ive always thought of decriminalization as coming with the heavy price of taxes. it'd still bring prices down below where they are in most cities around the country.

>> you can only enforce laws if those enforcing them feel enough of a duty to do so. <<

unless enough of those enforcing the laws feel that their salaries, pensions and benefits are going to be lost if the reason for their existence is sacrificed for the "greater good." then they'll enforce those laws to the bitter end. and they'll fight tooth and nail to keep those laws on the books.

*******************depends on how the county and local authorities deal with it. ***********

your words seem as if you are ignoring the state. When the state laws is that XYZ is criminal no local law or ordinance can overcome it. And because the local municipal and counties rely on State money the State can force them to enforce state law. The police oath is to the state above the town. In fact very few municipal laws are criminal in nature. The criminal code f your state, California, is a state wide body of laws of general application that no one in the state can ignore - - unless the Federal law has granted them some kind of carve out as it does for diplomats etc.

So If Culver City makes it lawful to murder the people ahead of you at the Starbucks if you happen to be late getting the kids to soccer practice - you are still going to face the death penalty when you act on that local ordinance.


*************the feds under bush went haywire in california and now under obama they're cooling their heels a bit.*************

Under Bush the Justice Department did a lot of really weird and I think excessive things.

*********you can only enforce laws if those enforcing them feel enough of a duty to do so.**************

Not so. If at the state level the will is to enforce the laws of the state the police risk being removed and replace for failure to conform to state law. On a small enough scale they will get away with it but, once it becomes an issue in the state capitol you can be sure that the music will stop in Breckenridge.

What this local ordinance amounts to is a populist message to the State and eventually the Fed that p[eople are fed up with srupid moralistic laws at the criminal level and want change.

That's the real value it has. If I lived in that town I'd not be possessing pot. The town law can not protect you from the laws of general application from the state level. All the local law does is give you something to shout out in protest for the newspapers to print as they carry you off to jail.