By GUEST COMMENTARY BY JAY TRISLER
There are many myths associated with Measure Y, the marijuana lowest law enforcement priority policy ordinance.
Myth #1: Measure Y will make it legal to smoke marijuana in the privacy of your own house.
Measure Y does not legalize smoking marijuana in your own home. Measure Y will only reduce the response time of the police department to respond to a call of someone smoking marijuana inside a residence. Measure Y will mandate that police officers respond to barking dog calls, report calls and parking calls prior to responding to a call of someone smoking marijuana inside a residence.
Myth #2: Under current law, you can go to prison for smoking marijuana.
If an individual possesses less than an ounce of marijuana and has valid identification, the police officer will issue a citation that is similar to that of a traffic citation. Myth #3: Measure Y will reduce government spending on marijuana arrests.
Most marijuana arrests are of individuals that have been arrested for other offenses. Arrests in Santa Monica for sole possession of marijuana are very few. Measure Y will require that officers fill out additional paperwork on every marijuana arrest.
Myth #4: Measure Y will help stop the war on drugs Measure Y will not stop the war on drugs. It will only weaken the Santa Monica Police Department’s ability to address quality of life issues in a timely manner. On several occasions, the Santa Monica Police Department has made arrests for large possessions of marijuana resulting from a call for service.
Myth #5: Measure Y better protects our children.
Measure Y sends a confusing message to our children. We tell our kids that using illicit drugs is harmful and wrong — a clear and truthful message. This ordinance will lead the city of Santa Monica down a slippery slope toward an official drug tolerance policy. This ordinance is not good for our community.
Myth #6: Measure Y will conserve police resources and make Santa Monica safer.
Measure Y is both unnecessary and over-broad. This ordinance does not even state what possession amount constitutes personal use. Currently, prosecution of adults for personal possession of amounts less than an ounce is, for all practical purposes, near the bottom of law enforcement priorities. Measure Y will give cover to those who are involved in illicit activities.
Measure Y is a feeble attempt to make marijuana legal. The proponents of Measure Y have not been able to make strides with federal or state legislation, so they are trying to backdoor the process at the local level. Measure Y is a solution looking for a problem in Santa Monica.We do not have the problems that warrant this type of restrictive policy.
The proponents’ intent is, that with this measure in place, the police will not respond to marijuana-related calls. They are wrong. The Santa Monica Police Department will respond to all calls for service. This ordinance will only allow drug dealers and growers additional time to move their product.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 6, 2006. Read the original PDF.