KS: City's Marijuana Plan Elicits Federal Criticism August 26, 2005
News Summary
A plan to move marijuana-possession and drug-paraphernalia cases into Lawrence, Kansas' Municipal Court has strong local support but is being criticized by federal anti-drug officials, the Lawrence Journal-World reported Aug. 26 The Drug Policy Forum of Kansas has asked the Lawrence City Commission to move low-level drug cases from District Court to the less formal Municipal Court, saying the move would save court costs and prevent local college students from losing federal education aid over minor drug charges. Reaction from local officials has been mostly positive: the mayor and top county prosecutor support the move, and the city police chief said the proposal could have "great merit."
However, a spokesperson for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy slammed the proposal. "Marijuana is a great source of ignorance for many people," said Rafael Lemaitre said. "They think that it’s a soft drug or harmless drug, that law enforcement is wasting its resources by prosecuting these cases. That’s not true." Lemaitre accused national drug-reform groups of being behind the Lawrence proposal.
Bruce Beale, who directs an addiction treatment program called DCCCA in Lawrence, said he would not oppose moving drug cases into Municipal Court as long as the move didn't remove the threat of punishment. "Prosecutions are typically a deterrent," he said.
Regardless of where cases are adjudicated, marijuana offenders would face similar misdemeanor charges and penalties, local officials said.
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