Community Audits and Initiatives Project

On Tuesday, November 8th, 2005, Ferndale voters came out strongly in support of Proposal D, which removed all criminal penalties under local law for marijuana used by patients with the recommendation of their physician.

The unofficial final results are 61%-39% in favor of Proposal D, with 1894 votes in favor and 1222 votes opposed.

Massachusetts Public Policy Question 4: Districts 1, 6, 13 and 21

Results:
Passed with 74% of the vote in the 1st District: Towns of Ayer, Dunstable, Groton, Pepperell, and Townsend.
Passed with 71% of the vote in the 6th District: Towns of Hanson, Pembroke, precincts 2,3,4,5 of Duxbury, precinct 2 of Halifax.
Passed with 73% of the vote in the 13th District: Towns of Medfield, Needham, and precincts 1 and 2 of Dover.
Passed with 71% of the vote in the 21st District: Towns of Bedford, Burlington, precinct 3 of Wilmington.

Question 4 directs the district's state representative to vote in favor of legislation that would allow seriously ill patients, with their doctor's written recommendation, to possess and grow small amounts of marijuana for their personal medical use.

Full Text: "Shall the State Representative from this district be instructed to vote in favor of legislation that would allow seriously ill patients, with their doctor's written recommendation, to possess and grow small amounts of marijuana for their personal medical use?"

MassCann/NORML:
P.O. Box 266
Georgetown, MA 01833-0366
Phone: 781-944-2266

Eureka Springs, AR "Cannabis as Low Police Priority" Initiative

Measure language: "When any law enforcement officer suspects any adult in possession of a misdemeanor amount of marijuana and/or possession of marijuana paraphernalia, that person shall not be required to post bond, suffer arrest, be taken into custody for any purpose nor detained for any reason other than the issuance of a citation. There shall be a strong presumption that the proper disposition of any such case is to suspend the imposition of sentence and/or require community service work and/or drug counseling and education."

Voters in the Arkansas community of Eureka Springs passed this initiative with 62% of the vote on November 7, 2006 to 'deprioritize' cannabis possession. City election officials confirmed in August that a municipal initiative that seeks to decriminalize minor marijuana possession offenses would appear on the fall municipal ballot. The proposal directs local law enforcement to issue a summons in lieu of a criminal arrest for adults found to be in possession of up to one ounce of cannabis and or marijuana paraphernalia.

An Initiative to Alter Law Enforcement Priorities and Make Adult Marijuana Offenses the Lowest Law Enforcement Priority in Missoula County

Voters in Missoula passed Initiative 2 on November 7, 2006 with 53% of the vote. I-2 directs local police to make the enforcement of minor pot violations their lowest priority, and appoints a community oversight committee to ensure that the police are obeying the voters' mandate.

"We want to make our community safer, and we believe law enforcement agencies spend too much time and money on adult marijuana issues as compared to more serious crimes that threaten people's lives and property," states the initiative's backers, Missoula Citizens for Responsible Crime Policy. "[The] 30-plus years of current marijuana policies haven't worked. It's time to talk about alternatives and smarter use of taxpayer dollars."

Santa Monica Lowest Law Enforcement Priority Policy Ordinance

On May 24th, 2006 Santa Monicans for Sensible Marijuana Policy filed 8,395 signatures, nearly 3,000 more than the 5,580 needed to place the measure on the November ballot. On November 7, voters passed the initiative with 65% of the vote.

The ordinance makes marijuana offenses, where cannabis is intended for adult personal use, the lowest police priority, and by doing so would free up police resources to focus on violent and serious crime, instead of arresting and jailing non-violent cannabis users.

Flint, MI Flint Code Amendment-Medical Marihuana

Supported by 62% of voters, the Flint Compassionate Care Medical Marijuana Initiative passed on Februray 27th, 2007 gives legal protection to patients with serious medical conditions who obtain relief from the symptoms of their illness through the use of cannabis under the supervision of a medical professional.

Hailey, Idaho: Lowest Police Priority, Medical Marijuana, and Industrial Hemp Acts
On November 6, 2007, Hailey voters passed three initiatives called The Hailey Industrial Hemp Act, The Hailey Lowest Police Priority Act and The Hailey Medical Marijuana Act:
1) The Hailey Medical Marijuana Act is a marijuana medical initiative passed by a vote of 687-581.
2) The Hailey Lowest Police Priority Act is an initiative that makes adult cannabis possession the lowest police priority. It passed by a margin of 637-601.
3) The Hailey Industrial Hemp Act is an industrial hemp measure that passed by 683-565.

A fourth initiative would have mandated the city to regulate and tax marijuana sales and to establish a Community Oversight Committee to iron out the details for legalization, but it failed 573-674.

Contacts:
Ryan Davidson, Chairman of The Liberty Lobby of Idaho
121 East 36th Street
Garden City, Idaho 83714
Phone: 208-353-8157

Press on the Hailey Initiatives:
Idaho Mountain Express: November 7, 2007

Santa Barbara Lowest Law Enforcement Priority Policy Ordinance
The Santa Barbara Lowest Law Enforcement Priority Policy Ordinance passed with 65% of the vote on November 7, 2006. This initiative makes marijuana offenses, where the marijuana was intended for adult personal use, the city's lowest police priority - allowing police to focus on serious and violent crime.

The initiative was filed by Sensible Santa Barbara.

Santa Cruz Lowest Law Enforcement Priority Policy Ordinance
According to a recent Santa Cruz, California poll, more than 80% of city voters agree that the Drug War is a failure and adults who use marijuana should not be criminalized.

