Indiana Republican Lawmaker Actually Gets It

[mrjarrell]

And wants to do something about it. State senator Brent Steele wants to decriminalise small amounts of pot, making possession an infraction, rather than a misdemeanor. He'd also like to revamp the laws on theft, (stealing a toothpick is equal to stealing an iPod in Indiana. It's ludicrous and results in felony convictions for taking boxes out of trash cans at stores). Glad to see someone up there actually using their brain for once, instead of toeing the law and order line to pander to ignorant voters.

Kudos, Mr. Steele!

GOP senator plans bill decriminalizing pot possession | 2012-09-20 | Indianapolis Business Journal | IBJ.com

 

[EOD Guy]

They should invest in Liberal Hippie repellent before passing anything! You know that'll attract all the pot loving hippie liberals in California.

 

[mrjarrell]

Riiiiight......

 

[level.eleven]

They should invest in Liberal Hippie repellent before passing anything! You know that'll attract all the pot loving hippie liberals in California.

Profound.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

The Criminal Code Evaluation Commission will actually do something next session rather than being the graveyard of ideas as it usually is.

Trial judges are mumbling, Landis at IPDC is on the warpath, and the new Justice on the Indiana Supreme Court may be inclined toward reform.

I know IPAC will fight with every fiber in their being to oppose reforms but I am hoping some make it out.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Right now, “stealing a toothpick is the same as stealing a Cadillac,” Steele said.

Ummm, no, senator, but I agree with you in sentiment.

 

[firehawk1]

Wow... with all the problems we face in this country at this time, we have an elected official "concerned" about the legality of smoking dope.

Sorry Mr. Steele maybe it's time for an adult to take your place to make decisions on the real problems we face.

Talk about pandering.......

 

[Kirk Freeman]

The problem is that the serious consequences to drug law violations have been racheted down and down. It's not working and is creating more and more havoc.

Decriminalization will help.

 

[IncendiaryGunner]

Wow... with all the problems we face in this country at this time, we have an elected official "concerned" about the legality of smoking dope.

Sorry Mr. Steele maybe it's time for an adult to take your place to make decisions on the real problems we face.

Talk about pandering.......

Indiana spends a couple BILLION dollars a year on our justice system...

Marijuana arrests account for somewhere around 6-7% of arrests...

Most convictions do not end with the maximum penalty being enacted - so why not update the penalty to reflect how it is already being handed down by judges in the majority of cases?

Why spend more money than we have to on something we should not be "concerned" about?

When our current system is spending that much, even changes that seem small can have a major impact.

 

[mrjarrell]

The problem is that the serious consequences to drug law violations have been racheted down and down. It's not working and is creating more and more havoc.

Decriminalization will help.

Exactly. Of course some people fail to realise how much time and money is eaten up prosecuting these minor possession raps. I'm sure that cops like Denny and Frank would rather write up a ticket than have to arrest and process someone. Add in the absolute havoc it wreaks on peoples lives and fortunes and it will more than pay for itself. The senator is on the right track.

 

[downzero]

Ummm, no, senator, but I agree with you in sentiment.

What about that statement is incorrect? An Indiana trial judge said almost exactly the same thing to me about a month ago when I saw him on the sidewalk.

As to the original topic, as long as it's still illegal, the Senator doesn't "get it."

 

[rambone]

Wow... with all the problems we face in this country at this time, we have an elected official "concerned" about the legality of smoking dope.

Sorry Mr. Steele maybe it's time for an adult to take your place to make decisions on the real problems we face.

Talk about pandering.......

I consider the War on Drugs to be one of the biggest legislative problems in the county. It clogs our courts, fills our prisons, militarizes the police, pushes the limits of the privacy, ruins millions of lives, costs taxpayers billions, encourages drug use, promotes violence, empowers cartels and smuggling, breeds government corruption, and ultimately rolls out the carpet for a police state. Its a giant money pit and a statist's dream. Its way past time to end these horrible laws.

 

[CathyInBlue]

So glad you said "decriminalization" and not "legalization".

