HempRock News

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Newsfeed Provided by MAP, Media Awareness Project

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GREAT NEWS FOR CINCINNATI, OHIO! IN THEIR
NEW BUDGET FOR 2011 CITY COUNCIL HAS
REPEALED THE MARIJUANA ORDINANCE!

In a 5-4 vote the Council voted on a budget for 2011 that
included a line item "Repeal City only Jailable offenses".
Since Ordinance 910-23 is a City only Ordinance, it's officially lifted.

PLEASE CLICK OUR 'CONTACT CITY COUNCIL' LINK ON OUR www.cincinnatimarijuanalaw.com
PAGE & SEND AN EMAIL TO THANK THE COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO VOTED FOR IT
INCLUDING COUNCILMAN THOMAS WHO PUSHED THE ORDINANCE THROUGH IN '06 &
ALMOST DIDN'T VOTE FOR IT BUT BECAME THE DECIDING 5th VOTE!

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TO HELP KEEP CINCINNATI, OHIO'S CITY COUNCIL FROM REINSTATING THE MARIJUANA ORDINANCE
REPORTED ON IN THE STORIES BELOW AND HEAR THE NEW HEMPROCK RADIO SHOWS,
PLEASE CLICK HERE!!!
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Wednesday, March 29th, Cincinnati City Council voted 6-2 in favor of an “Emergency Ordinance”
recriminalizing minor marijuana possession within city limits. The new law takes effect immediately.

Under the new Cincinnati ordinance, minor marijuana possession is now a fourth-degree misdemeanor and offenders will now be subject to arrest, a $250 fine and up to 30 days in jail. A second offense is a first degree misdemeanor with up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. Under Ohio state law, possession of up to 100 grams of marijuana is a minor misdemeanor, punishable by a $100 citation and no arrest or jail time.

This “emergency ordinance,” introduced in February by Council Member and former police officer Cecil Thomas, passed despite an outpouring of opposition from concerned citizens. In fact, during four City Council hearings, not one citizen spoke in favor of the ordinance. Instead, dozens came out with HempRock's Happy Hemptress, Rob Ryan and Mason Tvert from Denver's SAFER, to voice their opposition to it. Unfortunately, only two members of the Council, Councilman David Crowley and Vice Mayor Jim Tarbell, showed the courage to vote against this unnecessary and counter-productive measure. Mayor Mark Mallory, whose office also voiced opposition to the bill, let the ordinance become law without his signature.

In a last-minute compromise, Council Members did agree to add a “sunset provision” to the ordinance –
meaning the law would expire after a year unless renewed by the council. The Drug Policy Alliance,
in conjunction with NORML, will work with the Cincinnati Mayor’s office to ensure that objective criteria
is used by the administration to evaluate the ordinance, and hopefully, discourage its renewal.

For more than three decades, Ohio’s state decriminalization law has served as an example
for the rest of the nation. It’s unfortunate that this unwarranted effort by members of
the Cincinnati City Council has overturned this longstanding protection for its citizens.

IF ANYONE IS AFFECTED BY THIS NEW LAW, PLEASE CONTACT HEMPROCK.
IF YOU OR ANYONE YOU KNOW GETS CHARGED UNDER THE NEW LAW, WE
ENCOURAGE YOU TO PLEAD NOT GUILTY AND TAKE YOUR CASE TO A JURY TRIAL!

HempRock and NORML encourage you to contact Council Members Crowley and Tarbell and thank them
for their decision to vote “no” on recriminalization. HempRock and NORML also encourage you to contact
the other members of the Council (Councilman Jeff Berding was absent) and tell them that you strongly oppose this counterproductive ordinance and are disappointed in their decision to vote in favor of it.

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ALERT!!! CINCINNATI'S RECRIM ORDINANCE IS ON THIS WEDNESDAY'S AGENDA!!!

Thomas' Emergency Ordinance which will put marijuana smokers in jail passed
the Law Committee on March 14th! We need all the help we can get to stop it in
Cincinnati 's City Council meeting, this Wednesday, March 29th, when Council
plans to vote on this issue. If you plan to attend and speak, please be there before
1:30pm to sign in. Please try to attend, we need all the help we can get! Even if
you've already done so, please contact the Cincinnati City Council with the info below!

Below are links to jpg's of questions and answers to keep in mind when
contacting the Council. They may also be printed out to give to friends.
http://www.robryan.org/Projects/Cinci_MJ/Slide1.JPG
http://www.robryan.org/Projects/Cinci_MJ/Slide2.JPG

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Happy Hemptress, SAFER's Mason Tvert and others try to stop Cincinnati
from raising Pot penalties, but it passes law committee!

