Volusia on Thursday became the first county in Central Florida to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana.

The County Council by a unanimous 7-0 vote gave law officers the discretion to ticket tokers who possess 20 grams of the drug or less. Instead of being arrested and charged with a misdemeanor, violators would be fined $100.

"The only thing we learned from the war on drugs is that it didn't work," County Council member Josh Wagner said. "All it did was fill the jails."

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Possession of Up to 20 Grams Would Be a Civil Citation

TAMPA - Despite concerns it does not do enough to deter repeat offenders, the Tampa City Council on Thursday voted for a new law that lowers the penalty for possession of small amounts of marijuana to a civil citation.

Council members voted 6-1 to adopt the law, which gives city police the option to issue a civil citation for possession of up to 20 grams of marijuana, roughly three quarters of an ounce.

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Mike McLeod's statements in his Feb. 20 letter "don't allow the smoking of medical marijuana in Florida amendment proposal," regarding cannabis (marijuana) are seriously incorrect, claiming it's "just as bad or worse" than tobacco. Cigarettes kill over 1,000 Americans daily while cannabis hasn't killed one single person in over 5,000 years of documented use. That's safety on a biblical scale.

Alleging the only reason people want to smoke cannabis is to get high is equally misinformed. Many sick citizens prefer smoking cannabis, not to get high but rather desperately seeking relief from cancer, chronic pain, etc. They often wish to avoid strong, highly addictive opiates, which often makes them dysfunctional. Smoking cannabis can also help quicker, allowing people to use only a small amount as needed.

A sane or moral argument to cage sick citizens who smoke cannabis doesn't exist.

Stan White

Dillon, Colo.

[end]

In 35 states and Washington, D.C., you soon will be able to go into a Walgreens and get naloxone, the heroin overdose antidote, without a prescription.

But not in Florida, where heroin is hitting with deadly impact.

CVS is another major pharmacy that is increasing its supplies of naloxone, often sold as the prescription drug Narcan. CVS, too, will be selling it widely in 35 states. In 14 of those states, including New York, California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the chain will be providing it to patients without an individual prescription. Not Florida. Heroin deaths have soared in this state: from 48 in 2010 to 447 in 2014. And our area is arguably the epidemic's epicenter. A startling seven people have died of suspected heroin overdoses this month in West Palm Beach, bringing the total to 11 deaths since December, police reported Wednesday. At this time last year, there were none.

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Regarding "Sanctioning drug use in Tampa" (Our Views, Feb. 20): The Tribune gives too much credit to the drug and too little to the process (of prohibition). It is impossible to stamp out anything that millions of Americans want, and trying harder causes more societal damage than it prevents. Our elected leaders are torn between wanting to ease off on possession arrests, but not so much that marijuana use increases. It can't be done, and it's better to know that now.

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Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd's recent published opposition to proposed legislation to curtail Florida's Contraband Forfeiture Act is right on target. Those of us who were in law enforcement in the 1980s worked hard to amend the law in 1982 to allow an attorney representing an agency to file a forfeiture petition in circuit civil court. This has resulted in criminals not only paying their dues to society in criminal court, but also losing any instrument used to further the criminal activity in civil court procedures pursuant to the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act. A win-win for local and state law enforcement.

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Stockbroker Who Smokes Pot for Pain Relief Says Latest Referendum Not Enough.

Irvin Rosenfeld believes the latest attempt to legalize medical marijuana in Florida will pass. But he doesn't believe it does enough. He wants everyone to be able to grow their own pot. Not for partying. For medicine.

The Boca Raton stockbroker knows all about it. He turns 63 on Friday. For a third of his life, he's smoked up to 10 joints a day for which he doesn't pay. Your taxes do.

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In response to the Feb. 14 Bradenton Herald editorial "Surrendering control on medical marijuana," I hope and pray this legislation to allow people to "smoke" marijuana for so-called medical purposes never passes.

What needs to be passed is legislation allowing for the "pill" or "oil" that contains the medical support that comes from marijuana. The only reason people want to smoke marijuana is to get high!

