Marathon County Courthouse. MWC file photo.
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — A joint meeting of the Marathon County Public Safety and Health and Human Services Committee has chosen to send a proposal to decrease fines for possession of 25 grams or less of marijuana to another committee for refining before further consideration.
Supervisor Jeff Johnson brought the proposal forward, saying it’s something that he has had many people asking for. He also feels it should be considered given that recreational marijuana is now legal in Illinois and Michigan.
“Folks who live in Wisconsin can go to surrounding states and legally purchase marijuana,” said Johnson. “We are talking about a wide cross-section of folks in Marathon County. I don’t care what kind of profession or socio-economic class you’re talking about, there are a lot of people who smoke marijuana.”
He added that those who may smoke or drink to wind down at the end of their day are not putting themselves or anyone else in harm’s way, and therefore shouldn’t be treated as criminals.
Supervisor Brent Jacobson was not convinced by Johnson’s argument, saying he doesn’t buy the correlation between smoking weed and drinking alcohol. “I think it’s a poor comparison to suggest that going home and having a can of beer is the same as going home and having marijuana.”
Jacobson said he also feels that decreasing penalties for using the drug would lead to more people lighting up at younger ages.
After nearly 90 minutes of discussion and input from representatives of both the Marathon County Sheriff’s office and District Attorney Theresa Wetzsteon, both committees agreed that the issue was “not ready for primetime.”
There was also confusion throughout the meeting regarding just exactly how the proposed $50 fine would be applied and if anyone who does get one of the tickets would be subject to having the violation posted on the Wisconsin Court Access database for public view.
Both committees voted to send the measure to the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council for discussion at a future meeting. That committee consists of law enforcement officials and representatives from the county courts and DA’s office.
While individual states are slowly legalizing the drug for recreational and medicinal use, it remains illegal in Wisconsin and under federal law. Johnson noted he doesn’t expect it to stay that way much longer, adding that drug dogs are no longer being trained to identify pot and instead are focusing on other illegal substances.
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