|
Newsbrief:
Bill
to
Reform
Harsh
Tennessee
Marijuana
Sales
Law
Dies
Lonely
Death
5/21/04
Under Tennessee law, selling
a half-ounce of marijuana can get you up to six years in prison, and it's
going to stay that way for the foreseeable future. State Sen. Steve
Cohen (D-Memphis) attempted the not-so-radical move of raising that amount
to one ounce, but his bill to do so died because he could not get a single
senator to second it in committee, the Nashville City Paper reported this
week.
In the land of Elvis, possession
of up to a half-ounce of pot is misdemeanor punishable by up to one year
in jail, but selling a half-ounce garners the same penalty as selling 10
pounds: one to six years in prison.
Cohen told the City Paper
he made the proposal in the context of proposals to stiffen the state's
penalties for methamphetamine possession to make them as tough as those
for cocaine. Cohen, who said that marijuana ought to be legalized,
added that his experience with the marijuana bill showed how hard it is
to undo legislation already on the books. "It just shows, once you
pass a bad law, it's difficult to change it," he said.
-- END --
|
Issue #338, 5/21/04
Editorial: Benefit of the Doubt |
Vermont Becomes Ninth State to Legalize Medical Marijuana – Other States See Progress and Setbacks |
Not With a Bang but a Whimper: California Pain Doctor Frank Fisher Exonerated in Last Criminal Case |
Needle Exchange in New Jersey? Atlantic City Says Yes, Attorney General Says No |
Dope and Diplomacy in Dublin: European Union Conference Tries to Lay Groundwork for Continental Drug Strategy |
Announcing: "The New Prohibition: Voices of Dissent Challenge the Drug War" – New Compendium by Sheriff Masters Features David Borden and Numerous Other Thinkers on Drug Policy |
Newsbrief: New Jersey Student Sues Over Drug Tests, Expulsion |
Newsbrief: Drug War Invades Ultimate Frisbee |
Newsbrief: One in 11 US Prisoners Doing Life, Study Finds |
Newsbrief: This Week's Corrupt Cops Story |
Newsbrief: Bill to Reform Harsh Tennessee Marijuana Sales Law Dies Lonely Death |
Newsbrief: Afghan Government Concedes It Includes Traffickers |
Newsbrief: Rural Maryland Cops Force Students to Disrobe During Drug Raid |
Web Scan: Ron Paul, Mayor Campbell, Westword, Nature, ACLU-TX Task Force Report, New DPFMA Web Site |
Job Opportunity – Research Assistant, Office of Legal Affairs, Drug Policy Alliance, Oakland, California |
The Reformer's Calendar
|
This issue -- main page
This issue -- single-file printer version
Drug War Chronicle -- main page
Chronicle archives
|
PERMISSION to reprint or
redistribute any or all of the contents of Drug War Chronicle (formerly The Week Online with DRCNet is hereby
granted. We ask that any use of these materials include proper credit and,
where appropriate, a link to one or more of our web sites. If your
publication customarily pays for publication, DRCNet requests checks
payable to the organization. If your publication does not pay for
materials, you are free to use the materials gratis. In all cases, we
request notification for our records, including physical copies where
material has appeared in print. Contact: StoptheDrugWar.org: the Drug Reform Coordination Network,
P.O. Box 18402, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 293-8340 (voice), (202)
293-8344 (fax), e-mail [email protected]. Thank
you.
Articles of a purely
educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of the DRCNet
Foundation, unless otherwise noted.
|
