Name: Madison Common Council votes to legalize possession, use of marijuana
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Madison Common Council votes to legalize possession, use of marijuana

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AdvertisementCan't smoke joint on Capitol grounds, UW campusMadison Common Council votes to legalize possession, use of marijuanaCan't smoke joint on Capitol grounds, UW campusHide TranscriptShow Transcript12 NEWS’ NICK BOHR REPORTS ON WHETHER IT COULD BE A FIRST STEP TOWARD STATEWIDE POT LEGALIZATION. &gt;&gt; IT MAY SOON BE COMMON IN MADISON TO SEE SOMEONE LIGHT UP A JOINT IN PLAIN VIEW, EVEN AT A BUSINESS IF THEY ALLOW IT. &gt;&gt; THE PEOPLE WHO ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY ARRESTED AND SENT TO JAIL ARE PEOPLE OF COLOR. &gt;&gt; MADISON ALDER SAMBA BALDEH SAYS POT SHOULDN’T BE TREATED ANY DIFFERENTLY THAN ALCOHOL. &gt;&gt; I’M JUST HAVING A GOOD TIME IN MY APARTMENT, IT SHOULDN’T BE A PROBLEM, BUT IF I BELIEVE THIS WILL HELP ME HEALTHWISE, I SHOULD NOT GO TO JAIL FOR THAT. &gt;&gt; THE ORDINANCE DOES NOT APPLY TO STATE PROPERTY. WHILE IT WOULD BE LEGAL TO SMOKE A JOINT ON THE SIDEWALK, THE MINUTE I STEPPED ON THE CAPITOL GROUNDS, IT WOULD BE ILLEGAL. DO YOU THINK IT IS A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME? &gt;&gt; YES. I THINK WISCONSIN IS AN OUTLIER, EVEN IN THE MIDWEST. YOU HAVE SEEN MILWAUKEE DONE THINGS IN THE LAST THREE YEARS TO LOWER THE FUNDS AND STOP CLOGGING UP THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. &gt;&gt; MILWAUKEE STATE SENATOR CHRIS LARSON SAYS HE’LL HELP SPONSOR ANOTHER MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION BILL IN THE NEXT SESSION. BUT ANY BILLS WILL HAVE TO GAIN TRACTION AMONG REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS WHO CONTROL THE LEGISLATURE, AND INCOMING SENATE PRESIDENT CHRIS KAPENGA SAYS THAT’S UNLIKELY. &gt;&gt; HISTORICALLY, THE CAUCUS HAS BEEN SAYING THIS IS SOMETHING WE WILL NOT GO DOWN THE ROAD OF. &gt;&gt; IN MADISON, NICK BOHR, WISN 12 NEWS. TOYA: SMOKING MARIJUANA WILL STILL BE PROHIBITED ANYWHERE WHERE SMOKING TOBACCO ISN’T ALLOWED. AND, IT’LL STILL BE BANNED WIAdvertisementMadison Common Council votes to legalize possession, use of marijuanaCan't smoke joint on Capitol grounds, UW campusIt may soon be common in Madison to see someone light up a joint in plain view, even at a business if they allow it. The Madison Common Council voted to legalize marijuana -- up to 1 ounce -- allowing it to be smoked in private homes, as well as public places such as sidewalks. "Particularly when it comes to marijuana, people who are arrested and sent to jail are disproportionately people of color," Madison Alder Samba Baldeh saidBaldeh said pot shouldn't be treated any differently than alcohol."It shouldn't be the option to go to jail for simple consumptions. Sitting on my patio having a good time or at my apartment having a good time shouldn't be a problem, and if I believe this is something that helps me health-wise, I shouldn't go to jail for that," Baldeh said. One of the quirks of the ordinance is it doesn't apply to state owned property, so while it would be perfectly legal to smoke a joint on the sidewalk, the minute you stray onto the Capitol grounds, it would become illegal.The same goes for the state-owned UW-Madison campus."Do you think it's a sign of things to come?" Nick Bohr asked Democratic state Sen. Chris Larson. "Yeah, I mean look I think that Wisconsin is an outlier, even in the Midwest, and you're starting to see cities move forward with it," he said. "Milwaukee has done things in the last couple of years, lowering fines, and stop clogging up the criminal justice system." Larson said he will help sponsor another marijuana legalization bill in the next session. But any bills will have to gain traction among Republican lawmakers who control the legislature, and incoming Senate President Chris Kapenga said that's unlikely."Historically, the caucus has been very firm on this saying this is not something we're going to go down the road of," Kapenga said. Smoking marijuana will still be prohibited anywhere where smoking tobacco isn't allowed, and it will still be banned within 1,000 feet of a school or on a school bus. The Madison ordinance, which went into effect Friday, could face legal challenges since possession remains illegal in Wisconsin under state law.It may soon be common in Madison to see someone light up a joint in plain view, even at a business if they allow it. The Madison Common Council voted to legalize marijuana -- up to 1 ounce -- allowing it to be smoked in private homes, as well as public places such as sidewalks.Advertisement"Particularly when it comes to marijuana, people who are arrested and sent to jail are disproportionately people of color," Madison Alder Samba Baldeh saidBaldeh said pot shouldn't be treated any differently than alcohol."It shouldn't be the option to go to jail for simple consumptions. Sitting on my patio having a good time or at my apartment having a good time shouldn't be a problem, and if I believe this is something that helps me health-wise, I shouldn't go to jail for that," Baldeh said. One of the quirks of the ordinance is it doesn't apply to state owned property, so while it would be perfectly legal to smoke a joint on the sidewalk, the minute you stray onto the Capitol grounds, it would become illegal.The same goes for the state-owned UW-Madison campus."Do you think it's a sign of things to come?" Nick Bohr asked Democratic state Sen. Chris Larson. "Yeah, I mean look I think that Wisconsin is an outlier, even in the Midwest, and you're starting to see cities move forward with it," he said. "Milwaukee has done things in the last couple of years, lowering fines, and stop clogging up the criminal justice system." Larson said he will help sponsor another marijuana legalization bill in the next session. But any bills will have to gain traction among Republican lawmakers who control the legislature, and incoming Senate President Chris Kapenga said that's unlikely."Historically, the caucus has been very firm on this saying this is not something we're going to go down the road of," Kapenga said. Smoking marijuana will still be prohibited anywhere where smoking tobacco isn't allowed, and it will still be banned within 1,000 feet of a school or on a school bus. The Madison ordinance, which went into effect Friday, could face legal challenges since possession remains illegal in Wisconsin under state law.Loading more articles...

AdvertisementCan't smoke joint on Capitol grounds, UW campusMadison Common Council votes to legalize possession, use of marijuanaCan't smoke joint on Capitol grounds, UW campusHide TranscriptShow Transcript12 NEWS’ NICK BOHR REPORTS ON WHETHER IT COULD BE A FIRST STEP TOWARD STATEWIDE POT LEGALIZATION. &gt;&gt; IT MAY SOON BE COMMON IN MADISON TO SEE SOMEONE LIGHT UP A JOINT IN PLAIN VIEW, EVEN AT A BUSINESS IF THEY ALLOW IT. &gt;&gt; THE PEOPLE WHO ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY ARRESTED AND SENT TO JAIL ARE PEOPLE OF COLOR. &gt;&gt; MADISON ALDER SAMBA BALDEH SAYS POT SHOULDN’T BE TREATED ANY...

Madison Common Council votes to legalize possession, use of marijuana

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