- Austin City Councilmember Greg Casar has put forward a resolution that proposes the decriminalization of low-level marijuana offenses
- Last year, House Bill 1325 was signed into law which made hemp legal for farming
- Since then, it has been difficult for law enforcement to distinguish between marijuana and hemp which has led to many district attorneys to not prosecute low-level marijuana charges
- Under the resolution, Austin police would not be able to issue citations or fines for misdemeanor marijuana possession or make arrests unless the subject poses a danger to the public
- Even further, the resolution would not allow time or money spent on pursuing new testing methods required to distinguish hemp from marijuana
- And in misdemeanor cases in which a suspect did not intend to sell, testing for THC would be prohibited
- The resolution is co-sponsored by Council Members Delia Garza, Jimmy Flannigan and Natasha Harper-Madison, who, along with Greg Casar, make up the council’s judicial committee
- In order to pass the resolution, two more council members’ vote would be needed
- The resolution will be up for a vote at the council’s meeting on January 23
More information: https://www.statesman.com/news/20200110/austin-council-member-proposes-d…
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