Decriminalizing Pot

There has been some discussion about the drug laws and their impact since Hugh Reynolds' article on DA candidate's stance on Marijuana --he advocates that the legislature should decriminalizing it... http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=18924449&BRD=1769&PAG=461&dept_id=74969&rfi=8

I did some quick and dirty research and found that while with a drug conviction you may enlist in the military, but under the Higher Education Act you may not receive any federal scholarship or loan monies for college. A very good reason to decriminalize pot, it woulod allow more people to go on to college, rather than become cannon fodder (my opinion, but then I am biased :) ).

The average cost to the tax payers for each arrest is $10,400. NY State's 2005 budget had over $1 BILLION for criminal marijuana law enforcement (its &.6 billion nationally) see http://www.doctordeluca.com/Library/WOD/CrimesOfIndiscretion-NORML05.htm



Here are some articles and websites on NYS Rockefeller Drug Laws which many call draconian, and are the cause of the overcrowding of our jails. . .


Article 2006
http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/fea/20060331/202/1804
The Ruinous Drug Laws 2002
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B04E5DE1339F93BA25754C0A9649C8B63
http://www.drugpolicy.org/statebystate/newyork/rockefellerd/
http://www.droptherock.org /
http://www.nysda.org/html/rockefeller_drug_laws.html
http://www.communityalternatives.org/articles/sentencing_chart.html
http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2002/08/05/drug_reform/
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http://www.counterpunch.org/papa05172006.html