PANEL SEEKS REDUCED POT PENALTIES

Outagamie Supervisors Revive Issue To 'Level Playing Field' Throughout County

A proposed ordinance to decriminalize a first offense of marijuana
possession in Outagamie County will go before the County Board after
getting new life from an unexpected source - the Legislative Audit Committee.

The committee voted 5-0 on Tuesday to recommend the ordinance to the board,
even though the proposal had been tabled in the Law Enforcement Committee.

"All we are trying to do is make it a level playing field," said Supv. Bob
Spahn, committee vice chairman, referring to a similar ordinance in Appleton.

Officers in Appleton have the option, at their discretion, to cite a person
caught with a small amount of marijuana with a civil forfeiture rather than
a criminal misdemeanor.

Officers in most neighboring municipalities do not have this option, making
possession a crime in every instance.

The ordinance was proposed by Supv. Ed Thomas, who brought it before the
Law Enforcement Committee, pointing to similar ordinances in Brown,
Winnebago and Dane counties.

The proposal was then discussed by a joint meeting of the Law Enforcement
and Legislative Audit committees, where Assistant Dist. Atty. Carrie
Schneider said it wouldn't empty jail cells. First-time offenders are
generally offered a deferred-prosecution agreement, she said, if they
undergo a drug and alcohol assessment and perform community service.

Thomas pulled the proposal from the table at the following Law Enforcement
Committee meeting, seeing it lacked support there.

Spahn revived the proposal Tuesday before the more supportive Legislative
Audit Committee.

Sheriff Brad Gehring said Wednesday that adopting the ordinance would send
an unfortunate message of drug tolerance to the community. He cited recent
studies that show a marked increase in marijuana use by young people.

Supervisors have been looking for ways to reduce the number of people
sentenced to jail for minor, non-violent crimes.

"This reinforces what we are trying to do," Spahn said.