COLORADO SHERIFF: CONSIDER PROP. 1

The Libertarian Says There Are More Important Priorities Than Pot.

Sheriff Bill Masters once believed in the war on drugs as he knocked down
doors and raided homes of potheads in San Miguel County, Colo.

But after attending an FBI training camp, Masters decided the war on drugs
was a waste of time and resources.

At the camp, Masters noticed a handful of agents on the child-abduction
cases committee but a large group of young, bright drug-enforcement agents
in training.

"I think that's pretty sick," Masters said. "It hit me right then. I said,
'Our priorities are all wrong.' "

Originally a Republican but now the country's only Libertarian sheriff,
Masters is a notable advocate for the decriminalization of marijuana.

Masters, who wrote the book "Drug War Addiction: Notes From the Front Lines
of America's No. 1 Policy Disaster," was scheduled to speak Thursday night
at the MU Law School. He was unable to make the trip to Columbia because a
snowstorm grounded his plane at a Colorado airport.

The speech was one in a series of events promoting Proposition 1 on the
April 8 ballot in Columbia. The issue, put on the ballot by initiative
petition, would legalize the medicinal use of marijuana in the city, reduce
fines for possession of 35 grams or less to $25 for a first offense and
mandate that all such cases be handled in municipal court.

Masters recommends that Columbia residents consider the proposition,
research it carefully and understand it better.

San Miguel County follows Colorado state law, which requires that a person
caught in possession of less than 28 grams will be issued a summons and a
maximum fine of $100. The law was adopted in the early 1980s. Other states
with similar laws are Nebraska, California, Mississippi, Ohio, Georgia, New
York and Maine.

Masters favors the Colorado law because it frees up the courts and allows
more time to focus on other cases. He says the law hasn't increased the
number of people using marijuana.

"I think the people who want to smoke will smoke, and they don't consider
if it's a citation or a misdemeanor, or a felony," he said. "There are no
more marijuana users here than in Missouri."

In 2000, Colorado approved possession of up to 56 grams of marijuana and
cultivation of six plants for medicinal purposes with physician
recommendation and state registration. Other states with medicinal
marijuana laws include Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada, Alaska,
Arizona, Maine and Hawaii.

"I believe personally that we have a natural God-given right of what goes
into our body," Masters said. "I'm not going to go to my congressman and
ask him what's best for me to eat. I might consult my doctor, but I'm not
going to ask the chief of police. If I ever get sick, I'm going to make the
decision of what kind of medicine I'm going to take, and everybody has that
right."

There have been only a "handful" of people who have sought possession
approval for medicinal marijuana in San Miguel County, Masters said.

There hasn't been any action taken in San Miguel County to change the
current law. Most residents have accepted the $100 fine for more than 20
years, Master said.

Masters' speech was planned by the Columbia Alliance for Patients and
Education and Students For a Sensible Drug Policy. The student group was
paying the expenses for Master's trip as well as a fee for him to speak. It
was uncertain Thursday whether Masters would be rescheduled in Columbia.

Anthony Johnson, the founder of CAPE, and the leading force behind
Proposition 1, had read about Masters and booked the sheriff, who makes
about 10 appearances a year.

"My goal in bringing him is that I think people get the wrong impression
that everyone in law enforcement is against the drug policy," Johnson said.
"There are law enforcers behind changes."