Recently, the Broward County Commissioners unanimously voted to allow for the issuance of a civil citation for possession of a small quantity of marijuana. (Sun Sentinel) Palm Beach County recently passed similar legislation and Dade is contemplating changes to the way in the way that those who are found to be in possession of marijuana are treated as well. With this move Broward County joins the national movement in no longer treating casual pot smokers as criminals. While this is good new, marijuana has still not yet been decriminalized by the state legislature and the police will still have discretion to treat marijuana possession as a crime under some circumstances. For many years in Florida, a conviction for simple marijuana possession has had the potential to have life changing consequences for possession of a plant which is legal for recreational use in some other states. An arrest for marijuana possession needlessly disrupts and often damages the lives of people who are under most circumstances perfectly law abiding citizens of the community. A conviction for misdemeanor pot possession will disqualify a person from many employment and housing options as well as government financial aid and comes with a mandatory driver's license suspension under current Florida law. Oftentimes these consequences are avoided by obtaining a withheld of adjudication from the court of via participation in a pre-trial program such as drug court but misdemeanor drug court is a rigorous 6 month program which requires counseling and drug screening. Drug counseling for people who are convicted of marijuana offenses is a waste of valuable state resources to begin with. In fact people that are addicted to hard drugs often use marijuana to assist them with getting off of the drugs which are actually threatening their lives. Forcing people to attend drug counseling in order to keep a marijuana conviction off of their record is a waste of time for the individual and a waste of money for the state. Studies have repeatedly disproven the fact that marijuana is a "gateway drug" which predisposes a user towards experimenting with more serious mind altering substances.
Hopefully as the end of America's "marijuana prohibition" continues to develop, the state legislature will look towards making similar moves to that of the Federal government in releasing people who are imprisoned for drug offenses before the completion of their sentences. Throughout Florida people who could very well be productive members of society if given the chance are languishing away in prison for committing marijuana offenses that would have been considered legal if they had been committed at a different time and in a different state. In addition to those people, there are also many people who are unable to find employment or obtain financial aid for school because of a marijuana conviction.
South Florida, Broward County and the United States as a whole has made enormous strides in addressing disproportional sentencing for people found to be in possession of marijuana in the last several years. It is my hope that as this reform continues, that those who have had their lives stolen from them by these unfair sentencing laws be given an opportunity to rejoin society and to reclaim their futures.
