HALT LAFAYETTE REEFER MADNESS

In a county where more than half the voters who cast ballots in
November wanted to do away with penalties for possessing small
amounts of marijuana, why is Lafayette moving to increase the fine
10 times for the same offense?

Lafayette leaders next Tuesday will again consider an ordinance that
would toughen the penalty for possession of up to 1 ounce of
marijuana and drug paraphernalia from $100 to $1,000 and up to one
year of jail time.

Lafayette officials were acting in good, if misguided, faith when
they preliminarily approved the ordinance, proposed by Municipal
Judge Roger Buchholz, earlier this month. The proposed punishment
for having a few joints is the maximum cities can levy, and the
council was just trying to give the judge a little flexibility to
sentence repeat offenders more harshly.

The proposed ordinance would exceed the state maximum for possessing
small amounts of marijuana -- $100. Other communities don't seem to
have a problem with sentencing repeat offenders under that law.

Second, council members didn't seek the input of their constituents
about marijuana. Fifty-five percent of Boulder County residents
voted yes on Amendment 44, which would have legalized the possession
of up to 1 ounce of cannabis. And, according to Mason
Tvert, executive director for Safer Alternative for
Enjoyable Recreation, 53.2 percent of Lafayette voters cast ballots
in favor of the measure.

Third, if any Lafayette tokers end up in jail, Boulder County
residents as a whole will be paying to feed them three square meals
a day. The judge has told people he won't put someone in jail for
smoking a joint, but Lafayette hasn't demonstrated that smoking
marijuana is an epidemic in Lafayette. And people in Longmont don't
want to pay to jail people from a city miles down the road for a
crime that doesn't lead to jail in their own city.

The judge represents the judicial and not the legislative branch of
government. Buchholz's role is not to put demands on the rule
makers, but rather to determine whether residents have followed the
rules outlined by the legislators -- in this case, City Council.

Lafayette leaders need to listen to reason and stomp out this
marijuana ordinance on Tuesday.