[Mtnorml-list] Missoula Marijuana Committee -- 2nd report released

[Montana NORML]

All,

A list member asks "Is there anything we can do to help stop the 
badgering from the police and authorities?"

Great question. Yes, there are things you can do (below). A few thoughts 
first:

By the numbers, the primary "badgerers" are the city police. I've spoken 
with the police chief and I believe him when he says that the police are 
not out actively hunting down pot smokers. But, they regularly encounter 
marijuana in the course of dealing with other incidents, whether it's a 
traffic stop, a noise complaint, disorderly conduct, domestic dispute, 
trespassing, whatever.

Law enforcement uses training and professional discretion all the time 
to guide their enforcement activities. If someone's jaywalking at the 
same time as an assault occurs across the street, then they know what to do.

So, they *could* process the primary offense (e.g., stop sign violation) 
and leave it at that. Instead, they seem to be taking extra time to 
search for pot. See for example,

http://i2files.montanadrugpolicy.org/2008data/incidents.php?case=MC012408-162

Evidence Description: "LESS THAN 1 GM MARIJUANA RES IN CONSOLE OF 
VEHICLE (RETRIEVED WITH WHITE TAPE."

We don't have any info on the circumstances (this guy might have rolled 
through a stop sign, but also might have been an axe murderer) or the 
results, but this 21-yr-old had a bit of cannabis residue which was so 
minuscule they needed to use a piece of tape to collect it.

Lowest possible priority?

Anyway, things you can do:


1) letter to the media/editor

Every letter to the editor does at least two things: It represents a 
sample of public opinion to government leaders, figuring that for every 
one citizen who takes the time to write a letter, there are probably 
more than a hundred who feel the same way.  Additionally, it publicizes 
the issue to the thousands of readers who might be unaware of it.

http://www.missoulian.com/contact/
http://www.missoulanews.com/index.cfm?do=home.contact
http://www.newwest.net/plain/contact/16/



2) letter to city council and county commissioners

These are the folks who run our fair city and county. While the 
initiative was a county instrument, support was strongest in the cit. 
Parts of Missoula expressed 80+% support for marijuana being the lowest 
possible priority! I swear you could get elected in some precincts 
running on a single issue platform - decriminalize pot.

http://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/citycouncil/

http://www.co.missoula.mt.us/mcbcc/

The city police chief and county sheriff report to these bodies.


3) Just talk to people you know about the issue.


4) Donate to Montana NORML :) http://montananorml.org/donate/


I have more to say but have to run.

Thanks for your interest,


John Masterson
Montana NORML



Montana NORML wrote:
> The Community Oversight Committee formed by Initiative #2, which 
> recommended that adult marijuana activity be the lowest priority for law 
> enforcement, released its second report today.
> 
> In short, despite a slight decrease in incidents reported by county 
> officials, busts by the Missoula Police Department skyrocketed. The 
> average bust size was 2 grams, or about one joint - just about every day.
> 
> It seems that the lowest-priority recommendation of voters is being 
> mostly ignored.
> 
> The full report is here:
> 
> http://www.co.missoula.mt.us/initiative2/reports/