Cincinnati, OH: Members of the Cincinnati City Council voted 7-2 this week to make a provisional ordinance criminalizing minor marijuana possession offenses “indefinite,” despite the law’s apparent failure to show a demonstrable reduction in serious crime or so-called ‘drug tourism.’ The municipal ordinance, initially passed by the Council in March 2006, was slated to expire this week.
Under the ordinance, marijuana offenders in Cincinnati face up to 30 days in jail, a $250 fine, and a criminal record for possessing small quantities of the drug. By contrast, under state law, possession of up to 100 grams of marijuana is punishable by a $100 citation and no jail time.
Members of the City Council pushed for the ordinance last year, arguing that it would reduce the city’s violent crime rate and dissuade citizens of neighboring states from traveling to Cincinnati to purchase pot. However, according to crime statistics published last week in the Cincinnati Beacon, the number of murders (16%), rapes (5%), burglaries (7%) and robberies (44%) in the city has increased since the passage of last year’s ordinance. In addition, the percentage of non-Ohio citizens cited under the ordinance remained virtually unchanged from 2005 to 2006.
According to a preliminary six-month fiscal review of the ordinance, enforcement of the law has increased city police costs by more than 150 percent. A one-year report summarizing the law’s impact on crime and city finances was not made available to the public. The ordinance became law without the signature of Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory.
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, or Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. Additional information is available online at: http://www.safecincinnati.com.