The Happy Hemptress , with Mason's help, convinced Vice Mayor Jim Tarbell to
oppose Councilman Cecil Thomas' proposal. The Vice Mayor did not support
him until Councilman Berding got a 12 month sunset clause added to
Thomas' proposal but after hearing from the Hemptress and Tvert,
he decided he had to go with his first gut feeling, to oppose it!
Tarbell was the only one on the Law Committee who voted NO!
Although Council David Crowley isn't on the Committee,
he voiced his opposition and plans to vote against it in Council.

After the vote passed, the Hemptress lead a small group to the Mayor's office.
They included Tvert, Ed Orlett (Retired Ohio Legislator who helped write
Ohio 's marijuana decrim laws), Roland Heyne Sr. (U.C. professor &
addiction specialist), Paul Green ( Hamilton County Libertarian
Party Chair), Todd Roy (SSDP), Tonya Davis (MMJ Action Network),
a Chase Law student, a patient and others. Mayor Mallory agreed
to, at least, hold the proposal off Council's agenda till March 22nd .

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Councilman Cecil Thomas claims Cincinnati needs to raise punishment above Ohio's statewide
decriminalization laws for minor possession which is a minor-misdemeanor payout ticket.
He claims this will give the police another tool in fighting violent
crime because Ohio's decrim laws prevent the police from searching suspects!

Please contact Cincinnati's Council members and tell them Councilman Thomas is wrong.
Tell them probable cause is all police need to search anyone suspected of drugs!
Ohio's decrim laws do not change that. Ask him how the police know how to charge
a suspect, (minor-misdemeanor, felony, etc) if a search has not been done!
Tell him this will not make Cincinnati safer, in fact, it will only lead to more crimes because
the police will be spending all their time hunting down and processing marijuana smokers!

It passed the Law Committee! We need all the help we can get to stop
it in Cincinnati's Council meeting next Wednesday, March 22nd.
Even if you've already done so, please contact them again!

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After we stopped it last year, toughened penalty for
pot possession has found support in Cincinnati, Ohio!
http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060203/NEWS01/602030345/1010/RSS01

Cincinnati was saved at the recent Cincinnati City Council's Law & Public Safety Committee hearing on February 28th
when a councilman, who isn't on the committee, presented another issue for an hour at the beginning of the meeting. This
prevented the committee from having enough time to discuss and then vote on that days Emergency Ordinance proposal
www.cincinnati-oh.gov/council/uploads/agendlw.html submitted by Councilman Cecil Thomas, a retired Cincinnati police officer.

Councilman Thomas claims Cincinnati needs to raise punishment above Ohio's statewide decriminalization laws
for minor possession which is a minor-misdemeanor payout ticket. He claims this will give the police another tool
in fighting violent crime cause Ohio's decrim laws prevent the police from searching suspects!

Please contact Cincinnati's council members and tell them Councilman Thomas is wrong.
Tell him that probable cause is all police need to search anyone suspected
of drugs! Ohio's decrim laws do not change that. Ask him how the police know how
to charge a suspect, (minor-misdemeanor, felony, etc) if a search has not been done!
Tell him this will not make Cincinnati safer, in fact it will only lead to more crimes since
the police will be spending all their time hunting down marijuana smokers!
March 14th is when the Law Committee plans to vote on this issue during their next meeting.
Please use any of the following links provided by the national drug reform groups who are helping us in this fight!
Thanx a Bunch!
DPA, DRUG POLICY ALLIANCE
NORML, NATIONAL ORGANIZATION for REFORM of MARIJUANA LAWS
MPP, MARIJUANA POLICY PROJECT

You can also help by
Joining Safer Alternative for Enjoyable
Recreation (SAFER), HempRock & others for
a Press Conference/Rally on the steps of
Cincinnati City Hall on
Tuesday, March 14th at 1 p.m.
to oppose making marijuana possession
an arrestable and jailable offense!

Last year's story!
The Happy Hemptress Gathers Others & Stops Cincinnati
Councilman from Raising Marijuana Possession Fines!!!
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DENVER , COLORADO VOTES TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA!!!

November 1st, the voters in Denver voted to legalize Marijuana for adults 21 years or older! The vote was 53-47% for the new law that will allow for adults to possess up to one ounce. The nickname Mile High City now has an entirely new meaning. But the city attorney's office said the yes vote probably won't make much difference. Denver police will simply file marijuana possession charges under state law, which carries up to a $100 fine and a mandatory $100 drug-offender surcharge. SAFER - Safer Alternatives for Enjoyable Recreation is the organization who got the measure on the ballot.
http://www.denverpost.com/politics/ci_3173687

The US War On Harm Reduction: fixing policy on intelligence and facts.
Justice for a 'Death of Neglect'
Sniffing Out The Truth About Drug Dogs
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Dance party broken up by police in Utah, USA