CO Justice Commission Suggests Lighter Penalties
By David Olinger, The Denver Post
Source: Denver Post
cannabis Denver, CO -- A commission of Colorado criminal justice leaders voted Friday to recommend reduced penalties for possessing marijuana and other illegal drugs.
If Colorado legislators adopt the recommendations, possessing up to 4 ounces of marijuana would become a petty offense instead of a criminal misdemeanor, and possessing 8 to 16 ounces would become a misdemeanor instead of a felony.
The Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice also favored lower-level felony charges for possessing a few grams of cocaine or methamphetamine and reducing the charge for illegally possessing various prescription drugs from a felony to a misdemeanor. It excepted possession of "date-rape" drugs, which would remain a felony.
The commission is weighing whether to recommend longer jail sentences for drunken drivers convicted of a second or third offense. Some commission members said a Denver Post series on the inconsistent sentencing of persistent drunken drivers led them to favor legislative changes, but no recommendation was made Friday.
The commission was created two years ago to study criminal sentences in Colorado and recommend changes to a legislature struggling with the growing costs of incarceration.
The proposal to reduce penalties for possessing marijuana drew broad support from a commission represented by top law enforcement officials as well as appointees from the legislature and the public defender's office. Of eighteen voting members, 13 supported the proposal, four said they could live with it, and one opposed it.
Some worried that the proposed criminal changes would get intertwined with an anticipated legislative debate about the proliferation of medical-marijuana clinics across the state.
"Are we going to be blurring issues if this is addressed?" asked Department of Public Safety executive director Peter Weir.
"I think we should move forward," Attorney General John Suthers replied. "Marijuana penalties should be reduced, regardless of what happens" with the clinics.
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Complete Article: http://www.denverpost.com/ci_13785115
By David Olinger, The Denver Post
Source: Denver Post
cannabis Denver, CO -- A commission of Colorado criminal justice leaders voted Friday to recommend reduced penalties for possessing marijuana and other illegal drugs.
If Colorado legislators adopt the recommendations, possessing up to 4 ounces of marijuana would become a petty offense instead of a criminal misdemeanor, and possessing 8 to 16 ounces would become a misdemeanor instead of a felony.
The Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice also favored lower-level felony charges for possessing a few grams of cocaine or methamphetamine and reducing the charge for illegally possessing various prescription drugs from a felony to a misdemeanor. It excepted possession of "date-rape" drugs, which would remain a felony.
The commission is weighing whether to recommend longer jail sentences for drunken drivers convicted of a second or third offense. Some commission members said a Denver Post series on the inconsistent sentencing of persistent drunken drivers led them to favor legislative changes, but no recommendation was made Friday.
The commission was created two years ago to study criminal sentences in Colorado and recommend changes to a legislature struggling with the growing costs of incarceration.
The proposal to reduce penalties for possessing marijuana drew broad support from a commission represented by top law enforcement officials as well as appointees from the legislature and the public defender's office. Of eighteen voting members, 13 supported the proposal, four said they could live with it, and one opposed it.
Some worried that the proposed criminal changes would get intertwined with an anticipated legislative debate about the proliferation of medical-marijuana clinics across the state.
"Are we going to be blurring issues if this is addressed?" asked Department of Public Safety executive director Peter Weir.
"I think we should move forward," Attorney General John Suthers replied. "Marijuana penalties should be reduced, regardless of what happens" with the clinics.
Snipped
Complete Article: http://www.denverpost.com/ci_13785115
