Legalization Of Pot Won't/will Be On Det. City Ballot?

[+wolfgang]

Can't wait to see their faces when we show up.

[Marijuana Ranch]

WHO'S THE DOPE?

 

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DrugSense FOCUS Alert #447 - Thursday, August 19th, 2010

 

The cities of Denver and Seattle as well as a number of smaller

cities have made use or possession of small amounts of marijuana

their lowest law enforcement priority.

 

This November the second largest city in the heartland may make a

similar decision as the result of the efforts of the Coalition for a

Safer Detroit http://www.saferdetroit.net/

 

Detroit's alternative newspaper discusses the current status of that

effort below.

 

The statement "And that federal law trumps any state law." is not

accurate. States are not required to have or enforce laws which

match federal law. If it were otherwise Michigan would not be a

medicinal marijuana state.

 

Since May of 1975 it has been legal for the citizens of Alaska to

have small amounts of marijuana in their own home. The feds have not

and can not do anything about it. See

http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/legal/l1970/ravin.htm

 

The court hearing on the Detroit ballot initiative is scheduled for

August 26 at 2:30 p.m. in the Court Room of Judge Michael Sapala in

the Coleman Young Municipal Center, 2 Woodward Ave, Detroit 48226.

 

Please bookmark this link which will display Michigan's marijuana

press articles as they are archived by MAP http://www.mapinc.org/find?275

 

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Pubdate: Wed, 19 Aug 2010

 

Source: Metro Times (Detroit, MI)

 

Copyright: 2010 Metro Times, Inc

 

Contact: letters@metrotimes.com

 

Note: By News Hits staff. News Hits is edited by Curt Guyette.

 

Who's The Dope?

 

DETROIT ELECTION COMMISSION SPIKES VOTE ON RECREATIONAL POT REFERENDUM

 

Attention Detroit voters: You must be idiots.

 

Granted, that may be a harsh analysis. But, in the light of recent

events, it is a conclusion News Hits has been forced to arrive at.

 

First, the Detroit City Council decides not to place a measure on the

ballot that would let the city's voters decide whether to place

control of their public schools in the hands of the mayor.

 

Not that we think having Mayor Bingo directing education is a

particularly good idea. He has his hands full as it is. But what we

think really isn't all that important. What should matter is what a

majority of the city's residents want.

 

It's a concept known in some circles as democracy. We hear it worked

for the Greeks back in the day.

 

But no, the people elected by the people of this city apparently have

a fairly dim view of the judgment possessed by those who put them in

office (no small amount of irony in that, eh?) and want to keep them

from making important decisions.

 

Such as whether the mayor should control the public school system.

Or, more recently, whether consenting adults should be able to enjoy

a little marijuana in the privacy of their own homes.

 

In the case of the latter, though, it wasn't the City Council, but

rather the three-member Detroit Election Commission that decided you

the people couldn't be trusted to make the sort of informed decision

Californians will be making come November.

 

You might not have heard, but, earlier this year, a group called the

Coalition for a Safer Detroit collected more than 6,000 signatures

from voters who supported placing a measure on the ballot that would

allow people 21 and older to possess no more than an ounce of pot,

which they could enjoy as long as they didn't use it in public. Those

signatures were submitted to City Clerk Janice Winfrey, who

determined that more than enough of them were valid, qualifying the

measure to appear on the ballot.

 

The final step required the approval of the Election Commission, a

relatively obscure group that includes the very high profile Charles

Pugh, president of the City Council, as one of its members.

 

Last week, the commission voted unanimously to keep the measure off

the ballot. The reason for doing so, they said, was because the

initiative, if passed, would conflict with state law. No less than

the City of Detroit Law Department arrived at that conclusion, and

conveyed its opinion to the commission.

 

News Hits, as you might have guessed, never even came close to

getting into law school, including some of the shadier ones operating

in the Caribbean. But we did watch a lot of Perry Mason in our youth,

and, based on that rock-solid foundation, we feel more than qualified

to at least ask what we believe to be this very pertinent question:

 

What the hell are these people smoking?

 

The commission's reasoning, if you can call it that, appears to the

laymen here at the Hits to be patently ridiculous. If you are looking

for precedent (which, as we learned at the Perry Mason School of Law,

is a bona fide legal term) you need search no further than the

medical marijuana ballot measure overwhelmingly approved by the

state's voters in 2008.

