AMERICANS FOR SAFE ACCESS Chairman Opposes Bill AB164/SB150
Bunny Hethcox
920-392-9730
Email: americansforsafeaccess@gmail.com
AMERICANS FOR SAFE ACCESS – Chairman Opposes Bill AB164/SB150
The Chairman Bunny Hethcox of Wisconsin ASA, was present at the Wisconsin State public hearing of Bill AB164 which was referred to Committee on Urban and Local Affairs on April 23rd, 2013. This bill allows a local governmental unit or a county to enact and enforce an ordinance to prohibit the possession of any amount of marijuana or a synthetic cannabinoid. the local governmental unit, however, may enforce the prohibition against possessing marijuana in a case in which the person is alleged to possess more than 25 grams of marijuana or may prosecute a second or subsequent offense only if the state complaint against the person is dismissed or if the district attorney declines to prosecute the case. In turn, a county may enforce the prohibition against possessing marijuana in a case in which the person is alleged to possess more than 25 grams of marijuana or may prosecute a second or subsequent offense only if, after the state dismisses the complaint or declines to prosecute the case, the local governmental unit with jurisdiction also dismisses the complaint, declines to prosecute the case, or lacks an ordinance under which the complaint could be prosecuted.
“This is unjust” said Ms Hethcox. “This bill shows me that you aren’t confident in the very person that is tenured to evaluate a crime.” Ms. Hethcox opened a new chapter of Americans for Safe Access in Wisconsin earlier this year. “I am concerned that those who need medical cannabis to live a normal productive life will be singled out and attacked by the municipality in which they live.” states Ms. Hethcox. “This is not a cost effective solution and would put unnecessary risks on a patient’s future. It jeopardizes patients from getting jobs by putting undo criminal charges on their records. Let the district attorney do the job he is qualified to do. If he sees no reason to spend tax payers money to prosecute, why throw it on municipalities? Somebody has to pay the piper and this bill would cause the tax payers to pay the debt”.
Wisconsin has some of the harshest laws against marijuana possession. The first offense of a mere marijuana charge including seeds and stems, is considered a misdemeanor penalized up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. Any amount (subsequent offense) is a felony and penalized up to three and one half years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The problem of recidivism comes with a serious price tag. The monetary costs of crime are easy enough to demonstrate, starting with those that rest on the shoulders of taxpayers. While Wisconsin shares the costs of criminal corrections with local and federal authorities, most of the burden falls to the state. According to 2007-08 figures, the average daily cost per inmate in Wisconsin was approximately $84 or $30,700 annually.
Considering the current inmate population of 22,212, this adds up to almost $682 million per year in incarceration costs. “Everybody agrees that Wisconsin needs to save money, this bill would cost taxpayers a huge amount of money” states Ms. Hethcox. When asked if she was ever arrested or convicted of a marijuana charge she answered “No, not yet. That doesn’t mean that I’m not scared to death of being taken away from my home, children and grandchildren very day just because I found a medicine that helps me with the pain of fibromyalgia and PTSD”. Greg Kinsley from NORML and Gary Stork from IMMLY also opposed the bill. “It’s targeting and picking on a group of people who are medical marijuana users” states Greg Kinsley. “This is unfair and a step backward for Wisconsin.” Wisconsin AB164 is still in committee.
