CHICAGO MAYOR FOR MARIJUANA FINES

CHICAGO (AP) -- Mayor Richard Daley, a former prosecutor, runs the
third-largest U.S. city with a pragmatic, law-and-order style. So when he
starts complaining about the colossal waste of time and money involved in
prosecuting small-time marijuana cases, people take notice. "This is
absolutely a big deal," said Andy Ko, director of the Drug Policy Reform
Project for the American Civil Liberties Union in Washington state.

"You've got a mayor in a major American city ... coming out in favour of a
smart and fair and just drug policy."

What Daley did was to say late last month that a police sergeant was on to
something when he suggested that it might be better to impose fines between
$250 and $1,000 US for possession of small amounts of marijuana rather than
prosecute the cases.

Sgt. Thomas Donegan determined that nearly 7,000 cases involving 2.5 grams
of pot or less were filed last year in Chicago. About 94% were dismissed.

Daley wondered if ticketing offenders might be smarter. "If 99% of the
cases are thrown out and we have police officers going (to court to testify
in the cases), why?" the mayor said.

"It costs a lot of money for police officers to go to court."