 

According to federal law, any use of the evil cannabis is strictly

prohibited and eminently punishable. And that federal law trumps any

state law. Even so, voters in this state, as well as 13 others, were

able to tell local and state authorities to keep their handcuffs off

people who received the requisite doctor's authorization to use nurse

Mary Jane whenever the need arose.

 

Of course, the feds could still bust you. (Although, in a fit of

sanity, the Obama administration ordered the DEA to lay off locking

up people in states where medical marijuana has been legalized.)

 

So, if the state can say it is going to pass a measure that

contradicts federal law, why is it the city can't do the same thing

and say marijuana is legal even though the state still prohibits it?

 

The answer, according to attorney Matt Abel (who, as far as we know,

did actually graduate from a law school and didn't have to go to the

Caribbean to do it), is that there's no good reason.

 

Sure, state cops could still bust dope smokers if they wanted to.

Hell, even Detroit cops could under the authority of state law.

 

"The practical effect," explains Abel, one of the area's premier

attorneys when it comes to weedy issues, "is that it would be an

advisory measure."

 

In other words, a way for the people of Detroit to tell the city's

cops to spend their time pursuing murderers, rapists and home

invaders instead of joint rollers.

 

Abel and his partner in attempted legalization, Tim Beck, both tell

News Hits that they were pretty astonished by the Detroit Election

Commission's decision.

 

Even more surprising, they say, is the vehemence with which Council

president Pugh vilified the proposed initiative.

 

"He went ballistic," is the way Abel describes Pugh's reaction. Beck

says Pugh justified his opposition by claiming the measure would be a

"bad law."

 

Maybe we missed that part of his resume, but, to the best of our

knowledge, Pugh, like the crew here at News Hits, never quite made it

to law school. We did try to get his side of the story, but a phone

call and e-mail seeking comment were not returned.

 

In the end though, his opinion isn't going to matter any more than

ours. Immediately after the commission issued its opinion, Abel and

Beck began drafting a legal challenge. As a result, the city must now

go to court and attempt to justify the commission's actions.

 

It would have been easier - and much less costly - to simply put the

question in front of voters and let them decide in the first place.

 

Perhaps we're mistaken, and the judge will decide that the commission

acted properly in voting to keep this initiative off the ballot. But

we're willing to bet an ounce of primo purple kush that, when the

gavel drops, you the people are going to get to decide for yourselves

whether Detroiters should be able to light up without fear of getting

busted by the local cops.

 

And that's as it should be.

[mstrouble215]

Nazis.

 

Pseudo-egalitarians.

 

Malfeasants.

 

Tyrants.

 

Heartless Criminals.

 

Anti-Humanitarians.

 

Liers.

 

Cheats.

 

Home-invaders.

 

Thieves.

 

nazis.

 

Rights Robbers.

 

Misfeasants.

 

Murderers.

 

Animal Abusers.

 

Non-Feasants.

 

(Did I mention "nazis"?)

 

If the shoe fits ....

 

Anyone ever heard of this organization?:

 

http://www.copwatch.net/forums

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copwatch

 

Well, if it's legit, we sure need to get busy on something like that in Michigan.

 

"The Immoral Minority - the only ones ever seeking to attain and wield power in "Public Office" ... merely "to serve and to protect" their own violent, heartless hate-crimes against an otherwise home, family and community loving, peaceful, generous and compassionate Humanity ...

 

(Evil-minded snakes in the grass - like those in the venomous viper pits of otherwise promising places in Michigan, like Lansing and Detroit, who are violently opposed to the wonderful, healing benefits of a naturally curative, health invigorating plant called CANNABIS, are forever, harmfully coniving, concocting and manipulating laws and ordinances to over-rule Humanity by the soul-less devices of man-made governments (Chaos out of order); Everyone else happily chooses to be led by The {Holy} Spirit - In other words: The Wannabe Leaders are Merely Crooked men, Attempting to replace The {Loving} Spirit's [Natural] Order with [man-made] Chaos.

 

Wannabe Leaders and Wannabe Led: The Blind Leaders of The Blind.