This would be detrimental to our society and to our youth growing up. There is simply no reason to allow our society to get high on marijuana when the ingredients in cannabis can be issued by a medical doctor in the form of a "pill" or "oil" prescriptions.

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Pilot Study in Tampa Will Mean Citations for 20 Grams or Less

TAMPA - While Tampa pushes ahead with civil citations for possession of small amounts of marijuana, a plan to give the same break to juveniles caught with the drug also is in the works.

Under a planned yearlong pilot program, juveniles found in possession of small amounts of marijuana, 20 grams or less, no longer will be arrested but will instead be cited and required to attend a drug treatment program.

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Tampa City Council is playing with fire with a plan to decriminalize marijuana use.

Don't be surprised if local drug abuse explodes if the council approves the measure to issue only civil citations for possession of 20 grams or less of pot

Passage of the ordinance seems assured. The council voted 6-0 Thursday to hold an initial public hearing March 3 on the measure, which would go into effect after a second public hearing. Only Councilman Charlie Miranda seems skeptical.

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Taxpayers beware: There is a dangerously naive proposal making the rounds in Tallahassee. Some politicians want to significantly damage Florida's successful Contraband Forfeiture Act. This is the law that prevents criminals from profiting from their illegal acts. Just like we prohibit killers from profiting by writing books about their crimes, the civil contraband forfeiture law in Florida allows law enforcement agencies to seize assets that are linked to criminal activity with full due process protections for the accused.

Bills sponsored by Sen. Jeff Brandes and Reps. Larry Metz and Matt Caldwell (Senate Bill 1044 and House Bill 889) would make it more difficult, and sometimes impossible, to seize criminals' illegally obtained assets. As a result, more crooks will get to keep their ill-gotten money while you work, pay your taxes, and now will have to pay more to ensure law enforcement has the necessary tools to fight and reduce crime. Why should hardworking taxpayers pay more in taxes while criminals who sell drugs to our kids get to keep their dishonestly acquired money?

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This is in regard to your Feb. 7 editorial ("As government drags its feet, voters move on medical pot") regarding the acceptance of the medical marijuana initiative on the November ballot.

As a 75-year-old Californian who recently moved to Florida, I take no prescription drugs. Medically legal cannabis for chronic pain, insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder has changed my life. It's shocking to see the Florida media featuring misleading images and inaccurate representations of what legalization will mean to Floridians.

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I remain so disappointed in the lawmakers unwilling to see the benefits of legalizing marijuana completely. It helps with more things that ail a person than what will be medically prescribed eventually. I realize this is a backwards state, just one, among several others. The laws imposed upon us, by people who can drink their way into oblivion, if they choose, is kind of hypocritical ... don't you think? They are stuck in a time warp and can't see past their rigid beliefs. Legalize it. Put laws on it. No difference than the rules for drinking. It is not a gateway drug.

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After utterly failing to bring relief even to children with severe epilepsy through a non-narcotic form of marijuana, Florida officials fully deserve the wrath of voters who are on the way to taking matters into their own hands - with a constitutional amendment that would make marijuana available for a wide range of debilitating medical conditions.

The medical marijuana amendment has gained enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. It is sponsored by the same folks who fell just short with a similar amendment in 2014. Then, the measure got 58 percent of the vote. This time - in a higher-turnout, presidential election year - the chances of gaining the needed 60 percent seem in the bag.

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I'm not surprised that enough petitions have been collected to put medical marijuana on this year's ballot. I believe true medical marijuana would have eased my 73-year-old father's pain before his death due to cancer.

I was approached a few weeks ago at a grocery-store parking lot by someone seeking my signature on the petition. I declined because all the activists were high-school and college-aged youth. Did they all need "'medical" marijuana? I doubt it. But apparently they'd like to have "medical" marijuana legalized.

Beware of the intent and how this would be administered.

Judy Lineberry Clermont

[end]

Alachua County officials are heading in the right direction by creating alternatives to arresting people caught with small amounts of marijuana.