On May 25th, the Santa Cruz City Clerk officially announced that an initiative to make adult marijuana offenses the Santa Cruz police department's lowest priority has qualified for the November ballot!!! Santa Cruz Citizens for Sensible Marijuana Policy submitted over 6,000 signatures in April, well more than the minimum 3,423 required to put a measure to a vote. On November 7, 2006, voters passed this initiative with 64% of the vote.

The initiative:
- Makes investigations, citations, arrests, property seizures, and prosecutions for adult marijuana offenses the City of Santa Cruz's lowest law enforcement priority;
- Enables the city to save tax dollars and police resources so that they can spend them fighting violent and serious crime;
- Establishes a city policy supporting changes in state and federal laws that call for taxation and regulation for adult use of marijuana.

Require Fayetteville police and prosecutor to treat adult marijuana possession offenses as their lowest priority. Further, the measure requires the city clerk to send an annual letter to state and federal legislators, governor, and president stating: "The citizens of Fayetteville have passed an initiative to de-prioritize adult marijuana offenses, where the marijuana is intended for personal use, and request that the federal and Arkansas state governments take immediate steps to enact similar laws." This duty shall be carried out until state and federal laws are changed accordingly.

Denver, CO: Question 100
On November 6th, 2007, 57% of Denver voters agreed to make the adult use of cannabis the lowest law-enforcement priority.

Initiative Language:
"Shall the voters for the City and County of Denver adopt an ordinance to the Denver Revised Municipal Code that would make the private use and possession of marijuana by persons 21 years of age and older the City's lowest law-enforcement priority?"

Further details available at: http://saferdenver.saferchoice.org/

Contacts:
Citizens for a Safer Colorado
P.O Box 40332
Denver, Colorado 80204
Phone: 303-861-0033
Fax: 303-861-0915
mail@saferchoice.org

Press on Question 100:
Denver Post: November 6, 2007
Denver ABC Affiliate: November 7, 2007

Hawaii County, Hawaii: Ballot Question 1

Results: Passed 58-42% on November4th, 2008

Requires adult marijuana possession laws to be the lowest priority for local law enforcement.

Full Text: http://hawaii.gov/elections/factsheets/fsbo134.pdf

Website: http://www.mpp.org/states/hawaii/

Press: http://www.mpp.org/news/in-the-news/?state=HI

Contact Info: www.mpp.org

Results: Passed 62-38 on November 4th, 2008.

Expands the non-residential zones where dispensaries can locate, creates an oversight commission to create standards and determine whether relocating or future operators are in compliance, issues zoning certificates, and brings Berkeley marijuana possession limits in line with recent court rulings determining that such limits are unconstitutional in the state.

Full Text: "Shall the City's ordinances be amended to eliminate limits on medical marijuana possessed by patients or caregivers; establish a peer review group for medical marijuana collectives to police themselves; and permit medical marijuana dispensaries as a matter of right under the zoning ordinance rather than through a use permit subject to a public hearing?"

Contact Info: 510-277-0455

August 2006: Unfortunately, this initiative did not make the November 7, 2006 ballot due to lack of signatures.

The Lowest Law Enforcement Priority Ballot Initiative is expected to appear on the Nov 7, 2006 ballot in the City of Niles. It will ask the voters of the City to stipulate that investigating, arresting and prosecuting adults who use or possess small quantities of marijuana in private should be considered the lowest priority of City Police and Attorney.

This initiative only affects adult (19 yrs and older) behavior in private that does not create a public nuisance. It would still be unlawful to sell marijuana, possess more than one and one tenth ounce (1.1) of marijuana (about the amount of tobacco found in a pack of cigarettes), use marijuana in public or drive under the influence of marijuana. It would also still be illegal for anyone less than 19 yrs old to use and possess marijuana anywhere, public or private, under any circumstances.

Traverse City Medical Marijuana Ordinance

Michigan's Coalition for Compassionate Care's Proposal 3, which makes physician-supported medical cannabis use the lowest possible priority for Traverse City police, was passed on Nov. 8thth, 2005. Voters approved the new city ordinance by a margin of 1,594 to 925, with 63% casting ballots in favor. The measure doesn't legalize marijuana possession but calls for the possession, delivery or use of marijuana by a medical patient to be the "lowest law enforcement priority of the city."

Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization Initiative:

The Denver Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization Initiative (passed by 54% of voters in November 2005) makes the personal use of one ounce or less of cannabis legal in the city of Denver (despite state and federal laws that still prohibit it's possession and use).

Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) is a non-profit organization based in Denver, Colorado. SAFER began in January 2005 in response to the fatal student alcohol overdoses that occurred on Colorado college campuses during the 2004-2005 school years.

SAFER envisions a society in which the private adult possession and use of marijuana is treated in the same or similar manner as the private adult possession and use of alcohol. Thus, SAFER's mission is to educate the public about the harms of alcohol compared to the much safer-yet illegal-drug: marijuana.

Ann Arbor Medical Marijuana Ordinance

Ann Arbor's Proposal C, which was approved by 74% of voters on Nov. 2nd, 2004, amended section 16.2 of the city's municipal charter in support of medical cannabis users. Primarily, it amended section (b) to create an exception and an affirmative defense for medical cannabis. The passing of Prop. C also changed the wording of a portion of section (b) which pertains to cannabis offenses in general, substituting "not less than $100.00 for the third or subsequent offense" with simply "$100.00 for the third or subsequent offense."