By Greg Grisolano
ggrisolano@joplinglobe.com
Kelly Maddy is confident he obtained the magic number of signatures that would place a marijuana-decriminalization effort before Joplin voters in November.
“It was a little less than we’d hoped for,” he said Thursday, after he dropped off more than 6,000 signatures at the Joplin city clerk’s office Thursday afternoon. “But we’re confident we did all we could with the resources we had.”
The magic number of signatures is 4,656, or roughly 15 percent of the total number of registered voters in Joplin at the time of the last city election, which was in April.
Maddy said about four or five ardent volunteers since September 2007 collected the bulk of the signatures, frequently standing outside local businesses and at the Joplin Public Library.
As the leader of the Sensible Joplin group behind the decriminalization initiative, Maddy said Thursday’s delivery represented the culmination of nearly a year’s worth of effort.
“We have a good number of signatures, and we’ve done a lot of hard work,” said Maddy, who also serves as president of the Joplin chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
One of the biggest challenges for the group was overcoming some supporters’ concern about publicly identifying themselves on a marijuana-related petition.
“People think it’s a list,” he said, referring to some complaints from would-be signers who were afraid their names would be available to police or the general public. “This isn’t China; this is the United States, and we have the right to do this.”
City Clerk Barbara Hogelin said she is required by the city’s charter to complete the verification procedure within 20 days.
“I’m going to be working day and night on this,” she said.
The city clerk’s office is required to verify that the signatures represent actual registered voters who live in Joplin.
If the clerk finds the petitions carry an adequate number of signatures, residents would vote on a proposal that says adults arrested for misdemeanor possession of marijuana, which is 35 grams or less, or for possession of marijuana paraphernalia would not be jailed or have to post bond. Those found guilty in municipal court would be subject to a $250 maximum fine.
If the city clerk determines the group did not produce the necessary number of signatures, Maddy and his organization would have an additional 10 days to obtain more signatures, followed by a five-day review period by the clerk’s office.
Joplin’s charter provides the council an opportunity to approve a petition proposal outright, or reject the motion and set it for the next election ballot, which would be in November.
Mayor Gary Shaw has said that while he can’t speak for how the rest of the council will vote, he believes the issue is one that should be left for the voters to decide.
Current law
Under the law, those convicted of marijuana possession or possession of paraphernalia within the city are subject to a fine of up to $500 fine and/or up to 100 days in jail, based on the judge’s discretion at sentencing.
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<img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/extra.gif" border=0>Group seeking decriminalization of pot submits petitions for vote<font color="#ff0000"> w/ Kelly Maddy interview audio</font>
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