The police departments of the county's municipalities and college campuses, along with officials in other counties and statewide, should get on board with such an approach.

The County Commission voted 4-0 on Tuesday to move forward with an ordinance that would allow civil citations to be issued to someone caught with 20 grams of marijuana or less. The citations are an alternative to an arrest or issuing a notice to appear in court.

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Regarding 'A first step' (Your Views, Jan. 20): Legalizing marijuana is going to open a can of worms. We have construction workers who have to operate heavy equipment; if they use marijuana, this would endanger everyone around the area. Then there are the ramifications of long-term usage - lung cancer, arterial disease, etc. Education is key to letting these people know marijuana is not the answer.

Stephen Burchett, Seffner

[end]

Regarding: "Tampa moves to downgrade pot offense" (front page, Jan. 12): As we move toward decriminalization of marijuana, a caveat: Although decriminalization will reduce the cost of enforcement and avoid upsetting the lives of arrestees, it will not reduce the violence, the murders, the drive-by shootings, the deaths of innocents caught in the crossfire, or the grisly murders south of the Rio Grande. Credit the law of supply and demand for all that. Demand will increase, owing to the reduced cost (i.e. just a ticket, not an arrest). Increased demand will increase price, other things being equal. This will add to the wealth and violence of the street market. And if enforcement shifts from users to suppliers, as many of our leaders say it must, price will rise even higher. This is why alcohol prohibition failed. We arrested bootleggers, but not drinkers. The 1920s were, in effect, a time of decriminalized alcohol and ended only when alcohol became legal again.

It is very important to decriminalize marijuana, but know that it is just a first step in ending the violence and corruption inherent in enforcing prohibition against a substance that millions of Americans want.

John G. Chase Palm harbor

[end]

Decriminalization of marijuana is coming as a refreshing breeze. We Americans deal ourselves a triple whammy when we enforce a law that makes a felony of behavior that is not criminal.

First, there is the waste of taxpayer money to enforce that law. Second, there's the loss to society of contributions the felon would have made if he had not been fighting the charge. Third, there's the loss of respect by the public for a criminal justice system that focuses on small offenses.

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The Tampa City Council is right to explore ways to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana by issuing civil citations. Council members should look seriously at the issue and adopt a measure that will appropriately punish lawbreakers without saddling them with criminal records as a similar effort continues in St. Petersburg and Pinellas County.

In a unanimous decision last week, Tampa City Council members voted to discuss the creation of a civil citation ordinance.

In February, the council plans to look at what other local governments have done and determine how to best move forward in Tampa. Separately, Mayor Bob Buckhorn said police and city attorneys have been working on a civil citation ordinance for eight months.

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Those Caught With A Small Amount Would Face Citations Instead Of Jail

TAMPA - Close to 1,900 arrests made by Tampa police last year included charges of possession of small amounts of marijuana.

The crime is a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison or probation and a $1,000 file. Offenders can also lose their driver's license for two years, making it tough to hang onto a job.

A conviction comes with the lifelong stigma of a criminal record, a bar to jobs in law enforcement and the armed services, and eligibility for public housing and some college scholarships.

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I applaud Sheriff Ric Bradshaw on his response to recent actions taken by the Palm Beach County Commission pertaining to marijuana laws. Our Florida Legislature enacts laws. Our police officers are trained and sworn to enforce those laws.

City and county commissions who are enacting civil penalties for marijuana possession are attempting to divert the energies of "law enforcement" to serve as revenue-enhancement agents enforcing civil penalties. Creating ordinances that cater to the pleasures of constituents indirectly supports many poor people forced to grow marijuana in lieu of food crops, the cartel, the street dealer and the families affected by the end result.

Don't vilify the police. The responsibility to prosecute or not rests with the State Attorney's Office. Sentencing, civil fines and nonadjudication are the responsibility of the judge and not the cop.

MARTIN J. JACOBSON, PORT ST. LUCIE

[end]