The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

Joplin Sensible Sentencing Initiative

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February 2, 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>

By Dave Woods

dwoods@joplinglobe.com

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.

Jerry Creech, 69, said the idea of decriminalizing possession of marijuana in Joplin is a no-go for him.

“It’s against the law,” he said. “It has no purpose. It just leads to the next step. ... All drug laws should be tougher than s---.”

Another shopper, Casey Weathers, 27, wouldn’t sign the petition either.

“I believe that it’s a gateway drug that leads to harder things, particularly with young kids,” Weathers said. “It opens a doorway that doesn’t need to be opened. I think that is stupid.”

Since announcing the campaign on Sept. 22, Maddy and his pot proponents have collected about half the signatures needed to put the issue before voters in November.

“Right now, we are right around 2,700 rough signatures,” Maddy said. “We are just starting to verify the signatures we have collected with Newton, Jasper County and Joplin voter lists. I think we are well on our way to putting this on the ballot as long as we keep up the momentum.”

Maddy said the group will collect more than the number needed because signature-validity rates hover around 55 percent.

City Clerk Barbara Hogelin has estimated that the group will need close to 5,000 signatures of registered Joplin voters to get the initiative on the ballot, but the exact number will not be known until after April’s municipal election.

Maddy attributed some of the success in gathering signatures so far to training provided to the organization’s volunteers.

“At our meetings that we hold biweekly, we walk through typical rebuttals that people would give you, like role-playing,” he said. “We teach people how to present themselves respectfully and professionally, because this is a stigmatizing issue, and we don’t want people going out there being totally unprofessional and being counterculture.

“A lot of people have turned away from this issue because of that.”

He said he understands what the campaign is up against.

“It’s a morality issue for a lot of people,” Maddy acknowledged. “We have a big religious community here, and I would say the No. 1 argument is that it’s immoral to sanction marijuana use.”

Proposed rules

If the proposal is endorsed by voters, possession of less than 35 grams of marijuana or possession of marijuana paraphernalia would become an administrative infraction — like a traffic ticket or nuisance violation — and not a criminal violation in Joplin. Thirty-five grams is about 1 1/4 ounces.

Possession cases currently are not referred to the county prosecutor unless the amount of marijuana is 35 grams or more, making it a felony offense, according to Cpl. Chuck Niess of the Joplin Police Department.

Numbers provided by the Joplin Police Department indicate that the average age of those arrested for marijuana possession from July 2006 to July 2007 was 26.5 years. They were overwhelmingly male and predominately white.

The proposal says adults arrested for simple 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 of the infraction in municipal court would be subject to a $250 maximum fine.

Under current law, those convicted of marijuana possession or possession of paraphernalia within the city are subject to a $500 fine and/or 100 days or less in jail, based on the judge’s discretion at sentencing.

‘Buzz is growing’

“When we started canvassing for signatures in September, a lot of people were just like, ‘Whoa, what’s this?’” Maddy said.

But interest is growing, he said.

“Now, people are coming forward and saying: ‘I want to be a part of this. Give me a petition. Where can I sign? Where are your events?’” he said. “The buzz is growing, and I think people know this is going to be a relevant issue in 2008.”

Whether residents agree with his point of view or not, Maddy said signing the petition is a way to get involved in democracy at the grass-roots level.

“Signing the petition doesn’t mean you support this or not support this. It just means that you want to see this voted on,” he said. “The best way to see how the city feels on this issue is to have the most scientific poll you can, and that’s the poll on Election Day.”

Maddy said he has been pleasantly surprised at the reception — mixed as it is.

“It has been about half and half,” he said of canvassing in Joplin. “We have had no volatile responses. It’s just people saying yes or no.

“The most somebody has said is that, ‘I wish they would arrest all of you,’ which is what they are doing now anyway,” he added with a laugh.

Dave Woods is the new media editor for The Joplin Globe.





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A petition rally and fund-raiser for the Joplin Sensible Sentencing Initiative is planned for 7 p.m. today at Blackthorn Pizza and Pub, 510 S. Joplin Ave.

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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

  • images_sizedimage_028235035 <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

  • images_sizedimage_033103148 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

  • images_sizedimage_033103638 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

  • images_sizedimage_034193221 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

  • images_sizedimage_033103148 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