La Crosse Common Council off the pot for another six months
December 10, 2010 The La Crosse Tribune recently followed up with a report on the move to decriminalize marijuana by the Common Council in La Crosse. We have followed the movement in La Crosse during the campaign of Northern Wisconsin NORML Executive Director Jay Selthofner. After the reports on his blog initially covered the councils move, many supporters had contacted Selthofner with their support of his campaign also. Selthofner stated “based off the feed back that the La Crosse area had shown me, they have an opportunity to rally around their local officials and gather support has the situation continues to make the news.”
The report in the La Crosse Tribune gave the history of the situation, rehashed the present activity and gave some prediction for the future.
What we knew: The La Crosse Common Council last month sustained Mayor Matt Harter’s veto of an ordinance that would have decriminalized first-offense possession of 25 or fewer grams of THC, or marijuana. Council member Chris Olson, who wrote the original resolution, then introduced a revised measure reducing the possession to fewer than 7 grams. If passed, authorities would have the flexibility to cite offenders either with a municipal ordinance violation or a misdemeanor.
What’s new: The council postponed a vote on the revised ordinance for six months at Olson’s request. Council members Rich Becker, Doug Farmer, Bruce Ranis, Bernie Maney, Tom Sweeney and Lorraine Decker opposed the referral.
What’s next: The move delays any further consideration of the measure until after the spring elections, when the southern half of the council’s 17 seats are on the ballot.
Northern Wisconsin NORML urges supporters to keep the cannabis conversations going and not to let the six month stall develop in a tactic to kill the concept all together. Stay active, get organized and become vocal. If not you, who? If not now, when?
