Misdemeanor amounts of marijuana by adults should be a low priority for police, so they can focus on serious crime.

Punishment Doesn’t Fit the Crime

Otherwise law-abiding adults are being arrested and imprisoned for nonviolent marijuana offenses, which is clogging courts and jails in Arkansas. Being convicted of marijuana possession carries consequences that could include time away from work, hefty fines and attorney costs, loss of driver’s license, and a permanent criminal record. A second offense for marijuana possession is a felony.

College students lose access to financial aid.

Roughly 30% of those arrested on marijuana offenses are 19 or younger. Since the Higher Education Act of 1998 included penalties of restricting financial aid to students with drug convictions, nearly 200,000 students have been denied aid. Many low income students with a drug conviction don’t even try to obtain financial aid and never pursue higher education for this reason.

Police Resources

In 2005 alone, over 402 marijuana arrests were booked by the City of Fayetteville, out of a total of 607 drug related arrests. That’s an average of over one person every day for the last five years. Marijuana arrests in previous years were:
2004-393
2003-438
2002-307
2001-443
2000-298
1999-317
1998-324.
Nationally, an American is arrested for marijuana every 35 seconds
89% of those arrested were for possession only, and Marijuana arrests have increased 188% in the last 15 years
Law enforcement resources would be better-spent fighting serious and violent crimes. Washington County Circuit Court judges have affirmed the right of law enforcement to use their discretion in determining how to enforce an ordinance. Booking marijuana arrests and testifying in criminal marijuana cases use up law enforcement work time and department resources.

Economics

Each year, Arkansas spends more than $30 million of taxpayer money enforcing marijuana laws. Under the low priority approach, offenders would be ticketed and pay a fine like a traffic ticket, a savings for law enforcement, prosecutors, and courts. The proposed ordinance would encourage greater use of drug education and community service work which are far more effective in addressing substance abuse problems.
Making adult marijuana offenses Fayetteville’s lowest law enforcement priority will reduce the city’s spending on law enforcement and punishment. Since Fayetteville has recently started sending its prisoners to the Washington County jail facility, the county sheriff has announced they will need to seek a tax increase to expand the jail. The current facility has only been open two years.

More Effective Public Policy

Decades of arresting millions of marijuana users have failed to control marijuana use or reduce its availability. Not only do current punitive policies fail to control marijuana use, the enactment of less punitive laws does not increase marijuana use. The National Academy of Sciences reports that 10 states with laws like this Low Priority ordinance have experienced no greater use of marijuana than other states.

Sensible Fayetteville is a coalition of the Alliance for Drug Reform Policy in Arkansas, The Omni Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology, the Green Party of Washington County, & The NORML Chapter at the University of Arkansas, and other concerned citizens.

Fayetteville, We need your help collecting the more than 4000 signatures needed to make the 2008 ballot.

Help us collect signatures! You must be a registered voter & live in Fayetteville to sign the petition. Msg us or email at [email protected]: Nov 2007- May 2008.