City Neighboring Atlanta Wants to Decriminalize Marijuana

The City of Temple wants to pass legislation to reduce penalties for simple marijuana possession. The current fine is $1,000 for possession of an ounce or less. The city wants to reduce that fine to just $75 for possession of an ounce or less. The new fine, if approved, would come with no jail time.

The driving force for this conversation is the community of college students, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. Council Member Penny Ransom brought up the idea at last week’s City Council meeting. She believes that the current law is too severe for such a minor offense.

Ransom said, “What I have the power to do is introduce amendments to an already existing ordinance that limits the punishment for less than an ounce of marijuana within the city of Temple.”

If Ransom’s ordinance is passed, as long as no other charges are on the table, possession of marijuana (an ounce or less) would result in a simple $75 fine.

Ransom, in response to the current ordinance, said, “And what that ordinance says is that you can have up to a thousand dollars in fines, 280 days in jail, or both and that’s left up to the discretion of a judge on a case by case basis.”

City Administrator Bill Osborne appears to be on-board with the new ordinance. He is working on a full report for presentation to the City Council next month.

Osborne said, “While we want to move forward and make a decision expeditiously we also don’t want to be so hasty that we have overlooked something.”

Ransom believes that the crime doesn’t fit the punishment, so the change is necessary.

She said, “That person could possibly not have a job, not have transportation, have an arrest record and jail time on their record, could they apply for a loan? The consequences are so far to me outreaching.”