Title:
NOLA holiday miracle! Cops can cite, rather than jail, marijuana possessors in New Orleans
Message:
We here at MPP are sadly used to e-mailing
Louisianans to inform you of yet another regressive policy being discussed in
the Louisiana legislature, and calling on you to help us defeat it. So, it is
with great spirits that we have the pleasure of e-mailing you this happy
marijuana news for the holidays. On
December 16, the New Orleans City Council voted to make marijuana and synthetic
cannabinoid possession (along with prostitution and two other minor crimes) a
municipal offense. This means NOPD is no longer required to arrest and book
offenders, and instead has the option to issue a summons. This ordinance
has been signed by the mayor, which means it is already in effect.
With the reduction in arrests, it will
save the city the significant expense of booking, housing, and feeding jailed
marijuana users, and will reduce congestion in New Orleans’ criminal courts,
freeing up judges and prosecutors to spend more time on serious felonies. Since
the municipal offense will carry the same maximum penalty as Louisiana state
law, a $500 fine and/or six months in jail, this move is not decriminalization,
since a marijuana possessor still faces jail time. Nonetheless, this is a step
in the right direction, and will lead to many New Orleans residents and
revelers avoiding being stuck in a jail cell, waiting for a public defender,
simply for having a joint.
In a Drug
War Chronicle article, Councilwoman Susan Guidry, co-chair of the council's
Criminal Justice Committee, noted that, "these measures have unanimous
support from the City's criminal justice agencies,” and the District Attorney
himself appears supportive. Let’s only hope that the rest of Louisiana can
learn from the example of New Orleans.
If you would like, you can find the
councilmembers’ e-mail addresses here. You can
send them an e-mail politely expressing your thanks for this forward-thinking,
intelligent decision and for leading the way in Louisiana.
Thank
you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass this on so that even more Louisianans can
get the news.
