10/2    I just met a Cal alum who told me that in the 80s it was legal to
        carry up to 4 rolled joints in Berkeley.  True?  When did that change
        and why?
        \_ When I was an R.A. in the early-mid 90s, we had a training/info
           session with UCPD.  One of the topics was drug use/possession in
           the Res Halls.  As I remember, the officer told us to not bother
           calling them about a student in possession of marijuana in the
           amount of 1-3 joints.  They said they just would not bother with
           it, and told us to write it up, and just flush it down a toilet.
           I am not sure if it's "legal" to have a joint, just that they
           are not going to enforce it.  --chris
           \_ Well the story as told was that he saw 2 guys walking down
              telegraph smoking, and 2 cops coming from the other direction.
              Instead of busting them or frowning, one cop took a quick puff.
        \_ It's not legal. However, you can't get charged with the felony
           "possession with intent to deal."
        \_ In the early 90s the Berkeley City Council passed a rule telling
           the PD that marijuana enforcement was their "lowest possible
           priority." It still wasn't legal, but almost.
        \_ Pseudo decriminalised as one of the above posters says.
        \_ Marijuana possession was decriminalized so that small amounts
           are ok so that most users (i.e., white ppl) won't be jailed, but
           most dealers (ppl of color, i.e., not the middle ppl dealers)
           are jailed. You don't want your pot smoking in college to catch
           up with you when you get into the real world, right? If it wasn't
           decriminalized, you couldn't run for governor or president or
           hold a decent job.
          \_ Not only dealers of color but homeless users are regularly
             prosecuted as well.  How many frat boys do you see charged
             with public intoxication?  How many homeless people?  -sky
             \_ Somehow I don't find myself really sympathetic to "drug dealers
                of color" as some sort of protected class.  How unfortunate
                that "drug dealers of color" are prosecuted.  How many do I
                see charged with anything?  I've been living in Berkeley for
                several years longer than you and I've never seen *anyone*
                charged with public intoxication or much of anything else.
                Crime has been decriminalised in Berkeley.  It's unfair to
                the criminals to prosecute them!  We don't prosecute the
                non-criminals, right?  So why punish just the criminals?