to make the City
Council's Aug. 13 meeting agenda and stay on track to get the
initiative on the ballot.

The council can pass the initiative or it can place it on the November
ballot.

Reynolds said the group upped their game to get the signatures before
the deadline.

"We made sure everybody focused on getting good valid signatures and
legible handwriting," Reynolds said. "We had over 15 volunteers
working on this in addition to the signature gathering company."

The next stop for the petition is City Council, which can either adopt
the petition as-is or send it to voters in November. It will go
through two readings with the council. Reynolds hopes the council will
have a positive attitude about the issue.

"We're going to focus on convincing the City Council that they should
just pass it now rather than hand it to the voters," Reynolds said.
"These are things that most people want, whether they think marijuana
is a good thing or a bad thing."

The petition, initiated in part by Show-Me Cannabis, seeks to lessen
the penalty of having 35 grams or less of marijuana or related
paraphernalia. It requests an amendment to an existing ordinance so
adults are not arrested and only face a fine, community service or
counseling for possession of a misdemeanor amount of marijuana. The
most severe penalty would be a fine of up to $150.

Current punishment can include as many as 180 days in jail and/or a
fine as high as $1,000.

"It's not about marijuana really, it's about the policy," Reynolds
said. "... Losing job opportunities and educational opportunities is
worse than the substance itself."

Reynolds said there's been little opposition so far, at least to her
directly, about the issue.

"If you can organize a committed group of people to support an issue,
then that's a big thing," Reynolds said. "A lot of people are saying
'yes.' "
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MAP posted-by: Matt