Miami Beach to consider fining those with marijuana instead of arresting them
Published on 6/5/15
A proposed city ordinance in Miami Beach would decriminalize under 20 grams of marijuana. Instead of police officers using taxpayer's time and money to arrest and charge citizens, a civil fine of $100 would be issued. If cought in the act of smoking marijuana rather than just the possession, some believe a criminal charge should still be given. A poll from 2013 showed that 64% of the city approved of medical marijuana, and that the vote for marijuana was so popular it received 1,000 more votes than the mayor of that year.
“We truly don’t want to waste our police resources on these type of minor offenses, and we also don’t want to waste our taxpayers money on the cost of arrests and prosecution of these type of offenses,” he said Friday,
On Friday, Corben said that given public support, he’s disappointed the decriminalization plan wasn’t proposed sooner.
“Talk about a no-brainer,” he said. “When more then 64 percent tells you do to do something, I don’t know why it took two years.”
