Voices: Give voters the choice

Discussion

October 10, 2007

Anonymous The Joplin Globe Wed Oct 10, 2007, 12:44 AM CDT

Several letters to the editor have voiced concerns regarding the launch of our municipal initiative petition to lessen the criminal penalties associated with the possession of small amounts of marijuana. We understand those concerns and wish to address them.

Currently, Joplin police arrest an estimated 230 people annually for violating marijuana laws.

Most of these are young people, and 99 percent of those arrested are charged with possession only. The Sensible Sentencing Initiative would not legalize the use of marijuana by the public; it would address these violations in a more fiscally responsible manner that would preserve law enforcement resources and redirect taxpayer dollars to be focused on more serious crime.

More than 30 percent of the U.S. population lives under some form of marijuana decriminalization, and according to numerous government and academic studies, these laws have not contributed to an increase in marijuana consumption nor negatively impacted adolescent attitudes toward drug use.

Additionally, the way we handle marijuana possession cases now also puts students at risk of losing eligibility for federal financial aid. The Aid Elimination Penalty automatically strips financial aid from students with any drug conviction, including misdemeanor marijuana possession. Since the penalty was added to the Higher Education Act in 1998, nearly 200,000 students have been denied aid because of it. Countless others didn’t even apply for aid because they thought they’d be denied. This would not happen under our Sensible Sentencing Initiative.

Joplin’s current policy results in the arrests of hundreds of our fellow citizens without impacting marijuana use or the drug’s availability. Our initiative will give voters the choice to take a pragmatic, alternative approach to the marijuana issue. Let the people speak.

Kelly Maddy

Sensible Joplin/Joplin NORML

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Joplin Sensible Sentencing Initiative

Organizers say petition drive on marijuana plan near goal A petition drive to put a marijuana-decriminalization proposal before the city of Joplin is close to having the necessary number of signatures, according to organizers.
June 18, 2008
Voices: Unsupported criticisms The letter by Dianne Slater (Globe, Jan. 31) is based more on a logical fallacy than actual scientific data on behavioral patterns of marijuana users.

Naturally, critics of such a move warn that decriminalizing cannabis will increase pot use among Joplin’s young people. Such concerns, while understandable, are not supported by epidemiological evidence.
February 10, 2008
<img src=" http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/breaking.gif " Border=0> 11/21/07, 2:58 p.m. Marijuana decriminalization initiative petition announced On Friday afternoon, standing on the sidewalk at Joplin City Hall, Kelly Maddy, the president of the Joplin chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, flanked by Kris Krane, the executive director of the national organization, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, and Ryan Denham, President of the Alliance for Drug Reform Policy in Arkansas, fired the first shot in what will be a year-long battle to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana within the city of Joplin and the paraphernalia that’s used to smoke it.
February 3, 2008
<img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/extra.gif" border=0> Pot-signature drive kicks into gear <font color="#ff0000">w/ links Sensible Sentencing Initiative info, audio, video & petition language</font> Four months after Kelly Maddy stood on the sidewalk outside Joplin City Hall, flanked by supporters of his effort to decriminalize marijuana use in the city, the campaign is kicking into high gear.

Maddy, president of the Joplin chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, spent several hours Sunday in front of Dillons grocery store, soliciting signatures for the Sensible Sentencing Initiative. He met with a couple of less-than-friendly responses.
February 2, 2008 1 Photo 4 Links
Dave Woods: Readers fire shots in war on war on drugs I have to admit, I admire Kelly Maddy. I admire the grassroots political organizer’s commitment to the marijuana decriminalization cause and the work he has done in Joplin in support of the Sensible Sentencing Initiative.
February 2, 2008 1 Photo 1 Link
Guest column: Legal marijuana would help millions Have you heard the news? There is now a low-cost drug proven to ease a cancer patient’s suffering. Not only does this drug reduce the physical and psychological pain of cancer, but, more importantly, it restores a chemotherapy patient’s appetite.

The drug, of course, is marijuana.
February 2, 2008 1 Photo
Pot petitions gaining ground It might seem unlikely that an initiative petition aimed at decriminalizing possession of limited amounts of marijuana and the paraphernalia used to smoke it could make it onto the ballot in Joplin — let alone pass muster with voters.

But similar efforts have passed in nearby cities such as Columbia and Eureka Springs, Ark.

“We weren’t sure what to anticipate,” said Columbia police Chief Randy Boehm.
January 28, 2008 1 Photo
Voices: Give voters the choice Several letters to the editor have voiced concerns regarding the launch of our municipal initiative petition to lessen the criminal penalties associated with the possession of small amounts of marijuana. We understand those concerns and wish to address them.

Currently, Joplin police arrest an estimated 230 people annually for violating marijuana laws.
October 10, 2007
Voices: Legalize marijuana As a Christian, I wish Kelly Maddy and the Joplin chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws success, but for re-legalizing, not just decriminalizing, cannabis.
September 30, 2007
Dave Woods: Pot stories keep comments section smokin' Joplin police Chief Lane J. Roberts was blunt about his past use of marijuana during a recent interview concerning the launch of the Sensible Sentencing Initiative.
September 28, 2007 1 Photo 2 Links
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Discussion

Voices: Give voters the choice

Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr wants the city to distribute weather radios to all Joplin homes that don’t have one. That’s 11,000 radios. Do you think that’s a good use of $300,440?

Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr wants the city to distribute weather radios to all Joplin homes that don’t have one. That’s 11,000 radios. Do you think that’s a good use of $300,440?

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