Perry defends states’ right to legalize marijuana

1/27/2014
Perry defends states’ right to legalize marijuana » Standard-Times
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IN EFFECT UNTIL JAN 27, 12:00 p.m.
Perry defends states’ right to legalize marijuana
By Will Weissert Associated Press
Posted January 23, 2014 at 10 p.m.
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PHOTO BY JUSTIN HAYWORTH
Associated Press File Texas Gov. Rick Perry speaks in Des Moines, Iowa. This is a year of auditioning,
positioning, networking and just plain hard work for people who are considering running for president in 2016.
You could see them stirring in 2013 as they plugged holes in resumes, took preliminary steps to build potential
campaign organizations and made carefully calibrated moves to get better known by Americans generally and
key constituencies in particular. Most _ but not all _ are ticking off items on what could be called the presidential
prep checklist. And theyíve got baggage to deal with. (AP Photo/Justin Hayworth, File)
AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry defended Colorado and Washington’s legalization of
marijuana on Thursday, saying it was an issue of state rights, while touting initiatives in
Texas as national models for keeping minor drug offenders out of jail.
Perry’s comments during the World Economic Forum in Switzerland echoed his past
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Perry defends states’ right to legalize marijuana » Standard-Times
comments on drug policy, but they caused a bit of a stir because of how publicly the
Republican endorsed lesser punishments for non-violent drug offenders.
His spokesman, Lucy Nashed, said the governor was promoting Texas drug courts,
which offer treatment instead of jail time for non-violent offenders. But she sidestepped
questions about whether Perry supported decriminalizing marijuana in Texas — where
having or selling small amounts are misdemeanors — saying only that drug courts have
worked in Texas and should be an example to other states and countries.
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Nashed didn’t have video of Perry making the comments, which according to U.S. News
and World Report came during a panel discussion on drug policy that also included
former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and Colombian President Juan Manuel
Santos.
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“He’s very much for rehabbing and a diversionary program (rather) than sending people
directly to jail, and I think he’s been pretty clear about that during his time as governor,”
Nashed said. “This is for non-violent offenders and, for a lot of circumstances, it’s the
right policy.”
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But the governor did say that he couldn’t see Texas legalizing pot any time soon.
“We certainly would never jump out in front of the parade,” Perry said, according to the
news magazine.
A staunch defender of states’ rights, Perry has often advocated for states setting their
own policy on a number of potentially thorny issues — and has sometimes gotten himself
into trouble in conservative circles for doing so. The governor has long said that it was
fine for each state to set its own same-sex marriage policy — but while running for
president in 2011, he clarified that he personally opposes it.
Possession of less than four ounces of marijuana is a misdemeanor in Texas, as is
selling less than seven grams of it.
Many urban counties, meanwhile, only issue a ticket for possession of less than two
ounces of marijuana without making arrests. Prosecutors often use drug courts to divert
people out of the criminal justice system, where a conviction can lead to long-term
unemployment and greater drug abuse.
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Texas has been at the forefront of diverting people convicted of non-violent drug
offenses into treatment programs rather than jail. Even an influential conservative Austin
think-tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation, has a 3-year-old “Right on Crime”
initiative to decrease the number of criminal laws across the country and reduce the
number of non-violent criminals in prisons.
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Comments » 1
January 24, 2014
1:03 p.m.
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lee.barnett81#274279 writes:
STATES RIGHTS ARE INDEED PREEMINENT IN THIS MATTER. THE
GOVERNORS POSITION ON THE CANNABIS ISSUE IS PRACTICAL AND
REASONABLE. TEXANS ARE MOSTLY PRACTICAL AND REASONABLE,
COUNTING ON THE SENSE OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND THE
FREEDOM TO EXERCISE SAME. DRUG COURTS MAKE SENSE.
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