POT PETITIONS GAINING GROUND

It might seem unlikely that an initiative petition aimed at
decriminalizing possession of limited amounts of marijuana and the
paraphernalia used to smoke it could make it onto the ballot in
Joplin -- let alone pass muster with voters.

But similar efforts have passed in nearby cities such as Columbia and
Eureka Springs, Ark.

"We weren't sure what to anticipate," said Columbia police Chief
Randy Boehm. The 31-year law-enforcement veteran, who has spent the
past eight years heading up Columbia's police force, said he and most
of his officers were against the initiative in the beginning and are
against it now. But, he said: "We really haven't seen any significant
changes in the way we do business since its passage.

"When we think marijuana arrests, it's related to another arrest.
It's a negligible amount of time we spend on it, and we rarely make a
misdemeanor marijuana case where that's the only charge. We are
usually investigating another crime, and it's related to that charge.

"The majority of us thought that it sent the wrong message. But, we
live in a university community, and sometimes that means you have a
different take on things than other parts of Missouri."

Soon after the measure passed in November 2004 with 61 percent of the
vote, members of the Columbia Police Officers Association began
circulating petitions aimed at putting the question before voters a
second time, hoping for a different outcome.

A compromise between Boone County Prosecuting Attorney Kevin Crane
and Dan Viets, an advocate for the initiative's original language,
met with mixed reviews from petition supporters but was adopted by
the Columbia City Council in February 2006. "Our job is to enforce
the law, no matter what that is," Boehm said.

'A Bit Unfair'

In Eureka Springs, Alderman Joyce Zeller, 76, said passage of a
measure regarding marijuana possession in November 2006 was much ado
about nothing. Passage there also followed a petition procedure.

The petition sought to make arrests and prosecution for misdemeanor
marijuana possession (1 ounce or less) a low priority.

"It passed because no one wanted to debate it," Zeller said. "I never
took it seriously because it went against federal law. Local
government can't supersede federal law. That's it."

Zeller, a self-described fiscal conservative, said that when it comes
to issues of morality, "I'm really hard-core."

Messages left for Eureka Springs police Chief Earl Hyatt went
unreturned, but he has said simple possession of marijuana has been a
low enforcement priority for his department.

Rae Hahn, an alderman who was elected last year, disagreed with
Zeller. Hahn said she thinks the laws concerning marijuana possession
are "a bit unfair."

"I think it was just fine to decriminalize something that was not a
violent crime," she said. "I think we need to get the real violent
criminals off the streets. I was for it in a nutshell. Have things
changed? No. Did it affect my life? No. Would I vote for it again?
Yes. It had been a low priority in many municipalities for a long
time, and I think that law enforcement has bigger fish to fry."