Decriminalize Low-Level Pot Possession: Gwinnett Citizens Board

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA — Possession of less than an ounce of marijuana may be decriminalized in Gwinnett County if a pending recommendation by a police advisory board is approved by commissioners.

The newly formed citizens advisory board to the Gwinnett County Police Department voted in May to recommend that the county make having that amount of pot an “ordinance violation” instead of a misdemeanor crime, according to The Gwinnett Daily Post. The board will unveil a written version of that recommendation at its June 15 meeting.

The proposed punishment for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana in Gwinnett County would be either a $150 fine or up to 20 hours of community service. Essentially, it would be no worse than getting a traffic ticket.

The Gwinnett law currently on the books makes possession of that little marijuana a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail or a fine of up to $1,000. Georgia’s marijuana possession law is similar and would remain in effect. A Gwinnett police officer could still choose to charge someone with a crime under the state law, board chairman Sean Goldstein told the Gwinnett newspaper.

The Gwinnett Police Citizens Advisory Board will present the written recommendation at its next meeting on June 15 at 6 p.m. at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center in Lawrenceville. The advisory-board meeting may also be viewed online.

Read the story in The Gwinnett Daily Post.