Tribune rehashes decrim story The Chicago Tribune is looking again at a plan to decriminalize marijuana in Chicago, but I'm not exactly sure why. The paper has covered it before, and today's story doesn't seem to have much new information except for an unsuprising lack of action:
City officials met with State's Atty. Richard Devine recently to discuss the proposal, but they have not reach any conclusions, said John Gorman, spokesman for Devine.
Today's Trib story does to some extent play catch-up with suburban newspapers which have noted that Chicago's plan isn't all that innovative. Hopefully, the city isn't getting pushed into that suburban-style system, as described in today's Tribune story:
In communities where police ticket offenders for marijuana possession, officials stressed that they reserve that option only for first-time offenders or minor cases.
Of course, such priortizing doesn't do much to cut costs and raise revenue, which seem to be the primary goals in Chicago. Whatever the purpose of this story, kudos to Tribune reporter Lisa Black for getting a good quote from long-time Chicago-area anti-drug-war activist Jim Gierach:
"The war on drugs doesn't work," said James Gierach, an Oak Lawn attorney and member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, a group of current and former law-enforcement officers.
"When you prohibit something and it's an addictive substance, you immediately make it the most valued substance on Earth."
7:58:25 AM | permalink |
|