 

[Lex Concord]

Wow... with all the problems we face in this country at this time, we have an elected official "concerned" about the legality of smoking dope.

Sorry Mr. Steele maybe it's time for an adult to take your place to make decisions on the real problems we face.

Talk about pandering.......

You're right, because the swelling prison population, due in large part to the "War on Drugs" isn't a problem in this country.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

What about that statement is incorrect? An Indiana trial judge said almost exactly the same thing to me about a month ago when I saw him on the sidewalk.

Well, it depends, but there is an aggravator as to Theft.

Not all Theft is treated the same in Indiana, but I understand what Steele is saying.

As well, juries will often impose their own limit. E.g., had a tiki torch ($5 at Wal-Mart) come back as Criminal Conversion a few years ago.

Theft; receiving stolen property
Sec. 2. (a) A person who knowingly or intentionally exerts unauthorized control over property of another person, with intent to deprive the other person of any part of its value or use, commits theft, a Class D felony. However, the offense is a Class C felony if:
(1) the fair market value of the property is at least one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000); or
(2) the property that is the subject of the theft is a valuable metal (as defined in IC 25-37.5-1-1) and:
(A) relates to transportation safety;
(B) relates to public safety; or
(C) is taken from a:
(i) hospital or other health care facility;
(ii) telecommunications provider;
(iii) public utility (as defined in IC 32-24-1-5.9(a)); or
(iv) key facility;
and the absence of the property creates a substantial risk of bodily injury to a person.

 

[mrjarrell]

As to the original topic, as long as it's still illegal, the Senator doesn't "get it."

It's a step in the right direction. And, in a state like Indiana, it's about the best we can hope for till a lot of older people die off.

 

[BrianJacobsen]

Why spend more money than we have to on something we should not be "concerned" about?

Well, I fundamentally disagree and I note you don't make an argument, you simply assert. So make your case. I am under the impression that almost all currently illegal drugs were legal once upon a time and were made illegal because that's what folks wanted. By way of example my grandmother, born in Chicago the oughts, knew quite a few people that became seriously addicted to opium from OTC products.

Also, there seems to be some connection to smoking marijuana and mental illness...

Clayton Cramer's Blog: Marijuana And Mental Illness

 

[rambone]

Also, there seems to be some connection to smoking marijuana and mental illness...

Even if that were true, it still isn't the government's place to prohibit, and still costs us a fortune to fill the system with non-violent offenders.

 

[Lex Concord]

Well, I fundamentally disagree and I note you don't make an argument, you simply assert. So make your case. I am under the impression that almost all currently illegal drugs were legal once upon a time and were made illegal because that's what folks wanted. By way of example my grandmother, born in Chicago the oughts, knew quite a few people that became seriously addicted to opium from OTC products.

Also, there seems to be some connection to smoking marijuana and mental illness...

Clayton Cramer's Blog: Marijuana And Mental Illness

Wow...potential schizophrenia if used in adolescence...and alcohol, which was once banned and is again legal, has the potential to cause rapid onset of death by alcohol poisoning, not to mention the high incidence of long-term health effects of prolonged use.

Definitely ban the pot.

In all seriousness, do you understand WHY "marijuana" (there's a hint to part of it) was initially banned?

Because people didn't want it is a nice cover all for the existence of a law, but doesn't tell the story when true, and often isn't true.

In case you haven't noticed, the sausage factories known as legislatures are notorious for cranking out garbage that only a few well-connected people want. I'm not saying that's the case for cannabis, but concluding that a law's existence is necessarily illustrative of the will of the people, even as a snapshot, is intellectually lazy, at best.

As far as making an argument, you offered anecdotal evidence about opiates (of which cannabis is not one - it is not physically addictive) and posted a link to a blog that reviewed a few studies indicating that cannabis use appears to increase the risk of developing schizophrenia.

Cause for concern? Possibly.

Justification for hard time? Not on your life.

 

[giovani]

Ive known people who smoke pot on a regular basis as well as people who drink , and I would much rather be driving on the same roads as smoker vs the drinker.