Thursday, February 14
MONTPELIER (AP) — The Vermont Senate on Wednesday voted to scrap jail terms for first- or second-time offenders caught with up to an ounce of marijuana, giving initial approval to a bill that would give those people fines or send them to court diversion.

Debate on whether to give the bill initial approval — which the Senate ended up doing on a 22-7 roll call vote — prompted a wide-ranging discussion of marijuana policy, about the message the legislation would send to young people, and about whether laws against marijuana were causing more harm than the drug itself.
Sen. Dick McCormack, D-Windsor, introduced his comments on the topic with a bit of humor.
"I'm not so naive as to think that marijuana is a completely harmless drug," he said. "It's responsible for some of the worst poetry ever written. And as a musician, I can tell you it wreaks havoc on the drummer's ability to keep the tempo." But he added, "The harm that is done to actual people's lives because they're pot smokers is not done by pot-smoking. The harm that comes to people's lives because they're pot smokers comes from the state. The problems in their lives do not come from
lighting up a joint. It comes from getting caught."

Critics of the bill said it would send the wrong message at a time when the state is grappling with a growing problem with use and abuse of harder drugs.
Sen. Hull Maynard, R-Rutland, noted that his home county, and Rutland City in particular, had been plagued by a recent spate of drug-related violence and other crime.
"I feel that we would be better off not passing anything on this subject right now," Maynard said. He urged that the state "try to get down to the business and clear up a problem that may be worse in Rutland County than other places and may not."
Current Vermont law calls for those caught with up to two ounces of marijuana to be given up to six months in jail and up to a $1,000 fine.
The bill before the Senate Wednesday would give those caught with up to one ounce a choice: They could either pay a $500 fine — $750 on a second offense — and have a criminal record, or they could go to a court diversion program, which would result in no criminal record but likely would require counseling and community service.
An initial version of the bill would have decriminalized possession or sale of up to four ounces, but the Senat

e Judiciary Committee scaled that back, said its chairman, Sen. Richard Sears, D-Bennington. "No one is condoning the use of marijuana, and it's offensive to suggest that anyone is," Sears said.

See, they all run and hide when legalization comes out. Being in the seniour category and having smoked more marijuana then Willy Nelson, well on second thought, maybe not, but I've smoked my share, I find the majority of seniours are dead against legalization. I believe a well run campaign touting de-criminalization would have a much better chance of getting something passed, but mention Legalization and you lose about 30% of the voters. lets get it decriminalized first then work the legalization angle. The most importand aspect of any de-criminalization bill would be to allow Growing some nominal amount.

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Life is good, the water is sweet. The ground keeps moving beneath my feet.

From the article:

"Critics of the bill said it would send the wrong message ..."

Right, like the Totalitarian State arresting people and throwing them in jail for years for possessing a small amount of a simple medicinal herb is sending the "right" message?

Vi

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Liberals are people that will believe anything twice.

i think more and more that the norm in America is to never admit a mistake. that is the "wrong message" they must be talking about. since it is proven harmless, non-addictive and medically valuable there can't be any other message.





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"But even when you cease to be slaves, you are yet far removed from being placed on an equality with the white race."

- Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America, Hero to the servants of big government, Racist War Monger

Well, there's the old folks set in their ways, and the parents that are paranoid about their kids, these are the main opponents. That is why you must remove the word legalize. Decriminalize would get a lot more traction. You could preface the TV ads with horror stories about excessive Jail sentences for small amounts and present a case for growing, seeing that would remove a large portion of street venders, but the word Legal sends shivers down the souls of opponents.

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Life is good, the water is sweet. The ground keeps moving beneath my feet.

Yes..Why dont they just Let everyone grow marijuana..I think growing should be legal because that way no body is buyin it off the streets..plus i heard that marijuana plants give off more oxygen then trees..

I once saw a marijuana tree in central America on National Geographic in the 70s. It was 25-35 ft tall and had male flowers that were 3-6 inches in diameter. One of the old men of the tribe scurried up the tree and grabbed a male flower and squeezed it and snorted the pollen, about 3 seconds later he slithered down the tree and sat at the base quivering. That must have been a hell of a rush.

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Life is good, the water is sweet. The ground keeps moving beneath my feet.

vt will be the first state to aprove farming hemp we are all ready on the fast track