 

Many, Many Thanks to All of the Compassionate, True-Hearted Souls in the planet's otherwise Evil, Beastly System of World Government - Who vigilantly patrol the Watch Towers and apparent [and non-apparent] horizons day and night/night and day to warn us and help us to shield the otherwise blind and defenseless against that vilest of Dominations of The [otherewise harmonious] Will of The People.

 

Much Obliged for your Loving Hearts Chock full of Compassion, and Love, and Hope, and Faith.

 

May we ALL Prevail against The POWER-HUNGRY, War-Mongering Tyrants - ever pointing the Anti-FREE weapons of "The People's" MASS-GOVERNMENT.

 

FREE The CURE!

 

And, SHARE The HEALING

 

 

I feal ya.

[DT61]

The real winds of change need to blow through Detroit - let's have it start with this one. Since it is within legal grounds to be on the ballot, it would not be in an elected offcials "best interest" to have the fact that their personal will over the peoples will is being carried out advertised.

[mstrouble215]

[Guest Wayne]

Tiiiiime is on our side, yes it is! Or the redux version: Tiiiiim is on our side, yes he is!

[bobandtorey]

Timmichben@aol.com wrote:

Wayne County (Michigan) Circuit Judge Michael Sapala signed a "show cause" order today, compelling the Detroit Elections Commission to explain their decision to keep the "Coalition for a Safer Detroit" marijuana reform initiative off the November ballot. A hearing is set for August 26, 2:30 pm, in Judge Sapala's courtroom in the City-County Building, 2 Woodward Ave, Detroit , Michigan, 48226

Best Wishes,

 

Tim Beck

The Penobscot Building

645 Griswold Ave, Suite 2015

Detroit, Michigan 48226

313-964-0249

 

is this still on

[bobandtorey]

is this still on

 

 

any one going?

[greenbuddha]

How do a few clowns in a backroom get to tell people what they 'can' and 'can't' vote on?

 

Whatever happened to the insignificant idea of the 'will of the people?'

 

I don't live in Detroit but if I did I'd be finding out how to 'change' the people on the 'Election Commission'.

[Marijuana Ranch]

any one going?

 

420Peace Bob,

 

See ya there...

 

God Bless the Victims of the Oakland County Raids!

[Marijuana Ranch]

On Aug 25, 2010, at 5:47 PM, Timmichben@aol.com wrote:<BR class=ecxApple-interchange-newline>

The "Coalition for a Safer Detroit" ballot case will be heard in the courtroom of Judge Michael Sapala on the 9th Floor ( Wayne County Side) of the Coleman Young Center, 2 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48226, tomorrow 2:30 pm. August 26. This is open to the public. Matthew Abel is the lead attorney. Tim Beck is Chairman of the Coalition for a Safer Detroit. Persons from the community are neither encouraged nor discouraged from attending.

Best Wishes,

 

Tim Beck

The Penobscot Building

645 Griswold Ave, Suite 2015

Detroit, Michigan 48226

313-964-0249

 

 

Judge Sapala's courtroom is on the 17th floor:

You have to use the West (courthouse side) elevators.

The East elevators only go to 13.

If you are on the wrong side, you can cross over at the 10th floor.

 

Hon. Michael Frank Sapala

Judge

3rd Circuit Court

2 Woodward Ave Rm 1707

CAYMC

Detroit, MI 48226

[DT61]

I wish you all the best on this today - hoping the light of day can squelch any personal objections and backroom politics.

 

Especially from Mr.Pugh, who's personal issues are beginning to overshadow his political ones.

He lives in a glass house with windows he has broken already.

[Marijuana Ranch]

Time to Rumble...

Able takes em to the mat!

[DT61]

So,,,,,,,,,,,anything happen?

[bobandtorey]

So,,,,,,,,,,,anything happen?

 

 

Yes something happen we lost i was their Ron was not but they are appealing it

[DT61]

hey Bob, any grounds as to why?

[bobandtorey]

hey Bob, any grounds as to why?

 

No but i can say Matt was doing a great job as he was telling the judge why it should be on their

i could tell you better in person am not a good poster

 

and it cost me $13.75 cents to park Thank you Jamie from 3rd coast compassion for paying my parking

 

 

lets hope Ron will Post on here at least Ron Ron were are you