Mayor Daley backs plan to fine for smoking pot, not jail

[MaxDepth]

From our friends at Chicago Sun Times


<snippet>
Mayor Daley on Tuesday embraced a police sergeant's scheme to raise money for the city budget by ticketing people caught with small amounts of marijuana, but opponents are already taking shots at the controversial plan.

Daley emphasized that most charges involving small amounts of pot are thrown out in the state court system in Chicago.

"If 99 percent of the cases are all thrown out and you have a police officer going, why? Why do we arrest the individual, seize the marijuana, [go] to court and they're all thrown out? It costs you a lot of money for police officers to go to court.

"It's decriminalized now," the mayor added. "Sometimes a fine is worse than being thrown out of court."

close to a stoner emoticon ->

 

[Chaotic42]

I'm buying shares of Taco Bell...

 

[MDE]

I don't see what's wrong with his logic. If people getting caught don't care because their case will get thrown out of court, then who cares? This will also save city money because cops won't have to go to court and get overtime pay.

 

[540mb]

I think this is a good way to go especially if the cases are really getting thrown out. It will save everyone time and it will get the city a little money.

 

[gigapet]

step in the right direction i like it

 

[MaxDSP]

YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

<forwarding to friends>

:beer:

EDIT: Hope the fines are somewhat reasonable...

 

[loup garou]

:thumbsup: