California Governor Signs Marijuana Decriminalization Bill (San Francisco, Sacramento: employment, shop, residential)

[Roaddog]

I think this is a good idea, instead of costing money it will generate money and we all know it's always about the money. 60,000 people last year wow thats some good change for the state

[Lovehound]

Originally Posted by Majin

Exactly. It's to the point the point where I see people fire up joints on the street without any hesitation like it was a cigarette. People haven't been taking the marijuana laws seriously for years now.

I too have seen this, one time somebody distributing fliers up and down my block took a break and sat on my front yard fence and smoked a joint. Another time I woke up in the middle of the night smelling pot, and it turned out some people were parked in front of my house having a party in their car. And one of my friends told me he was thrown out of a San Fernando Valley restaurant for smoking pot, claimed he was so stoned he forgot he was in a public establishment. (Yeah, right.)

I don't believe in having harsh marijuana enforcement but people smoking it in public is going too far.

Originally Posted by californio sur

Nor the cops; at least in Los Angeles county. I was in a car where we were driving very fast without our headlights on a winding canyon road above Pasadena late at night. We were smoking weed at the same time. I know it was stupid. Anyway a cop pulled us over and when we rolled down the windows the marijuana smoke was pouring out. The cop told us to throw our weed out of the car and warned us that if we did such a foolish thing again that he would cite us. Everybody in the car was stoned yet we could not believe the cop would be so easy on us. Not that I am going to do it again but the cop was more angry about us speeding without headlights than that we were all smoking marijuana.

It seems pretty likely your cop was a fellow pot smoker and didn't want to bust you for something he does himself off duty. Or he used to be a stoner before he joined the law.

[CAVA1990]

You can still be prosecuted under Federal law for any amount of pot with a sentence of up to a year in jail and a $100,000 fine. This could definitely happen if you're caught with it in a National Park or Forest.

[Twinkle Toes]

Originally Posted by californio sur

Nor the cops; at least in Los Angeles county. I was in a car where we were driving very fast without our headlights on a winding canyon road above Pasadena late at night. We were smoking weed at the same time. I know it was stupid. Anyway a cop pulled us over and when we rolled down the windows the marijuana smoke was pouring out. The cop told us to throw our weed out of the car and warned us that if we did such a foolish thing again that he would cite us. Everybody in the car was stoned yet we could not believe the cop would be so easy on us. Not that I am going to do it again but the cop was more angry about us speeding without headlights than that we were all smoking marijuana.

Cheech? OMG! Is that you???

[BRinSM]

i know some cities have already passed similar measures, i wonder if more (socially) conservative cities can have laws that supercede the new state law.

[DMenscha]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

You can still be prosecuted under Federal law for any amount of pot with a sentence of up to a year in jail and a $100,000 fine. This could definitely happen if you're caught with it in a National Park or Forest.

Excellent point. Long ago when I worked for the Forest Service any citation from a FS employee went to the Federal Magistrate in Modesto. He was a real hangin' judge who figured if you did something egregious enough to get a citation from the FS, you probably earned it.

[NorCal Dude]

Seems fine to me, much more rational than legalizing it. Just fine the crap out of people and move on. Bust all the dealers.

[BacktoBlue]

Awesome news!

[californio sur]

I think this is an attempt by the legislature and governor to derail the legalization effort. If possession is nothing more than an infraction they hope California voters will not pass total legalization. Arnold is against Prop 19 & so is just about every elected official so this action is meant to pacify the voters to just accept decriminalization instead of total legalization.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by californio sur

I think this is an attempt by the legislature and governor to derail the legalization effort. If possession is nothing more than an infraction they hope California voters will not pass total legalization. Arnold is against Prop 19 & so is just about every elected official so this action is meant to pacify the voters to just accept decriminalization instead of total legalization.

Are there any elected officials besides Pete Stark who are openly for Prop 19?