Georgia city votes to decriminalize marijuana

A city in Georgia has decided it's time to take a step forward from the war on drugs and stop locking people up for possessing a small amount of cannabis. Currently in South Fulton, GA you can face 6 months in prison with a $1000 fine for being caught with less than 1 ounce of cannabis, but that small mistake causes damage far beyond that 6 month period. With a conviction like that many will have issues getting jobs, scholarships, student loads and financial aids, even housing. Lawmakers agreed that no one should face these consequences for such a small crime and have instead moved to enact a $150 fine with no jail time for possessing under 1 ounce of cannabis. This follows the path that the city of Atlanta set back in 2016.

“We’re right on the outskirts. You cross I-285 into Cascade and you’re thinking you’re in Atlanta. If we don’t have this law in place, you’re not getting charged $75, or actually $150 over here. But at the same time, you could have six months plus a $1,000 jail fine just by crossing borders of a Union City, or College Park.”