A plan to decriminalize marijuana may get a second life.
Weeks after a petition failed to meet election requirements, advocates are working on a new campaign for the April election.
“What we realized is that there are a lot of different ways to be disqualified,” said Esau Freeman, president and co-founder of Kansas for Change. “What we need to do as a group is make sure we’re correctly gathering all the right information.”
Freeman was one of the organizers behind the latest effort. The petition fell 36 signatures short of a 2,928-signature requirement for the November ballot.
THE NEW CAMPAIGN
Now, the groups are planning for a second round. Starting on Oct. 1, many will collect signatures as they had before. They have 180 days to gather everything.
“We’re really excited about the support from the citizens of Wichita and how many people there are that are willing to go collect signatures and help us with this,” he said.
WHAT THE PETITION ENTAILS
The petition would not legalize marijuana, which is one of the biggest misconceptions with the campaign, Freeman said.
Though they are currently working on the specific language with this proposal. Based on the last petition, advocates would like to see a first-time offense cost $25. Currently, offenders could face a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
“It’s more like a parking ticket the first time,” Freeman said. “So many people’s lives are disrupted. When you get a $2,500 fine or you get sent to jail and if that’s not what we’re going to do with people, then let’s make the punishment on the books fit what the society believes the crime to be.”
CHALLENGING CITY LAWS
A snag to the last petition was working with current ordinances in Wichita, Freeman said. Last week, the groups met with a city attorney and councilwoman Janet Miller.
“On the previous petition, it had talked about changing this offense to a civil penalty,” Miller said. “Well, the City of Wichita doesn’t actually have any jurisdiction to enforce civil penalties. We’re not the court for civil action. That’s the kind of language we’re working to change, so that we don’t create another problem with the language.”
Miller said the council members seem to be in support of allowing voters to decide on what they’d like; she wasn’t sure on their thoughts on decriminalizing the use of marijuana.
She said the city would have to change two existing laws before the proposal could go into effect — should it pass. One ordinance could be changed by petition from voters.
“Since both of these ordinances have to be changed, we’re trying to figure out how to word the petitions so the one that can be changed by petition is changed,” She said. “But, there is some wording in the petition that guides the city council to understand that as a result of this petition, the city council will need to change the other related ordinance. It’s very complicated.”
For more information,
http://www.kansasforchange.com/